Sleeping issues

[Jasperina]

I'm on Day 29, and overall everything has gone pretty well. I was really happy with the support and educational material provided and took full advantage.

One issue that I never see well-addressed anywhere is sleep issues related to being post-menopausal. I can get to sleep just fine, but do a lot of awakening during the night, usually at least once an hour. Often, I wake up in the very early morning (like 3 ) and find myself unable to go back to sleep.

Sometimes, fluctuations in my body temperature have a lot to do with this, other times there is no rhyme or reason that I can see. The next day at work I am exhausted.

I am really sick of the standard "sleep hygiene" advice because it just doesn't speak to my issue at all.

Yes, I have talked with my medical provider about it numerous times.

This is one of those things that I think is hard to understand until you get here physiologically, and the standard advice, while it has some value doesn't address the issue.

[firecook1]

Hi jasperina. I'm on day 15 and I am experiencing post menopausal sleep issues as well. Until reading your post though I did not know it was "a thing". I fall asleep quickly, but like you wake up every hour or so....no trouble falling asleep after these wake up sessions. I was hoping to find some relief with whole30 but so far there is no change. So, I have no answer or advice, but I can certainly commiserate!

[Jasperina]

Thanks for replying Firecook. Most women I know in this age range have this issue. Some of the things they tell you to do like avoid caffeine, darken your room and don't watch tv is fine general advice, but I think our bodies are changing at this age and there is just not a lot of good information out there that takes this into account.

Good for you being on day 15! I will carry this style of eating forward because other than the sleeping I feel great. Hope it is working well for you.

[Robin Strathdee]

Hi Jasperina!

Thanks for your post. Honestly, this isn't somewhere we have a lot of practical experience, so it's hard for us to make those specific recommendations. You may check out Paleo for Women for some more specific resources on the subject.

[Kirsteen]

Hi, I'm post-menopausal and have had a lot of sleep issues. W30 has helped as has darkening the room completely, switching everything off an hour before bed and sleeping in a really cool room (read freezing cos it's below zero with a gale force wind and i still have my window open) I also find the magnesium and timed relaease melatonin to be very helpful. I don't have perfect sleep, I wish I did but it has improved a lot since before I started W30. I hope it improves for you too

[firecook1]

Darkened room - Check!

Cool Room - partial check - my husband HATES it when I open the window in the winter - but I am working on him.

No electronics - I have to really work hard on this one - as i have spent a lifetime falling asleep with the TV on.

On the upside, I fell asleep last night before 11:00 and did not wake until 4:30 - this feels like a small victory for me.

Another victory - is knowing that this is not an abnormal behaviour for post menopausal women (and I thought my mother just never liked to sleep!)

[Colleen Roy]

My husband read a book called...."Sleep" (or something along those lines...I'd ask him, but, he's asleep right now! )

Anyway-it had a section about the middle of the night waking (between 1-3am seems to be the norm) and how this is totally normal. In fact, humans have been doing it forever! He calls it.......?......and the period of sleep after it "second sleep". He claims that back in the middle ages, humans used to wake up between 1-3am because they went to bed when it got dark (and they were pretty tired from all that manual labor out there in the fields, etc.) They also used that time for personal pleasure (think sharing one room with the whole family...not a lot of privacy) . The author claims that it's perfectly normal to wake up after 4-6 hours of sleep and be awake for a few hours. He says if we get out of bed and/or do something productive OR restful (read, watch a little TV, knit, have sex) for a little while, we'll fall back to sleep more quickly and we'll sleep more restfully and then wake up feeling more rested.

I've tried it a few times. I do fall back to sleep more soundly if I get out of bed for a little while. I still take my magnesium and am considering adding a little melatonin lately-my sleep is not very restful during the school year.

Isn't it funny how we consider 4.5 hours of solid sleep a victory these days!?

[Kirsteen]

Hi Colleen, yes in Tudor times the church actually issued a pamphlet exorting people to spend this time on their knees in prayer and not to waste it in idle fripparies or carnal pleasures. I'm not sure how many people actually followed that though.

[Colleen Roy]

Hi Colleen, yes in Tudor times the church actually issued a pamphlet exorting people to spend this time on their knees in prayer and not to waste it in idle fripparies or carnal pleasures. I'm not sure how many people actually followed that though.

"Idle fripparies" that's my new favorite word! I know my husband is all for the carnal pleasures idea! I don't know where he gets his energy at that time of night.

[Robin Strathdee]

Hey ladies! I'm gonna move this over to the Ladies Only section.

[NH Girl]

Hi.  Enjoyed reading everyone's post.  I am on Day 28 and have some sleep issues too, mostly waking up too many times.  It's the hot flash issue, covers on, covers off.  I too like it really cold and in the winter we let our bedroom get into the 50's!  Love it.  I have a fan going pretty much all year.  I have no problem falling asleep, but toss and turn a lot.  I have a Fitbit so it tells me how much sleep and how many times I wake up each night.  I have not been able to get 8 hours sleep, only somewhere in 6 or 7 hours, but it must be enough.  I wake up naturally, usually close to 4 am or even 3:30 a.m.

[carolinaBlue]

I'm so glad I'm not alone with this issue! Have you had your thyroid and adrenal functions checked lately? I was very surprised to discover that hormone issues (other than estrogen, that is) can cause hot flashes and night sweats

 

Have you tried magnesium? Natural Calm has helped me tremendously with staying asleep. Just make sure you get the regular one, not one of the flavored ones (they have stevia in them).

[janehodges]

Hi carolinaBlue... RE: your sleep issues, I can't speak to menopause, but I do know that waking at 2-3 a.m. is often a sign of blood sugar imbalance. Also, I saw you post elsewhere on thyroid... Blood sugar imbalance is often a sidecar to hypothyroid issues (even subclinical ones) b/c sometimes when your thyroid is malfunctioning other endocrine systems (like adrenal, and thus cortisol) go funky. I would also consider looking at your caffeine intake (how late in the day you have caffeine), what time of day you eat dinner (the earlier the better), and your protein intake at dinner. I have had sleep issues due to the above and probably also due to my #1 non-Whole 30 favorite food item -- wine. Usually, the day after a troubled night of sleep I take some melatonin. (Melatonin is quite helpful but you don't want to use it night after night after night or it will interfere w/production of your sleep hormones.) Anyway, I am not a doctor and you need to continue your diligence w/medical and other folks, but just wanted to toss in these thoughts... Best, Jane

[bibliophile]

I am peri-menopausal, but actually have  had this issue on and off since my mid-30s.  I would wake up with terrible night sweats--not the "oh I'm hot kind," but rather the "me and the sheets are soaked kind." What finally worked for me was acupuncture. I think for me I had adrenal failure (coming off of a couple very stressful years), but I've talked to others who are experiencing night sweats and waking up at night due to menopause who say it has helped them too.