Oh Insomnia, please go away!

[Night Elf]

My insomnia has stepped up from bad to worse. I fall asleep around 11:00 pm and sleep an hour or so and then am up until around 7:00 am. I go back to bed then and sleep another 3 or so hours. So I'm getting less than 5 hours sleep a day. I've tried all the tips and tricks given to me by my doctors and therapists as well as things I've read online. Sleeping pills, even strong ones, simply do not help. Ugh.

On the bright side, I get a lot of reading done. Oh, and yes, I've tried reading a boring book. If I manage to fall back asleep, it's never longer than 15 - 20 minutes.

TMI but my LMP was 12/1/2021. My body is finally deciding menopause sounds like a good idea. I'm not getting hot flashes or night sweats. I just can't sleep! Oh and I'm 54 yrs. old. My sister is 6 years older than me and has been going through symptoms for years. She gets terrible hot flashes and night sweats. I don't complain to her. She'd probably sit on top of me and torture me like she did when we were kids. 😄

My days vary with regards to weariness. I have some days I seem to be dozing on and off all day, while other days I'm more awake. No rhyme or reason.

[EKS]

Are you taking any new medications?  This is exactly what happened to me when I took Lexapro.  Also, alcohol will do this same thing.

I'm so sorry you're having trouble with this.

[Night Elf]

27 minutes ago, EKS said:

Are you taking any new medications?  This is exactly what happened to me when I took Lexapro.  Also, alcohol will do this same thing.

I'm so sorry you're having trouble with this.

No, not really. I went off two meds but had insomnia before that anyway. I don't drink alcohol either. I'd try if it would make me sleepy! Well, I do take a shot of brandy when I have hiccups. It's a miracle cure. 🙂

[wintermom]

Yes, menopause just sucks sometimes. I had a few weeks of the insomnia for no reason. Now my allergies are the source of my insomnia. There's always something out there to throw our sleep routines off kilter, isn't there? 😂

Edited March 19, 2022 by wintermom

[PronghornD]

Perhaps you've already tried this, but you might try messing around with your evening light exposure. Wear amber sunglasses for two hours prior to bedtime to filter out the blue light, which impacts natural melatonin production. (They make ones you can still read with.)  Sleep with a sleep mask on. Keep your bedroom as pitch black as possible. Get lots of light first thing in the morning. Also, wake up the same time every morning consistently to train your biorhythms. This is what finally helped me.

[natalie]

I found that my vitamin D level impacts my sleep.  Once my levels finally increased, my insomnia improved dramatically.  When I stop taking it for a prolonged period, it returns.  After taking it again for a period of time, the insomnia improves again.  I will add that if I take vitamin D later in the day, my sleep is negatively impacted.  I always take it first thing in the morning.