Is this the menopause?

[WhatsWrongWithYou]

Been having disturbed nights (waking with a start, instantly wide awake) about four or five times a night, sometimes can't get to sleep for nearly an hour despite being dog-tired.

Plus I've just twigged that I'm waking up - not drenched in sweat but definitely hot which I wouldn't normally be this time of year.

Or maybe I just shouldn't drink coffee or alcohol?
< not sure which I dread most, the change or giving up wine and coffee >

I think this is it, isn't it? I'm still menstruating afaik, although I did recently have a gap of about 6 months, which is unheard-of for me. I'm 48 this year, btw, and woefully ignorant about all this as I see myself as youthful and immature.

I'm just so tired, having always been one to push it with late nights and getting by on adrenaline, but at least I was sleeping through, even if I wasn't getting my 8 hours.

Any suggestions to get my sleep back to normal? I promise I'll go to bed early if I know I'll sleep through!

Off to bed for an early night now, but will check in tomorrow morning. Tia.

Hmmm... you sound exactly like I was.

I got a blood test and was in start of menopause.

My sleep has been much better since starting a low dose of HRT.

i think i have started mine too - i am quite excited tbh

had a few night sweats over the last couple of months - this months' period was about 2 weeks late and consisted of about a week (so far) of v v light loss.up until that it had been same as normal (quite heavy).i am 44.

Do you have to go to your doctor then? I thought it was just a stage of life, not an illness.

Don't fancy the thought of HRT.

i'm not planning to

Just had another disturbed night - can't remember the last time I slept through.
Of course, it doesn't help that we have a queen-size bed and DH is rather twitchy grr.

It could be that you are perimenopausal - i.e. in the run up to the menopause. Interruption in your periods is one of the first signs, along with hot flushes/night sweats. I think I started these at around the same age as you.

Cutting down on sugar/carbohydrates (and that includes alcohol!) will definitely make a difference to the hot flushes.

My periods are all over the place - I can go for a few months having them as normal, then might go for anything up to 6 months without one! I wish they'd just stop altogether.

My GP also advised looking at increasing the amount of soy in my diet as that can help, apparently. (I haven't tried that).

Unless you're worried, I can't see there's any need to visit your GP. Obviously if you want HRT, then you will have to - I'm not going to take HRT as my mum died from breast cancer and had been on HRT - I am deemed at a higher risk of breast cancer because of the family link, and as HRT also increases the risk, it's not for me!

Thanks for all the answers - think I'll finally get around to reading the 'What Doctor's Don't Tell You' book a friend lent me ages ago (yawn).

I've always thought soy was to be avoided because it's impossible to guarantee it's non-GM.

I've always been one for using diet rather than drugs wherever possible, though - but weirdly have slipped back into old sugar-craving, coffee-and-alchohol-drinking habits, just when I could do wit treating my body as a temple!

Sleep problems were what drove me to HRT.
I already had an uber healthy diet and lifestyle nad was seeing my gynae privately about something else. he is very much into complementary stuff but agreed that there was nothing more I could do re, diet, exercise etc etc- I don't drink, walk 3 miles a day, consume loads of pulses, no sugar , no caffine etc etc.

Within 3 days of HRt I was sleeping normally again.

HRT is not something to just say an outright no to if you are suffering and can be helped- opinion is still very divided on it and some menopause experts ( drs) believe you should take it for years, (The risk of longer term use is equivalent to the risk of drinking 1 glass of wine a day re. breast cancer) but general opinion is that 5 years is safe then tail off.

You have to remember that although the menopause is not an illness, it is only recently that women have lived post 50 relatively recently ( ie 100 years) and our bodies have not adjusted to living another 30 years without estrogen.

Fair point Cabbage. I must say, you sound like me a few years ago, but now that I need a super-healthy lifestyle I seem to have slipped back into bad habits of old.
Nothing too bad and I'm actually a pretty healthy eater compared to most, but I think some people have less capacity to indulge and get away with it.
Will try to get the diet back on track (not meaning weightloss), and if that doesn't seem to help will see the doc.
Already had a wine-and ice cream-free day!