Severe anxiety waking me at 4am every night at 50

[MissMaman]

Does anyone get night time severe anxiety?
What is it, why does it happen?
It comes every night.
A sheer overwhelming horrible anxiety builds up in my chest until it reaches a crescendo and the physical feeling of pain and terror wakes me up from a deep sleep. It's a physical feeling in my chest. Then once I've been woken, within a split second my brain starts frantically panicking and I feel a deep sense of doom. I lay in bed frightened and scared and highly anxious.
Then my brain starts scanning for what's happening, searching for what it is that's happened to make me feel so desperately and severely anxious..... .and it can't find anything. Nothing. Nothing has happened. I went to work yesterday and it was a normal day. DC are safe and sound asleep in bed. DH is asleep, fine. Everyone is well. We have a nice normal weekend planned.
So why is this happening?
I just want to feel happy. Not like something terrifying has happened.
I'm 50. And all I want to be is asleep. I'm so tired every day from waking up in the night frightened.
I had a very unstable childhood full of emotional upset and felt nervous and worried al the time as a child. It's like that feeling all over again but massively, dramatically magnified. I was better through my 20s, 30s and 40s as I was so happy to be leading my own independent life away from what made me feel sad and frightened as a little girl. Why has it suddenly struck again now I'm 50? Why is it so severe? And why does it happen at 3am or 4am every night? I don't get back to sleep again as I have to get up at 6 anyway so I feel exhausted every day. I am so desperately tired I could cry😣

Absolutely peri / menopause. This went away within a week of starting hrt but make sure you use utrogestan rather than a synthetic progesterone as utrogestan is often very calming or sedating at night time

I buy melatonin if I have a work trip to the USA where you can get it on the shelf in any pharmacy. It is not easy to get in the uk but maybe online

I had this but I also had daytime anxiety. I sympathise, it's awful waking up with a racing heart and sense of dread without even knowing what you're anxious about!

Sertraline fixed it for me but I appreciate it isn't for everyone.

It’s menopause. Hrt will help.

I get it from here
https://biovea.com/uk/product/detail/15041/melatonin-3mg-240-vegetarian-tablets/?deptid=0&cid=0&mid=0&kw=Melatonin+3mg

Melatonin is produced well by the body if you go to old fashioned night time cues.
No screens, increase darkness and rest, cool, quiet environment. Then bright, warm, busy and noisy in the morning. But mostly melatonin is produced as the body's response to increasing darkness.

The melatonin bought in the US is an unregulated food supplement. It may contain some melatonin, it may contain anything from none to many multiples of what it says on the pot. (They have tested this and found it to be so in the past)

OP, speak to your doctor. The cortisol rush is normal, but yours sounds to be quite extreme, cortisol can affect your arteries, so may need treatment.

I have a similar background and similar mental health struggles to you OP. Had it under control for many years after therapy but am 44 and it has ramped up to the extreme. Wake most nights gripped with anxiety.

The symptoms you describe are identical to mine in perimenopause, waking up at the same time with a sensation of crushing terror, are classic symptoms. Book an appointment with the GP, have a chat about HRT.

I was similar and currently going through it now. HRT helped me but I this spring switched from patches to spray and oestrogen tablets and think I might return to the patches though I hate the skin residue left behind. Thinking of seeing a menopause specialist too.

Yes. Also perimenopausal. I wake panicking, even though I’m generally happy about life. Then I actively sit there and wonder what I’m panicking about, like it’s as if my stupid brain has to find a reason. Then I’m sitting there worrying about if I’ll remember to do the food order or put a wash on, because that is the level of anxiety in my life. So there is absolutely no need for this!

Thanks so much!

I had the same hrt stopped it

also goid if you have altzeimers in your fsmily

Anxiety can be a sign of low testosterone in perimenopause. You can buy tests online to check your levels.

Also, in terms of melatonin, you can buy it on Amazon Spain in gummy form. It only helps you fall asleep though, I don’t think it helps with waking up later in the night.

HRT
Drink less
Dont look at your phone just before bed
It's the worst!! Good luck

I'm 53 and have been suffering from this (and many other awful peri issues) for several years now, it's hell.

I know that HRT does solve this for many women, I can't take it yet but have a hysterectomy due in a month and will take it then and hope and pray it will sort me out.

Good luck, op.

Get your heart checked. That's not perimenopause. You may be going into an arrhythmia when you are asleep, and in waking there is a huge mismatch. Sick of people going on about hormones and menopause. So sick of it, there are real problems lads.

I had this too! Decrease in progesterone fluctuations in oestrogen stop the brakes on cortisol and blood sugars. Increasing adrenaline especially at 3/4am.
i went on a fairly low hrt patch, sequential as I'm still in peri menopause, Ive also upped my protein , eat regularly, no caffeine, somatic/ yin yoga in the afternoon evening to release tension and calm.
it’s worked the anxiety is way less than it was. And manageable. Also if you find it easy to go to sleep you have enough melatonin.
I find magnesium makes my anxiety worse, as did micronised progesterone. Something to do with gaba effect, So watch out for that.
zinc, vitamin c, DHA, B vitamins have helped.

You can get in the sea with your ‘there are real problems’.

Crippling perimenopause symptoms are absolutely real and ruined my life until I was stable on the right dose of HRT. No physical or mental health issues apart from those caused by perimenopause and menopause. How dare you tell women their medical history is a lie.

It’s the natural cortisol surge we get at that time of day,
-but for some reason you are sensitive to it and waking up currently -
likely menopause related
or life stressor ??

I've not read all the replies so someone may already have said this, but it is cortisol that is waking you up. It's the hormone that naturally kicks in about 4am to wake you up for the day, but it's also the stress hormone and something seems to happen in perimenopause that means that it is more likely to wake women up with a surge of anxiety. I have experienced it too and it is an awful way to start the day. Some people say that taking a magnesium glycinate supplement from bed can help them sleep through it again, and reducing your overall stress levels during the day may also help. I think you should speak to your GP though and discuss HRT and other solutions.

I have exactly this OP, I wake 4.30am/5am every morning with a surge of anxiety, my stomach in knots and then my brain goes into overdrive. I put it down to perimenopause and stress.

Is there anything you say for them not to reject the prescription? Jet lag? I said insomnia and mine was rejected

You don’t need a prescription for this one

I had this in my late 20s every morning 1am bet ya boots id just shoot up in bed full panic for no reason at all.
I dont know how i stopped it but it stopped.

According to a Dr on the Internet the drop in glucose at that time of night stimulates a spike in cortisol. The answer apparently is to eat a handful of almonds or something else fatty before bed to prevent the glucose drop and avoid the cortisol spike