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Original poster

Why can't I sleep!

74 replies

burntoutnurse · 05/10/2023 00:31

I'm so exhausted, can barely stay awake through the day.

I usually put my tiredness down to working night shifts but it's NEVER been this bad...

I am peri menopausal.

What can I do to help me sleep! I was falling asleep at 8pm, came up to bed and now I'm wide awake 😩

OP posts:
Original poster
burntoutnurse · 09/10/2023 07:51

Another 4am sleep time. Alarm at 7. The tiredness is making me feel constantly nauseous. It's exhausting. Got my 12yo ds home from school today with a groin injury (football) and my other ds16 currently grumping about the house getting ready for college.

OP posts:
Passerillage · 09/10/2023 07:53

I was like this before I started HRT. I have a new Mirena for contraception and progesterone and oestrogen only HRT. It changed my life in under 3 weeks.

I’m so sorry you are going through this - it is miserable. But it can be fixed!

JinglingSpringbells · 09/10/2023 08:31

This is a radical suggestion but is there any way you'd consider changing from night shifts?

Shift work is known to mess up health in men and women, often with long term health issues. (This is well-documented in scientific papers.)

Obviously, being peri menopause is just adding to the problem, but if there is the option of changing to daytime work, think about it?

Findyourneutralspace · 09/10/2023 08:53

Well, I slept well last night!! Due to my new found HRT energy I was able to be busy in the day, went to the gym, got a load of jobs done, bed at 8:30 and asleep within the hour. Hoping it’s not a fluke…

escript · 09/10/2023 10:11

I woke twice last night after the night nurse, rather than once, so not sure that was a success! I did only take one tablet, rather than two, though.

escript · 09/10/2023 10:13

I usually exercise daily, but try not to do it too late. Though too long a run, or too much exercise in the day, can add to the insomnia.

JinglingSpringbells · 09/10/2023 12:03

escript · 09/10/2023 10:11

I woke twice last night after the night nurse, rather than once, so not sure that was a success! I did only take one tablet, rather than two, though.

Don't most people wake up at night, though?

I don't know anyone who sleeps right through- male or female.

I wake up at least once a night but tend to go back to sleep fairly quickly.
Before HRT it would take me up to 2 hours to nod off so what I have now I consider a success!

escript · 09/10/2023 14:17

Well, yes, but this is peri menopause/menopause related and has been posted in the menopause topic @JinglingSpringbells If you look at the posts here people are unable to get much sleep on waking, just a few hours in total.

Original poster
burntoutnurse · 09/10/2023 19:05

JinglingSpringbells · 09/10/2023 08:31

This is a radical suggestion but is there any way you'd consider changing from night shifts?

Shift work is known to mess up health in men and women, often with long term health issues. (This is well-documented in scientific papers.)

Obviously, being peri menopause is just adding to the problem, but if there is the option of changing to daytime work, think about it?

Not possible atm due to the age of the boys and my partner working away. Childcare is much easier to do nights as they just go to their dads. If I'm days they need to be at their dads the night before as I get up and leave around 5:30 and don't get home until 9pm.. so they would be there 6 days a week and i would never see them 😩 with nights they go to their dads after school/college I usually take them then I see them the next day between school/college and going to their dads again

OP posts:
mannekenpis · 09/10/2023 19:06

Weighted blanket. Melatonin. Dull/calm podcasts. All of these help. Also peri-menopausal.

Doyouthinktheyknow · 09/10/2023 20:23

I do sympathize burntoutnurse, I’m also a burnt out nurse and used to do nights for childcare. They do mess your sleep up but needs must, it’s tough! I gave up nights when my youngest went in to year 8 and it did make a difference until menopause hit.

I think work stress is a contributing factor to my poor sleep, probably the same for a lot of nurses!

I have decided to try and fit some exercise in to my day after work to try and help sleep and my general well-being. 30 minutes walk or a sea swim if it’s warm enough. I hope that helps and doesn’t keep me awake. Worth a try.

Original poster
burntoutnurse · 10/10/2023 19:40

Doyouthinktheyknow · 09/10/2023 20:23

I do sympathize burntoutnurse, I’m also a burnt out nurse and used to do nights for childcare. They do mess your sleep up but needs must, it’s tough! I gave up nights when my youngest went in to year 8 and it did make a difference until menopause hit.

I think work stress is a contributing factor to my poor sleep, probably the same for a lot of nurses!

I have decided to try and fit some exercise in to my day after work to try and help sleep and my general well-being. 30 minutes walk or a sea swim if it’s warm enough. I hope that helps and doesn’t keep me awake. Worth a try.

My sleep is normally bad but at the moment I'm averaging 2 hours a night,

Work is v. Stressful too so I don't think that's helping. We are often ten nurses short a shift, but last nights panic keeping me away was being sent to cover another ward I have zero experience in. My friend in work was sent last night leaving our own ward short and ventilated sick babies not being nursed one to one as a result,

I think I'm going to go cry on the doctor on Friday morning.

Day shift tomorrow ,rare one, I'm coming at my sleep tonight with two glasses of fizz, sleep bubble bath and herbal sleep tablets! I have to be up at 4:30am. So I hope to god I sleep tonight

OP posts:
Doyouthinktheyknow · 10/10/2023 20:51

Oh golly, they sounds horrific and really unsafe! I just can’t believe the pressure nurses are put under these days, it is relentless and completely unsustainable, it’s no wonder we are all burning out!

I’m in mental health nursing and I think that’s bad but then I read about other areas of nursing and I feel like things could actually be worse😢

I really hope you do sleep tonight🤞

I do 9-5 so can’t blame my shift pattern for my poor sleep but I regularly go in early and come home late due to ward issues and when I’m at home I find it really hard to switch off.

I went to bed worrying about a patient after doing an hours unpaid overtime to support my ward last night. Woke up at 4:30 and struggled after that but I wasn’t surprised.

I need to start exercising and was planning a swim this evening but left an hour late due to ward issues and hadn’t eaten all day so that was the end of that.

Original poster
burntoutnurse · 11/10/2023 04:30

I slept! 2300-04:15 (I have to be up for work!)

I did wake for a min at 1:30 but put my background noise back on and dropped straight back off!

(I mean it's still only 5 hours but that's better than 2 so I'm taking it as a win!)

And I know I always sleep like a dog after a busy day shift 😂

OP posts:
Doyouthinktheyknow · 11/10/2023 19:03

Glad you got a a solid sleep, even just for a few hours. That’s a very early start!

Mary46 · 11/10/2023 19:37

Patch gave no improvement.... Op hit and miss here. Slept well last night. Tonight I could be hyper lol. Im 50. My neighbour took magnesium found it great. I might try the spray.

Original poster
burntoutnurse · 12/10/2023 11:17

I slept 9pm till 3am. Then 4am until 10am 😱😱😱

But I also did a day shift and 14000 steps yesterday 😂

OP posts:
Iwillnotdancewiththedevil · 12/10/2023 12:02

My HRT was the only thing that helped. It took a while to kick in, and we've played with the dosage but now I generally only have 1-2 sleepless nights a month.

I'm on oestrogen gel, mirena coil and testosterone.

When I was going through the insomnia it drove me crazy, it was absolute torture. Lots of people would give helpful suggestions and believe me, I tried everything! Sometimes a pillow spray just won't cut it 😂😂

BlackSwan · 12/10/2023 14:10

For the last 2 months easily I've been waking up at about 3am/4/5am. I'm knackered. Have made an appointment with a view to getting on HRT (I'm 47) but reading all the posts here - wondering if that will help..
Tried magnesium (ok, once) and it didn't help. I have melatonin... think i'll take it tonight & see if it breaks the habit.
Grrrrrrrr

Original poster
burntoutnurse · 12/10/2023 19:17

Iwillnotdancewiththedevil · 12/10/2023 12:02

My HRT was the only thing that helped. It took a while to kick in, and we've played with the dosage but now I generally only have 1-2 sleepless nights a month.

I'm on oestrogen gel, mirena coil and testosterone.

When I was going through the insomnia it drove me crazy, it was absolute torture. Lots of people would give helpful suggestions and believe me, I tried everything! Sometimes a pillow spray just won't cut it 😂😂

I feel like I'm going crazy with the lack of sleep. Being tired/exhausted makes me nauseous. So I haven't really eaten much today because I feel so sick. My exercise today was so bloody hard to muster up but I did it! Now I've had my bath and I'm watching tv in bed trying not to fall asleep so early, though tomorrow I can sleep all day because I'm back on nights,

I will be ringing the doctors in the morning though, can't go on like this I am exhausted beyond belief!

OP posts:
Iwillnotdancewiththedevil · 12/10/2023 20:04

Honestly, it's utter hell. I resisted going to the doctors for so long because I didn't want to admit I was menopausal. But it's so hard to believe now, just how awful it was. It's like you're a zombie walking around. Everything is a little muted, a little muffled, as if you're looking in on yourself.

I hope you get yourself sorted soon.

Doyouthinktheyknow · 12/10/2023 21:02

I’m on oestrogen patches and testosterone gel, it’s not helping my sleep these days!

I was offered progesterone but I have a history of cervical cancer and I was told my risk of other cancers would increase a bit iirc. There was a read I said no, think that was it.

I work regular hours, get up and go to bed at routine times, things really should be better than they are. Last night the cat woke me just after I fell asleep and it took me about 2 hours to get off to sleep. I thought I’d sleep until my alarm as I was so late going to sleep but no, I woke at 5am🤪

Don’t know what the answer is. I’m really wary of taking otc sleeping meds too often so really try to stick to once a week.

I’m on the wine tonight, doubt that will help but I’m celebrating nearly making it to Friday 😉🫣

Original poster
burntoutnurse · 12/10/2023 23:15

Doyouthinktheyknow · 12/10/2023 21:02

I’m on oestrogen patches and testosterone gel, it’s not helping my sleep these days!

I was offered progesterone but I have a history of cervical cancer and I was told my risk of other cancers would increase a bit iirc. There was a read I said no, think that was it.

I work regular hours, get up and go to bed at routine times, things really should be better than they are. Last night the cat woke me just after I fell asleep and it took me about 2 hours to get off to sleep. I thought I’d sleep until my alarm as I was so late going to sleep but no, I woke at 5am🤪

Don’t know what the answer is. I’m really wary of taking otc sleeping meds too often so really try to stick to once a week.

I’m on the wine tonight, doubt that will help but I’m celebrating nearly making it to Friday 😉🫣

Wine helped me last night Grin

OP posts:
Doyouthinktheyknow · 13/10/2023 19:51

Didn’t help me but glad it worked for you🥳
Maybe I need to drink more😜🤣

I really need to exercise, think that is the way forward for me. Just got to find the time and energy!! Going for a chilly dip in the sea tomorrow and a walk so good start.

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