I've had sleep issues for years. I am a mature adult with an empty nest. I seem to just not require sleep. I don't have anything on my mind during my rest periiods so it is not related to stress. I've tried Ambien sleeping pills for 1 year but weaned myself and had horrible nightmares for 10 days. I've tried Melatonin 10mg of slow released. It helped somewhat. I drink one cup of coffee at 9am, and no other caffeine drinks. I am motivated to get out and do my regular exercise (walking and yoga) in the morning
before the Texas heat kills my desire, and don't think about napping at all. I see enough Dr. Oz to know that the lack of sleep is not healthy. Some nights I am not aware if I've slept at all, and some nights I will finally fall asleep 30 minutes before time to start my day. Could it be a food allergy. I drink a large or 2 large banana/bluenberry/yorgut/milk smoothie in the am. Today I used
soymilk instead of milk thinking it might be a reaction to milk products. I use multi-vitamins, D, fish oil, zyrtec allergy pills, and
curcummin (from turmeric). WHY CAN'T I SLEEP? If anyone has any tricks up their sleeve, I thank you in advance for any effort to share your wisdom. Does anyone have a good experience with a sleep clinic?
To answer one question raised is:I do not feel tired. I will yawn a couple of times before my head hits the pillow
which gives me hope for successful sleep, but no ZZZ's to follow. Napping does not cross my mind. I should probably
try it but it will set me up for less hope for sleep at night. I am 15 years post menapause and am not
over or underweight. Always sleep with a ceiling fan to block any abrupt noises. I forgot to say that there are times I've slept
3 to 5 hours, but that is usually with Melatonin. Michael Jackson's trial has made me more aware that I really need to seek
answers. Doctors, in my experience, don't seem to hone into this subject when I mentiion it, like it is so common and not a
symptom.
That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. Ester 6:1
I believe the best way to learn to sleep is to study the word at night. Read it, pray about it, and let the Lord give you that sleep you need. He probably wants to spend time with you. But once you begin doing that on a regular basis, he will heal your sleep problems.
You SHOULD go have a sleep study done. It's important to get sleep. I have trouble too, since hitting menopause in earnest. The trouble sleeping has been going on for 2 1/2 years, and I hope that things get better, rather than worse.
However, my uncle has insomnia SO BAD that the doctor told him that if he didn't sleep, he would die. So he takes terribly high dosages of Ambien in order to get 4 hours of sleep.
So go see the doctor and get a sleep study done. At the very least, you might find out WHY this is happening to you.
Good luck - I feel for you.
Dawn
Sorry I don't have a ton of advice. Do you feel tired? I would definitely get a sleep study done, they will probably be able to tell you a lot more!
You might try a magnesium supplement. It helps some women especially during the peri-menopausal years. Zytec might be keeping you awake so might want to explore that too. Declining estrogen is usually blamed for robbing us of sleep so might want to consult your GYN or Nurse Midwife/Nurse Practitioner to see if that might be the cause. I'd avoid melatonin as it can lead to weight gain and it is addictive in some people. Valarian is an herb you might research that is said to help some women sleep. Nurse Midwife Mom
Hi J.,
Can you remember back to before menopause? Did you have sleep issues then? Mine started with menopause. I have made such noise about it that my endocrinologist put me on Neurontin. If you find a way that doesn't require meds. let me know! (I can't take Melatonin). The Neurontin works but it takes a while in the morning to get going. It can be related very much to menopause and hormone imbalance. If you don't have a strong family history of breast cancer, you might talk to your Dr. about HRT in small amts. Progesterone will make you sleepy.
Good luck!
KP
