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Original poster

Life making me ill - what can I do?

29 replies

SuddenlyOld · 29/07/2023 14:44

Years ago Iworked nights but had to stop as it was causing hbp and high blood sugar.

Recently I moved miles from work (for good reasons) and now I have to get up at 5am and get home at 5pm. If I'm to get 8h sleep I need to be asleep by 9pm. I go to bed and often don't fall asleep until 11 or 12. I often have poor sleep, waking for the loo or snoring and not breathing well. My BP is over 180 and has been since Xmas. GP is just giving me more and more tablets. I have constant fluttering in my stomach, headaches and palpitations. On my days off I often fall asleep in the day which is not like me. I think the poor sleep is causing all this. I'm already resentful that I only get 3h a day to do anything other than work or sleep. Once I've done housework, cooking, shopping etc I have hardly any me time. I'm in my 50s and need to find a way out of this cycle. Would a sleep clinic help? Are they available on nhs?
I have tried getting a job closer, or wfh but sadly I'm too old for those in my field. Especially as I'm not at a senior level. I can't afford to retire yet.
I feel helpless, stuck in a hamster wheel. Hoping you guys have some ideas about how to change this work-sleep cycle or what medical help I could ask for

OP posts:
doyouwanticewiththat · 30/07/2023 22:45

Sorry you are going through this, sounds awful. Can you take a couple of weeks off sick to have a rest and sort this out? Do you work full time ? If so , can you afford to take a cut in hours and would that work in your job ? Really does sound like you need a break, maybe in order just to get some head space to think about a long term solution.

Aquamarine1029 · 30/07/2023 22:48

Get yourself to a private menopause clinic as soon as you can. You may greatly benefit from HRT, especially when it comes to sleeping. I would also do everything possible to control your blood pressure with diet and exercise. Those "magic" tablets can make you feel absolutely horrible.

Paddleboarder · 30/07/2023 22:48

It doesn’t sound sustainable - is there no other job you can do instead?

Original poster
SuddenlyOld · 31/07/2023 18:45

Aquamarine1029 · 30/07/2023 22:48

Get yourself to a private menopause clinic as soon as you can. You may greatly benefit from HRT, especially when it comes to sleeping. I would also do everything possible to control your blood pressure with diet and exercise. Those "magic" tablets can make you feel absolutely horrible.

Can I start HRT more than 5 years after last period? I do feel as if my health has gone downhill since then. Although I don't miss the monthly migraine

OP posts:
Aquamarine1029 · 31/07/2023 18:50

SuddenlyOld · 31/07/2023 18:45

Can I start HRT more than 5 years after last period? I do feel as if my health has gone downhill since then. Although I don't miss the monthly migraine

Show quote history

Yes, HRT can be started after menopause. If it's right for you, we can't know, but going to see an expert will be 100% worth it to find out for sure.

Original poster
SuddenlyOld · 31/07/2023 18:55

My job is very specialised and doesn't have transferable skills apart from being a whizz with excel, word and Linux. Not good enough with Linux to go for a dev role but also the youngsters are snapping at my heels. I've deliberately stayed at a lower level as senior roles do nothing but report writing and budgeting. I do my job because I enjoy it so I never wanted to be promoted out of it. I now find being my level at my age is a huge disadvantage. Most people my age are senior management. I guess I must look incompetent. And roles at my level are full of under 40s with all the new skills. For my wage I need to keep working. I've looked for jobs closer to home but I live in a rural area where most jobs are admin, retail or hospitality (tourism).

I think I might see OH and see if I can do some days wfh.

I agree about the tablets, but diet and exercise will not get me from 200 down to 140 sadly. My diet and activity levels are pretty good anyway. I went on a sugar free diet and got down from high to normal although there's only one point in it

OP posts:
Markonface · 31/07/2023 21:55

This sounds exactly like what my friend went through. She has sleep apnea (discovered by a sleep clinic), she was given an oxygen machine to wear at night and is like a new woman!

She basically was never getting into a deep sleep because of the apnea so was constantly exhausted. The machine is clunky and gets some getting used to but she has never looked back.

Original poster
SuddenlyOld · 01/08/2023 12:31

Markonface · 31/07/2023 21:55

This sounds exactly like what my friend went through. She has sleep apnea (discovered by a sleep clinic), she was given an oxygen machine to wear at night and is like a new woman!

She basically was never getting into a deep sleep because of the apnea so was constantly exhausted. The machine is clunky and gets some getting used to but she has never looked back.

Thank you. Do you know if sleep clinics are nhs?

OP posts:
Original poster
SuddenlyOld · 01/08/2023 12:33

Markonface · 31/07/2023 21:55

This sounds exactly like what my friend went through. She has sleep apnea (discovered by a sleep clinic), she was given an oxygen machine to wear at night and is like a new woman!

She basically was never getting into a deep sleep because of the apnea so was constantly exhausted. The machine is clunky and gets some getting used to but she has never looked back.

Sorry I also meant to ask if she had hbp from the apnea? Thanks x

OP posts:
doyouwanticewiththat · 06/08/2023 14:55

OP you can get referral for sleep clinic from GP , might take a while so do sooner rather than later .

greyhairnomore · 06/08/2023 16:00

I get between 0 and 3 hours sleep a night. This has been going on for years.
My GP referred me to the sleep clinic, I was declined as no sleep apnea.
There are private clinics.

Original poster
SuddenlyOld · 06/08/2023 16:41

Thanks guys x

OP posts:
TheOwlChronicles · 06/08/2023 23:04

The most obvious and immediate thing you could do is put in a request to work from home a couple of days a week. If you have OH then see them first to talk through the impact on your health at the moment

Iizzyb · 06/08/2023 23:18

You could also make the wfh request based on menopause symptoms - I think I've seen cases where menopause/menopause symptoms was classed as a disability so reasonable adjustment could be some wfh x

Augustus40 · 09/08/2023 06:24

Parsley tea to help blood pressure. Just a small palm of fresh parsley brewed in a cup. Magnesium taken 8 or 9 pm nightly to aid sleep.

Dragonwindow · 09/08/2023 06:35

Definitely investigate HRT.

CobraChicken · 09/08/2023 06:50

SuddenlyOld · 06/08/2023 16:41

Thanks guys x

Hi @SuddenlyOld ,

Are you in the US or Canada? Just guessing (probably incorrectly) from your use of lbs for weight...

Anyway, if I'm not completely mistaken about your location, if you're in Canada or a US State where cannabis is legal, try a low dose edible about 30 mins before you turn in for the night. Total gamechanger for peri/menopause insomnia.

Ladybug14 · 09/08/2023 06:56

Exercise and diet WILL reduce your BP.

Also meditation, magnesium, L-Taurine, and hawthorn

Ladybug14 · 09/08/2023 06:57

And beetroot helps some people's high BP, too

CobraChicken · 09/08/2023 07:06

Meant to add, I don't take a gummy every night - just when I've had a few nights of bad sleep in a row and know that I need to break the cycle because I have something important to do the next day.

I sleep so much more soundly that even if I have the alarm set for 6hrs after going to bed, I'm more alert the next day than after 8hrs of broken sleep...

I know I sound like a bloody advert 😆 but I'm actually just so relieved to have found something that works, after over 5 years of debilitating insomnia.

CobraChicken · 09/08/2023 07:54

"diet and exercise will not get me from 200 down to 140 sadly."

It will, or at least it can, once you have more energy.

If you can address the sleeping issue, any weight loss target will feel far less daunting.

My weight crept up from 150lbs to 168lbs between 45 and 50yrs old (which was when my insomnia was at its worst) but in the last 6 months or so I've got back down to 154lbs without actively dieting at all. I've just been finding myself grazing a lot less and drinking a lot less wine 😆

I wfh (also Linux based!) and I have better concentration and definitely go looking for snacks a LOT less frequently now that I'm feeling less tired.

OwlFC · 09/08/2023 08:39

@CobraChicken which one do you take please

CobraChicken · 09/08/2023 08:47

OwlFC · 09/08/2023 08:39

@CobraChicken which one do you take please

Are you somewhere that it's legal? Even though I've been taking it for a long time, I think the fact that it's only ever once every few weeks or so means that a balanced 2.5mg THC: 2.5mg CBD gummy is my ideal dose.

Probably wouldn't have any recreational affect, but it's an awesome sleep aid with zero grogginess the next day.

CobraChicken · 09/08/2023 08:49

OwlFC · 09/08/2023 08:39

@CobraChicken which one do you take please

I'm in Canada, so brands, etc, likely irrelevant.

doyouwanticewiththat · 10/10/2023 09:35

How are you getting on OP?

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