Hello ladies
Does anyone have a time of day when they feel their worst but other times when 'normality' returns?
As an example I feel calm when I wake at night, fairly okay when I get up but then jittery mid morning, also tired and yawning. This feeling of unease increases through the afternoon and early evening but by about 8pm the horrible feelings often disappear and I feel better again. Then it's off to bed and the whole rigmarole starts again.
We know that Melotonin fluctuates over twenty four hours and Cortisol rouses us in the morning, so do Oestrogen and Progesterone also rise and fall? And if so, could we manipulate that pattern somehow?
Probably a silly question but we might learn something from comparing experiences.
Wishing you well ladies.
K.
Hi Kathleen
Most definitely I have a better time of day.
Like bear I wake up really exahusted in the morning. In fact I feel more tired and worse in the morning than when I turn off the light to go to sleep at night. However once I've had my two mugs of tea and got up - I am usually fine - although sometimes feel groggy for a couple of hours. I am usually full of energy in the late afternoon/evening!
I haven't got the bottom of mine but I must lack the cortisol awakening response - but I haven't always been like this - has got worse over the past few years so nothing to do with HRT. I also snore (according to husband) but this is I think because I now sleep much more deeply eg hardly waking for a pee in the night. Don't think I have sleep apnoea - well he hasn't said that I do. I'm not too fat either.
This is why I find it difficult to understand what the morning jitters or adrenalin surges are - as I have the opposite!!
There is most definitely a circadian rhythm to estradiol production but not sure about what happens post-menopause. You can search threads on this forum and there have been some refs and links.
Re patch absorption - this is greatest in the evening when blood flows closer to the skin surface as body temeprature is higher so more estradiol absorbed from the patch. Think I've got that right - I'm sure if you search this forum you will find the refs! KiltedCupid it takes 12 hours I think for serum levels of estradiol to reach their peak following a new patch being applied and a similar time frame to decline. Serum levels go back to baseline after approx 24 hours after removal of patch (off the top of my head). Someone will correct me if I've remembered wrongly!
Re blood sugar - very important to have a good breakfast! Also I eat a lowish carb low (added) sugar diet (not no carb btw!) so I always have a bit of gnawing hunger when I go to bed so to deal with this without going to bed hungry and to save eating the wrong thing I often have a small bowl of natural yogurt last thing - which fills the stomach, and is slow release. This is only in the last few months so is not related to the morning tiredness.
Hurdity x