Stirring from sleep from 4/5am

[spottedinthewilds]

I think this may be one of my first peri menopausal symptoms - I would be grateful for some advice.

I find myself stirring from sleep from about 4/5am, I cannot seem to get back to sleep. At first I got very frustrated and woke up fully, got my phone out and started scrolling etc. However, it now just seems a given and I try and stay as calm and quiet as possible as I'm hoping that the downtime will still help me be less tired.

I'm tired, so tired, my eyes twitch. My eyes are dry too which I suppose if another symptom. I have drops now which has helped.

Does anyone have any advice for me please?

HRT sorted this out for me. I had dry eyes and the 4am waking.

nothing, seems to be a routine i got into
i get up, have tea, mostly stay up
it is a pattern which seems to pass

I am on HRT since 2 and a half years ago but still wake at 4.15a.m. (and through the night). HRT helped with itchy skin (a lot!) dry eyes and being boiling hot.

Try not to take out your phone.

After going to loo if you need (and we do always need) and sipping some water, lie back down and try to rest yourself: close your eyes and let your body relax. Think vague, happy, gentle thoughts / try not to think. You won't get back to sleep but you will feel more rested when it's the time you need to get up.

If you can, go to bed a bit earlier as typically you can trick your body clock and you won't wake up any earlier than if you'd gone to bed 30 minutes later.

You could ask your doctor for sleeping pills like Zopiclone, also taking an antihistamine can help with sleep.

GP will be very unlikely to offer sleeping pills except for a short 1 week course as they are addictive.

For me the answer was HRT in a big enough dose.

They are very careful yes, but they CAN be prescribed and be extremely useful for short term use. I have been a long term insomniac, have taken Zopiclone on and off for 20 years and I'm not addicted in the slightest. And they have helped me function when otherwise I would have fallen apart.

I put a podcast with gentle voices on.

Same here. Perhaps half a Zopiclone twice a month at most. Piriton is an option too, as is the over-the-counter Nytol (Sleepeeze in Boots) not the herbal one though, again only half a one. It's grim.

Same.

I just go to bed earlier and then if I wake up I get up and get on with the day. Not so nice on a dark morning in winter but early summer mornings are lovely.

It's boring but lots of physical activity helps and obviously avoiding alcohol as it can knock you out but then you wake early.

I used to sleep solidly no probs, once you get to peri then post meno you have to really look after yourself with good diet and plenty of activity to help mood and sleep.

I read someone online say they were drinking a bottle or red wine every night practically, then suddenly started waking without seeming to join the dots that it was meno related and they got sleeping meds. Each to their own but physical activity would be my choice over sedatives that can quickly become addictive.

I sleep really well now but the bit I miss is waking up at 4.30am so that I could exercise. I still get up at 5 to exercise, but it's much much harder waking up to an alarm than waking up naturally.

For me those early hours are the best in the day and I trade them off against a lunchtime snooze (in my car at work if necessary) and a 9pm bedtime.

On the plus side, I sleep like the dead until I do actually wake up (apart from the odd night of palpitations and dreams about plane and train crashes!)

Thanks all for your comments and info.

I don't feel ready for HRT yet so I'm going to try a few things. I have a snoozeband eye mask which I can listen to sleep music etc on. I just have to make sure it's by my bed and charged.

I think I'm on top of the dry eyes now so that's good.

I do have any other symptoms so far.

I have had this for years. I wake up wide awake but I find if I get up for a few seconds and go to the loo, whether I want to or not, I can get back to sleep when I get back in bed. I have to get back in and get really comfy, put eye mask on etc to keep out breaking daylight and then I just go right off. If I stay in bed I can’t get back to sleep.