Horribly sleep deprived

[Toolea]

I generally wake at 3amish and then don’t get back to sleep but I’ve now had several nights of virtually no sleep at all and I’m at the end of my tether. My brain isn’t working anymore, I’m like a zombie and I feel quite down. Full body hot flushes followed by chills and lots of anxiety.
I can’t take HRT as I’ve had breast cancer. I’ve been taking 1000mg magnesium glycinate for the past 3 months and it’s doing nothing. My bedroom is kept cool and I get to bed by 9pm most nights. FSH test indicates I’m most likely post menopausal.
Is anyone else reading this in the same boat right now? I could really just do with some moral support. Thank you x

Me. I'm fucking knackered. Once I wake up, that's me done for the night most of the time, though occasionally I'll doze off just as my alarm goes off. One particularly bad night, I woke before midnight and was then awake all night. I am on HRT, but don't think it makes any difference. I do find I have a slightly better night if I go to bed a bit later (as in I sleep 11-4 rather than 10 - 2) but I'm so tired by 11 I'm seeing double. No answers but solidarity.

It's been the same for me - waking at 3am. Something that has worked for me is buying one of those snoozeband things and listening to sleep meditations on the Calm app.

Thanks for the solidarity. It really does help knowing I’m not alone. And you’re not either. I wish us both blissful sleep SOON! X

Snap! That’s exactly what I do too - snoozeband and Calm app. But recently it’s just not working for me at all. Or if I do drop off I’m awake 10 mins later. I’m really glad it’s helping you though. X

Try promethazine x

I can't take hrt either as flares my fibroids.

Due to peri related insomnia my Dr has put me on mitrezapan - it's an anti depressant/anti anxiety med but helps sleep.

I don't normally like taking medication but these have been a life saver and I am sleeping through the night again.

Amitriptyline worked for me

I'm in the same boat. My recent "change" is that every now and then I'm awake for 3 days/nights in a row. Absolutely knackered but cannot sleep at all. And my body temp has risen by about 10 to 15 degrees which is great during the day but not so much in the middle of the night. I'm not even sweaty just hot like a furnace 🔥

Yes post menopause on hrt and take magnesium havent slept through for yrs

The silent night restore cooling blanket has been my life saver for the hot flushes. I have read but not yet tried 2 kiwis before bed is supposed to be a wonderful natural sleep aid

I’m in the same boat! Recently started tamoxifen, have post-viral fatigue and yet I wake up in the night for no obvious reason and am wide awake for at least 1.5hrs. I’m exhausted.

I had some melatonin at home from a long haul trip earlier this year and that worked for a night, I’m considering asking my GP if they can short-term prescribe it while I get used to tamoxifen and get past the fatigue.

Yup. No foolproof solutions, but one thing that sometimes helps is an extra weighted blanket - I already sleep with one, but when I wake I will sometimes add an extra lighter one over my middle. Feet sticking out the bottom to cool me down. This is mostly when I wake in a panic, and need a central nervous system reset.

ocean sounds white noise and a fan are standard issue all night long.

i seem to have slid from twin infants/toddlers into peri and it feels like an eternity since I have had a decent night sleep.

Not sure why my comment has been hidden? Hope you find some relief soon

Sorry op sleep deprivation is awful, going through it on and off. Tencel bedding helped me with some overheating, yep open window, cool room, very dark. Magnesium glycinate, exercising every day if possible helped a bit (static bike) it’s hard though, my body will be tired but my brain won’t switch off. Sometimes those asmr videos help or guided meditation going over the muscles of the body one by one. All the best

Apologies you posted most of those ideas, phone keeps lagging when I navigate to read posts.

Saw something online recently that suggested that if you wake at the same time every night (3am or whatever) it’s because your blood sugar has dipped and your body is ringing an alarm. They suggest taking a spoonful of almond butter just before bed as the combination of fat and protein should be enough to stop this happening. No idea if it’s true but it sounds possible so I’m going to try it.

Also anyone else in the vicinity can ... go away. This has to get dealt with alone and a snoring, shuffling, breathing person next to you is often part of the problem... even if you don't think they are,try sleeping alone. H and I are on the brink anyway but he was recently away for 2 weeks and OMG even when I woke early, the quality of the sleep before was top notch.

DP and I usually sleep separately. We start off together and then one of moves to spare room. I’ve always found it hard sharing a bed and peri has made it impossible.

My insomnia is stopping me go to sleep. I lie awake for hours. Once I’m asleep it’s fine (I do wake up a few times, but usually manage to go back to sleep). At weekend I was awake one night from midnight to 4am.

Im tired but my brain won’t switch off. I feel like I have low level anxiety, like the physical sensation, but I’m not actually anxious about anything.

I changed my duvet to a 3tog and take cold gel packs to bed with me to help me stay cool through the nighttime hot flushes.

@Toolea Can you see your GP and ask to be referred to a menopause consultant who can help you?

There are various drugs (not hormones) that can help with hot flushes. One of them is quite new and has been around for a year or so. You can find them by googling- 'new drugs approved for hot flushes'.

www.drlouisenewson.co.uk/knowledge/fezolinetant-explained

Some of the older ones that can help are some types of antidepressants which in other doses can help.

The British Menopause Society has info online on alternatives to HRT which is worth reading and discussing with your GP.

You need some expert help on this.

I'm peri-men. I've been prescribed promethazine by my psychiatrist for anxiety. I take one when I wake in the night, then can sometimes drop back off a little while later for a couple of hours. Last night I was up at 1:30am wide awake with anxiety, then dropped back off for an hour at 5am. Dreading menopause!!

Yep, 3am onwards and I’m wide awake! Once a week Dh goes to the spare room and I take a sleeping tablet. I still wake but can drift back off.
I feel like my brain is the problem not my body. Once my brain is awake that’s it.

Even with HRT the insomnia has been hard to crack. I have no hard scientific evidence but I do think adding a Vit D supplement in helps. That’s alongside the magnesium and progesterone.

Hi Toolea I've also had breast cancer (take Tamoxifen) and am not allowed to use HRT.

As JinglingSpringbells pointed out, there are alternatives to HRT. I take Veoza which is the brand name of the newish drug. It's helped me massively with hot flushes. I couldn't be without it now. I am not in the UK and have to pay for it. It costs me c. €100 per month. I also take magnesium (and sometimes melatonin) to help with sleep. Also Vitamin D and an antidepressant (relating to anxiety which I've had since my 20's).

4.5 tog duvet, open window and listening to podcasts helps me to relax and keep cool in bed.

I hope you get the help you're looking for. It's really hard to function normally without proper rest. 💐