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Menopause

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Inability to sleep is grinding me down

114 replies

RandomMess · 11/11/2025 23:53

I’be never been a great sleeper but it’s just ridiculous now. I have been awake since 4.45am 😭

OP posts:
RandomMess · 12/11/2025 21:30

@HappyherI take antihistamines already for allergies, prescription strength.

OP posts:
Happyher · 12/11/2025 22:44

RandomMess · 12/11/2025 21:30

@HappyherI take antihistamines already for allergies, prescription strength.

They might be non drowsy ones if they prescribed - certainly are for you! Hope you find a way to get some sleep soon

Whatachliche · 12/11/2025 23:03

not sleeping is torture, it is hell. can you go back to sleep around 6 or 7 am to ca 9am? that works for me sometimes and makes a huge difference.

Morningreppy · 13/11/2025 05:46

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chunkyBoo · 13/11/2025 06:11

Piriton antihistamine helps with sleeping. I’ve had 2 before to really get a decent sleep. First night I tried amitriptyline (earlier this week) it was amazing! When I woke up as I always do too from around 3am, I just felt drowsy, it was great! Sadly the next few nights so far haven’t seen the same effect

suki1964 · 13/11/2025 06:15

I manage on 4.5 hrs a sleep a night - often less

Always a bad sleeper , menopause stole another couple of hours from me

I cope by having an early morning job, Im in work for 5:30am, home around 10, a couple of miles walk with the dog, then my one and only coffee of the day - and an hours nap.

Then another couple of miles with the dog around 3pm and Im raring to go. Plenty of energy then till I feel tired around midnight if Im lucky - 2am if Im not

Im lucky that I can just work around my lack of sleep so I dont get stressed by it. If I know Im not going to sleep I just get up. If I think I can nap in the day - I go for it

Morningreppy · 13/11/2025 06:20

suki1964 · 13/11/2025 06:15

I manage on 4.5 hrs a sleep a night - often less

Always a bad sleeper , menopause stole another couple of hours from me

I cope by having an early morning job, Im in work for 5:30am, home around 10, a couple of miles walk with the dog, then my one and only coffee of the day - and an hours nap.

Then another couple of miles with the dog around 3pm and Im raring to go. Plenty of energy then till I feel tired around midnight if Im lucky - 2am if Im not

Im lucky that I can just work around my lack of sleep so I dont get stressed by it. If I know Im not going to sleep I just get up. If I think I can nap in the day - I go for it

Edit

10am!

springintoaction2 · 13/11/2025 06:33

@suki1964 pretty similar here!

I work 3 mornings a week from 6am to 12 - walk to and from work.

Tend to go to bed early though - around 9pm.

I aim for 10k steps a day and take magnesium every night. Sometimes despite doing all this - will wake at 3 to 4 am (like today) - but it isn't too bad as have a day off today. Plus the job is a piece of piss since I retired from my 'proper' job Grin

Tend to go with the flow (age 61)

Justputsomeyoghurtonit · 13/11/2025 06:50

Happyher · 12/11/2025 21:20

When I was having trouble sleeping my doctor advised me to take a one-a-day antihistamine now and again to help. The ones with cetirizine are the most effective or ones with loratadine are a bit milder. I used them when I suffered knee arthritis that kept waking me up. I would still wake but they make it easy to doze off again. They’re quite cheap if you get supermarket own brands

And also don't contain ingredients that cause drowsiness.. Did they work? I take two of those a day to help with allergies and they don't cause any drowsiness at all..

Happyher · 13/11/2025 08:26

Justputsomeyoghurtonit · 13/11/2025 06:50

And also don't contain ingredients that cause drowsiness.. Did they work? I take two of those a day to help with allergies and they don't cause any drowsiness at all..

They do make me drowsy so they obviously affect people differently. I wouldn’t have suggested otherwise and it was a GP who advised me to take them to aid sleep

Justputsomeyoghurtonit · 13/11/2025 08:38

Happyher · 13/11/2025 08:26

They do make me drowsy so they obviously affect people differently. I wouldn’t have suggested otherwise and it was a GP who advised me to take them to aid sleep

Eeek maybe thats the reason I'm permanently knackered - I've been taking two a day for years 😂 (on advice of consultant)

Coffeeclair · 13/11/2025 11:30

RandomMess · 12/11/2025 20:55

CBT insomnia looks interesting, one of the issues is that I have nowhere to go if I can’t go to sleep. Perhaps it’s something I could try when I know I have 3/4 weeks without anything on/going away.

Do you share a room with a partner? If not, you could always set up a corner away from the bed where you sit. It's about not doing anything in bed except sleeping (not lying there 'tired' but actually needing to fall asleep) or ionically having sex (that was allowed). But nothing else.

I do think it's worth trying. I don't think you need several weeks off to do it. I found it quite quick to get used to - my sleep was so bad it wasn't a big hit.

It was recommended by my GP at the time, who then left the practice and set up privately, as someone who is quite leading in the field of CBT type practice for insomnia (and works a lot with menopausal women, if that's your related issue).

I do think it's smart to avoid relying on drugs, especially medication, as it's a slippery slope; and also - supplements. Your body just gets used to them, so even after the initial relief, their support wears off. I wouldn't also take melatonin long term as it starts to deplete your natural production of it, which you don't want.

I really sympathise; it's a shitfest when you don't sleep well and it has awful effects. I hope you get to try a CBT type programme, it might be the answer. Good luck

suki1964 · 13/11/2025 16:38

springintoaction2 · 13/11/2025 06:33

@suki1964 pretty similar here!

I work 3 mornings a week from 6am to 12 - walk to and from work.

Tend to go to bed early though - around 9pm.

I aim for 10k steps a day and take magnesium every night. Sometimes despite doing all this - will wake at 3 to 4 am (like today) - but it isn't too bad as have a day off today. Plus the job is a piece of piss since I retired from my 'proper' job Grin

Tend to go with the flow (age 61)

Same age and do the steps as well :)

If I go to bed at 9 or 10, I will wake at 1 or 2 and that will be that . So I hold off. If I wake too early I feel headachy , but if I can keep asleep till 4:30 or 5, I feel fit to face the day

Slimtoddy · 13/11/2025 21:13

I have a friend who has significant pain issues (I would describe myself as having chronic pain and they are way worse than me). They live in Europe and the only thing that helps them sleep is CBD oil. I understand it's stronger than what you get in UK. They say it is the only thing that works (they have tried most things) but they feel so groggy the next day they don't use it frequently.

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