Menopause and Perimenopause Symptoms Insomnia
Author: Michelle Spencer
With increasing age, sleep problems become more and more common. Menopause is a time when many women begin losing sleep or, if they've been losing sleep before, to lose even more. Insomnia, which is defined as difficulty getting to sleep or getting back to sleep after awakening, is one of frequent signs of menopause and perimenopause symptoms.
Another of the common and annoying symptoms of menopause is restless leg syndrome (RLS), in which unpleasant tingling or painful sensations in your legs make you jerk or twitch them to relieve discomfort. This may be curtailed by making sure you have plenty of magnesium, B-group vitamins, vitamin E and iron in your diet.
The drop in estrogen that causes night sweats is also responsible for frequent awakenings, but an inability to fall or stay asleep is often aggravated by unhealthy eating and drinking habits, medications, chronic anxiety, stress and depression which is responsible for alertness. These foods should be avoided late in the evening.
Caffeine is a stimulant that affects individual organs as well as your overall metabolism, and it is a major cause of sleep disturbances. If you suffer from sleeping problems, you should cut your intake right down. You should not drink excessive amounts of liquids at bedtime, as these will fill your bladder and disturb your sleep. Try not to eat a heavy meal before bedtime; it's best if you can eat no later than 7 p.m. - but don't go to bed on an empty stomach either.
Herbal Remedies For Menopause
Passionflower can help to calm restlessness and anxiety. Take it as: an infusion (2 to 5 grams of dried herb three times a day), as a fluid extract (10 to 30 drops three times a day), or as a tincture (1:5 in 45 percent alcohol). Alternatively, try valerian in capsule form; 150 - 300 mg may be taken an hour before bedtime.
Chemical Treatments
Short-acting sleeping pills may be effective in the short term, but there is always the risk of habituation (addiction) with these drugs, and you may find you begin to need an increasingly larger dose to reach the same effect, leading eventually to being unable to sleep without them.
Melatonin supplements - which mimic the action of the brain hormone of the same name, producing drowsiness - are used in the United States for treating sleep disturbance. However, they are not available in the UK except over the internet and for restricted psychological problems.
If you are looking for medication to treat persistent insomnia it is best to consult your healthcare professional.
Black Cohosh for symptoms of perimenopause .?
I am not having hot flashes but my periods have become irregular and heavy. I am having Memory problems,Anxiety weight gain and insomnia.Will black cohosh help relieve any or these symptoms? Have you taken it? If so any side effects?
Research about Black Cohosh shows:
* It is no more effective in reducing hot flashes than a sugar pill.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-12-18-cohash_x.htm
* It may be linked to liver damage.
* Can be fatal for women with breast cancer.
Black Cohosh is a plant estrogen that stimulates our own estrogen. BUT…if a woman is already estrogen dominant, she does NOT want to use a product that is going to make her estrogen level go even higher.
ALSO…the verdict is still out as to whether Black Cohosh stimulates the estradiol which is the hormone responsible for stimulating breast cancer cells. So…if a woman has breast cancer and does not know it and she uses Black Cohosh, she could be putting her life in danger. Also if breast cancer runs in her family, she is at high risk of getting it herself and Black Cohosh would NOT be a good choice.
You actually sound like a good candidate for natural progesterone supplementation. It can help with heavy / irregular periods, brain fog, anxiety, weight gain (due to estrogen), and insomnia.
perimenopause at 35?
I think I am going through perimenopause. Since I had my daughter 2 years ago, my body seems to be all out of whack. I had a terrible post partum depression (complete with panick attacks and 24 hour anxiety) that lasted over a year. In August the anxiety and panick hit me again ( not that they ever left but they were manageable.) I also had crashing fatigue for 3 weeks . I didn’t know what was going on. At the same time my period began getting irregular. Now instead of the usual 6 days, it is 10 days long and I am getting bigger clots every month. I have insomnia and I have trouble remembering things , and my pms is worse now, I have symptoms like sore breasts that I never had before. This is really throwing me for a loop. Anyone want to share their experience? I need some comfort!
I forgot to mention the most distressing symptom is the irritability. I hate feeling like I hate everyone and don’t want to be bothered.
The best way to find out what is going on with your body, is to have some blood work done & have your Thyroid checked out too. I would also talk with your female relatives (mom, sister or aunt) & find out what normal is for your family.
Hang it there, you will get through it. I would also try an alternative health care professional (naturepath) & get some accupunture…this helped me tremendously….
Insomnia & perimenopause?
I am so tired but I can’t sleep! I feel like I am restless. I can’t stop moving. Like I have had too much caffeine but I haven’t. I do not drink caffeine after the afternoon. I am in perimenopause. Why is this happening and what can I do about it? It is completely annoying to no be able to sleep!!! I can usually fall asleep but then wake up 15 minutes later feeling very restless and my body, especially my legs, feel “jumpy”. Someone help me!!!
I also feel like I have to keep stretching my legs to try and get them to relax.
I AM what did you end up doing to help?
I AM I meant what did your doctor do to help you with these symptoms?
Hormones can reek havoc on the body as well as the mind. The anxiety you’re feeling (the restlessness in your legs etc.,) is a part of being peri-menopausal as a result of the change in your estrogen and progestrin levels. See a GYN and hopefully he/she can help alleviate some of those symptoms. If opting to do hormone replacement therapy, be sure to use natural and not the synthetic as the synthetic is linked to health problems such as cancer. Good luck.
(Email sent)
so I am 36 and am having symptoms of perimenopause, except all my blood test have come back normal,what is up?
have had my thyroid tested, normal, am having hot flashes, panic attacks, anxiety, insomnia, dry skin. My mother and grandmother where done with menopause at 40. any answers or suggestions are appreciate…
More frequent periods, emotional changes in 35 year old = perimenopause?
I’m 35 years old. In my teen years, all thru my 20s and into my 30s, I got my period every 34-38 days, approx. I know that’s MUCH longer than “average”, but it was normal for me because it was very consistent. (I don’t use birth control pills).
However, in the last year or so, I’ve noticed I’m now getting my periods every 30-34 days, approximately. There are some a bit longer, but overall I’ve definitely sensed a “shortening” in my cycle. Does this sound more like a change that occurs “just because,” or a change signalling perimenopause? Don’t worry: if anything extreme or unsettling starts happening, I’ll of course see my ob/gyn.
Also, I’ve clearly sensed in the last year or so that my ADHD, forgetfulness, anxiety and insomnia issues (which I’ve always had to a mild degree) have gotten worse. My psychiatrist even thinks I have a bit of depression now as well! I’ve heard that ALL of the above can also be symptoms of the hormonal changes of perimenopause.
Your thoughts? Thanks! :)
OOPS! Sorry, I forgot to explain perimenopause, although if you’re answering this question you probably already know. :) Anyhoo, per the Mayo Clinic website, perimenopause…
“…marks the interval in which your body begins its transition into menopause. Perimenopause encompasses the years leading up to menopause — anywhere from two to eight years… The levels of your reproductive hormones — estrogen and progesterone — rise and fall unevenly during perimenopause. Your menstrual cycles may lengthen or shorten, and you begin having menstrual cycles in which you don’t ovulate.”
It could be a sign, yes.
Any changes in your periods, emotional changes, forgetfulness usually are signs of perimenopause.
See a Gyn who will give you a blood test to check your hormone levels.