Sleepless in NJ

Well, i was gonna search and see if there was already a thread on insomnia, but i'm too miserable from not sleeping to look!!

I believe most of my insomnia is menopause-induced. Anyone have any solutions? I suffer from two different kinds...first, if i get into bed before i'm exhaused (ie. falling asleep already), i will lay there and toss and turn for hours. Then once i fall asleep, i sleep around 3 hours, and then wake up with NO HOPE of falling back asleep.

Usually I take one or two Tylenol PM's before sleep (always has worked for me in the past). I dont drink caffeine after 2PM (only have one cup of coffee per day).

The reason i think its hormonal is because some parts of the month i can sleep 12 hours at a time!! When i was last at the GYN, she said she doesnt consider me in menopause because i'm still having my cycle, albeit once every six months!

I have a doctor's appointment Monday, and i'm thinking he'll prescribe sleeping pills, which i'm not too keen on. But if i keep missing work for this, i may as well quit! Any ideas?

no suggestions...but i can relate. i can usually fall back to sleep, but i wake up every hour or two. running on exhausted. then throw in hot flashes/night sweats.
are we having fun yet??

I would suggest melatonin. It's an all natural sleep aid. You can get it at the a health food store. I speak from experience! I used to be a tylenol PMer. Until it stopped working. Plus it can be hard on your body. Brownbear and I heard about the melatonin and we take 2 a night just before bed. You will sleep like a baby.:)
I don't do caffeine either, especially after about mid day;)

I sometimes suffer from insomnia.
Suggestions, get into your pjs earlier even if you are not going to sleep. Get the room temperature just right.
Turn off the computer and read something peaceful.
Camomile tea
What works for me 100% is sex. Either with my bf or self.

The good part is that when menopause passes, insomnia will pass too.

Thanks to everyone for the ideas.

I got very sleepy at around 10 AM (just as i predicted). Fell asleep for 3 hours again (which i also predicted). Old age is hell!! ;)

Jellybean,

Do you exercise? Exercise gives you energy and will make you tired at night.

I am 55, have been through menopause, and am overweight. Since January I get up at 5:30, work out in the gym, at my desk by 9, work 8 hours and then go to school two nights a week for 3 hours. Then I come home and go to bed and I am asleep 10 minutes after my head hits the pillow, lol, and I sleep soundly.

My doctor said exercise is the magic pill that people don't want to take. Maybe you could try that?

:) When i was last at the GYN, she said she doesnt consider me in menopause because i'm still having my cycle, albeit once every six months!But did she explain that your hormones start fluctuating or diminishing, when you are in Peri-menopause. This is the difficult time of hot flashes and sleepless nights. It occurs BEFORE Menopause, usually in one's 40's.

I use Melatonin (over the counter) to GET me to sleep. I use Trazodone Prescription) to KEEP me asleep. It is a mild anti-depressant that will put your brain in the stage it needs to get BETTER sleep. It does not leave me hung-over in the morning like some sleeping pills do. This regiment has worked for me for the past 10 years or so. :)

. . . Old age is hell!! ;)

It doesn't have to be, well, except for those hot flashes, but that's for another time LOL

I am 53, and enjoy a 6-8 hours sound sleep.

However, I was insomniac earlier into my menopause with the same symptoms mentioned by a few here, but very rarely now if at all . . . !

To insure a good night's sleep, I read in bed, refrain from caffeine beyond 4 pm, exercise moderately every single day, and remain quiet ( no mobile or loud radio ). Sound restful sleep seems to come easily although too much so at times for my own convenience particularly if I am enjoying a good book or watching an exciting show on TV .

But then again, this is me, and everyone is different, so I would say go by your own clock and trial and error.

Even though a recent scientific study has "proven" it doesn't work, black cohash stopped my hot/cold flashes and sleeplessness while I was going through the change. After I was finished with that, I started having trouble sleeping AGAIN (grrrrrrrrrrrr) and I bought an herbal preparation in the health food store called "Sleep." Some of the ingredients are valarian, hops, and skullcap. It worked great and, more important, after a few weeks, I was able to return to falling asleep without it.

Reminder: If you have allergies to ragweed and/or other plants, you may not be able to take herbal supplements.