Anyone else have this insomnia issue?

[Furryfeet]

Sorry about the long post. Ideally I'd like to hear from anyone who has come through similar experiences to give me encouragement or anyone who just wants to share their own circumstances. (Btw I'm 45; been on Evorel 100 patches for about 8 weeks, upped to 150 3 weeks ago + cyclical utrogestan + 37.5mg venlafaxine for 5 weeks + 10mg amitriptyline started v recently)

I am continually perplexed by the way I have lost the ability to sleep and my sleep is at the same time really bad AND erratic. The thing that aggravates me most is that I've lost count of the number of times I've tried something new to help sleep and it's worked and I've thought 'Brilliant - I've cracked this' and then it's stopped working after 2 nights max.

For example I noticed for several months I was sleeping longer and more soundly on the nights my dh had ended up falling asleep downstairs on the couch, so he offered to sleep on the sofa for a week as an experiment to see how it benefited my sleep... 3 nights of great sleep for me and then it just stopped working. Same when i took taurine - first 2 nights slept like a baby but not since. First night of amitriptyline knocked me out for 8 hours and then the next night I was awake within 30 minutes and only got back to sleep again from 3-5:40am, CBD oil was similar. I've tried CBTi and hypnotherapy but they just seem like expensive chats.

I seem to sleep for little more than 3 hours a night with maybe 1-2 nights a week of a magical 7 hours, but I never know which I'll get. To make it more confusing, dh thinks I sometimes think I'm awake when I'm actually asleep. I thought about getting a smart watch to track sleep but think I'd probably just get even more obsessed with it.

The thing I find the hardest is the sense of not 'knowing myself' any more. I have been off work for a while with anxiety, low mood and insomnia after a fairly full-on stint of homeworking during the pandemic (which was when certain peri symptoms emerged). Some of my physical symptoms have gone and part of me would love to go back to work and feel part of that world again (and in fact I'll have to return soon anyway), but it's hard to tell how working will impact on my sleep and wellbeing. My managers have been pretty supportive in terms of asking me all about what might support me, but it's actually hard to know what would help when I've been feeling so weird for so long.

Mine was a similar level on a 50 patch recently and my symptoms had ramped up, including insomnia (not as bad as yours though.) Gp said it wasn't enough and would prefer around 600.

I've gone to 75; was definitely wired a first but it's starting to settle.

When I do utrogestan (x2 for 12 days) I do sleep much better, even though it's taken vaginally.

I'd suggest going up a patch dose and taking the utrogestan.

Otherwise, have they checked thyroid? (Hyper?) And ferritin? (Can cause issues if too low.)

@WarriorN Thanks, I will need to see how things are with utrogestan added. And re ferritin, I’ve been on iron tablets for months and it’s gone from 21 to 24 so still pretty low. Got Newson appointment next week so will see what they say

Iron tablets caused more issues for me.

I found x2 spatone with 1000 fizzy vit c worked better than those. Calcium and caffeine interfere with absorption so I didn't eat for an hour either side. Went up by as much in one month as o had after 3 months on the iron tablets which gave me severe ibs.

There's a feed back hormone that suppresses how much iron you absorb. (Can't remember its name, heparin?)

The alternative is to take one tablet every other day (with vit c, not eating for an hour either side.)

@WarriorN Thanks - one of my best friends is a senior dietitian so I’ll ask her what to try next or what to ask from the dr x

This is the paper, I first heard about it on bbc radio 4 inside health.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31413088/

Hepcidin is the hormone!

have you tried magnesium supplements (proper ones not supermarket ones) before bedtime?

They unfailingly work for me

www.healthline.com/nutrition/magnesium-for-menopause#_noHeaderPrefixedContent

I had dreadful insomnia with the menopause.
I'm 69 now and it still troubles me at times.
I didn't have any HRT.

One thing that's helping a bit now is Clipper sleep tea bags. I have one cup about an hour before bedtime and another just before I go to bed.

I still wake during the night (as you might see from a couple of my posts) but I go back to sleep quickly and finish up with about 7 hours a night.

Good luck, insomnia is awful.

OP I am where you are. Nothing seems to work that long and it’s so worrying because the long term effect of lack of sleep is not good which just adds to one's sleep anxiety. However..

Last week I was forced to leave the house ridiculously early every day to drop DS off at work experience. I took the chance to walk briskly in the morning sun for an hour (using the Active 10 app recommended here)

My sleep has improved and I’m cautiously optimistic but, like you, I’m waiting to see if the effect lasts!

I gave up caffeine all together, now if someone gives me caffeine by mistake - I know they did at 2am
generally the days I do cardio or heavy weights/resistance training I sleep much better 8/10

Hi I haven't slept properly for 2 years now with it getting progressively worse, so I am now relying on Benelyn Original chesty cough syrup to make me sleep. Downside is feeling groggy in the morning. I find magnesium also helps. I did try CBD oil, didn't help, melatonin also not that good. I have stopped alcohol as that definitely makes sleep worse and limited my caffeine intake. I also exercise every day which helps. I hope you can find a solution.