Anyone else doing "Insomnia Max?"
 

My sleep hasn't been great for years, but lately - yikes!

Who else is dealing with insomnia? Is it a new issue for you or has it been going on for a while?

(I'm one of those for whom working out regularly helps but has not eliminated sleep issues.)

Oh lordy, me.

Add pre menopause wackiness to ptsd and my sleep is just a mess.

I lost my Daisy nearly two years ago.

When I'd wake up from one of my really bad episodes, she was right there next to me. She calmed me.

Yes, me. I pretty much cannot sleep at all on Sunday nights when I'm premenstrual. I'm in perimenopause, have anxiety, and am actively on a d*et, and all of that is making me really agitated. :( The past couple of nights I've taken one Tylenol PM, which knocks me right out, but I don't like to rely on stuff like that.

Mine is SO SO bad. I've discovered the best thing for me is to take two naps at night. I fall asleep easily and then wake up 2-3 hours later. I get up for about an hour and then go back to sleep for another 2-3 hours and then I'm up for the day.

The problem is we're traveling soon and I'm sharing a hotel room with DH and dd. This schedule won't work in a hotel room so I am scrambling to find a solution. I just ordered extended release melatonin to try first and then a sleep aid. I hate sleep aids because I am too groggy in the morning and would rather just be exhausted, but this is a new (to me) ingredient and I'll start with a small dose to see how it works for me.

ETA - I've had insomnia for many years but it keeps getting worse.

Erica

Oh, yeah.

Good sleep hygiene habits make a major difference for me, and I seriously wish I lived up north where air conditioning weren't a year round essential, but after about two years trying life without sleeping meds, I'm back on them again, and feeling better.

I wake at three, regardless, but with sleep meds I can get back to sleep and actually get some rest.

I go through spells but has gone on for years since the meno years began. I "think" regular exercise makes them not happen as often. Either I struggle actually going to sleep...or I wake up in the wee hours of the am. I have struggled so long with this that I have just adjusted my activity level to my energy level. Learning to say no to things has been key.

The evenings I fall asleep immediately and stay asleep are a rare event. I can't really seem to pinpoint what helps.
Boy, when they DO happen :love: Talk about firing on all cylinders and charging up a mountain loaded with a bag of coal!! :music:

Insomnia Max
 

I was introduced to a sleep mask.

I tried them years ago but it didn't work. I think it was to look like I Love Lucy anyway, anyhow.

Sleep is as important as exercise.
What was brought to my attention was the Sleep masks of now.

They have indents for your eye sockets and no pressing on your upper lids.
Plus. what I've been wanting for years is to sleep with music on.

they say no bright lights and I found even the Blue Light from the Alarm clock was distracting me to get back to sleep once I had awoken, (is that a word)

Anyhow. I got the mask and I tell you honestly, it works for me.. I have not gone a night without my sleep mask connected to my iPhone for those 11 hour meditational nights of sleep. they work for me. Or I just fall asleep.. I don't know if it's the mask or the music. But the combo is definitely a keeper.

I've done menopause and I really can't remember if I had issues with my sleep.

Even if they say as we get older we need less sleep. this is not true.. you're still not working with a full deck when you wake up because then you're on the hamster wheel of coffee, work, exercise, home, bed. Coffee again to get you going.. I know I know the world loves coffee and it's as addicting as Heroine.. (and you know it..)

So back to the Sleep mask. If you look for one, make sure it has indents for your eyes, bridge support, and the FLAT headphones. Not the ones that bulge out a bit because they hurt.. Look for ones that are just a little .25 Cent disc size. You can even answer the phone with them on. So, When and if I do wake up, the music is with me, I go and get back without "seeing the light"

I love my eye mask and I will always wear one.. Because my Sleep healthy depends on it..

Oh, one more thing, you will see with all the sleep apparatus trackers you will see you are in more deep sleep more than you were without one. That's how you can tell if it's also working

When I feel I've still not gone to sleep in an hour, I take the Tylenol PM and I'm not snowed in the morning.

Also, try not to drink any caffeinated products after 5 pm or at least 3 hours before you plan to go to bed. they also affect your sleep.

Diet coke, Dr. Pepper, Coke, Pepsi, yes, Ice tea also gotta go.

Insomnia sucks! I've had problems with insomnia since I went into menopause and it has been worse the last 5 years. A few years ago, I went to a Sleep Clinic, saw a neurologist sleep specialist who recommended I go through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia. I did that program for several months with a counselor and had zero improvement. None of the sleep hygiene methods helped me at all. Melatonin, meditation, a sleep mask and herbal remedies did not help. I take one over the counter Unisom tablet at night and that helps a little bit but still some nights I get only 2 or 3 hours of sleep. :(

Wow. 2-3 is totally not healthy. I’d keep searching for help because that lack of sleep is really causing body harm.

I know. That's why I went to a Sleep Clinic.