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[Nas]

Well it’s shocking my sleep.
No type or amount of HRT helps.
I’m permanently tired.
3 years post menopausal and reliant on Amitriptyline to sleep !

What an earth has happened? It’s like I’m devoid of any sleep hormones!

I’ve tried pretty much everything in the book .
And the morning anxiety....

I’m on 1mg femeston, any higher dose and I bleed.

Sick to death of it all now. 

[CLKD]

Lack of sleep is draining.  I have very busy involved dreams and often wake knackered.

What is your sleep routine like?  If my brain needs to sleep in the day, that's it. I can't fight it. Fortunately I don't work. 

I have the occasional night when I wake and can't get back ....... then my mind races.  Apparently a warm bath is calming prior to going to bed?

[QueenofReds3]

Hi Nas

Sorry to hear you are still having problems with your sleep. You have had a rough time. It is not fair is it?
I am like you, I cannot remember a night where I have not woken up at 3 or 4 with either that sunken feeling of dread or anxiety. I was referred to sleep therapy which did not work for me but they suggest you go to bed later each night , say about 12am then wake at 6am to get your body into a routine then build it up over the weeks.  Do you have trouble falling asleep? I can go to bed and as soon as I lay my head down I am asleep but that’s where the good bit ends!
I have tried mediation again still wake up.
I hope you find a solution but in the meantime make sure you have some you time and try not to think about it all the time as you will not switch off.I have decided that housework can wait another day. I have been on different HRT and none of them have helped my sleep.
A colleague told me she had sleepless nights for ten years until her 60’s then it started to get better. I know I am not much help. X

[Hopeful]

Hi Nas
Know how you feel  :' my sleep has been awful since coming off HRT almost 2 years ago, been back on for 6 months but sleep still awful.
However last 2 nights have taken magnesium and eaten a late evening banana, I have also been upping my gel to 3 pumps.
Sleep is better but this happens for a few days now and then so could be back to square one tonight 
I found all the sleep hygiene and CBTi techniques just made me more anxious.
Sorry I don’t have a definite answer but I do find trying not to worry if I sleep or not helps a bit.
The middle of the night waking with dread and anxiety is the Pitt’s

Sending hugs
Hopeful

[Gnatty]

I agree re the magnesium. But the magnesium has to be a good amount! My therapist has mentioned 5 htp. I have never tried because touch wood am sleeping ok. But he said he can't understand why GPs don't prescribe it as it's so good. Apparently it's like having 20 bananas before bed.

[Hopeful]

Hi Gnatty
My bottle of magnesium gives 444 mg elemental in 2 capsules, not sure if this is good but seemed quite high compared to some, so fingers crossed.

[Gnatty]

Same as mine!

[CLKD]

4 me it was waking up in the early hours then worrying for hours : I have a busy job, I will never cope. What if I make a mistake : the night I thought "I hasn't killed me yet and I haven't made any mistakes" I slept .  I also had a notepad and pen by the bed to jot down anything necessary that needed sorting.

Usually I have no trouble getting to sleep, even when waking for a bathroom visit I drop back off.  Unless!  Then my head starts to cogitate.   . I have been known to read; listen to music; go down and watch TV; never keen enough in the early hours to tackle housework  .

[Hopeful]

I often empty the dishwasher then go back to bed and in my HRT days this would be enough to get me back to sleep and it was lovley to get up in the morning without that chore to do.
Hope I can get back to that.

[Nas]

Thanks all, much appreciated.
I just don’t know what to do any more. It’s been going on so long now.  HRT clearly isn’t doing to fix it. I may need double the dose of oestrogen but I’m not going to get it. Neither do I want to bleed.

Being caught between a rock and a hard place comes to mind!

Will just have to persevere with the amitriptyline I think, else I won’t be able to work 😬
 

[CLKD]

Does the HRT help at all?  Have you found out whether with a bleed you sleep any better?

Why do you believe that it's due to a lack of oestrogen? 

[sheila99]

Mirena and a higher dose of oestrogen. My insomnia and anxiety was due to oestrogen deficiency and nothing else I tried would touch it. I know you don't want a mirena and I share your concerns but it's impossible to feel well when you can't sleep so in your position I would give it a go. There's a good reason sleep deprivation is used as torture.

[Jane_w]

Oh crikey, I really do empathise Nas (& with anyone else with chronic insomnia)... it was by far the worst thing I'd ever dealt with (before VA!). Went from being able to sleep for Britain to sometimes less than 3hrs of light dozing every night. I was like that for about 5yrs. Like you amitryptiline was the only thing (non hrt) that helped me sleep but it gave me terrible indigestion so I stopped it in the end and muddled along. Badly. HRT (2 pumps oestrogel + utro conti) is the only thing that has solved it for me. The effect on my sleep was almost instantaneous. Its been a blessed relief and I'm only 2 months in. Could you possibly reconsider another hrt regime as Sheila99 says? I really do feel for you and hope you can find a solution ...