Insomnia/anxiety with menopause

Insomnia has been the bane of my life since I went through an acrimonious divorce.. I cannot just drop off. I rely on Zopiclone (sleeping tablet). I have stopped worrying about it. I have tried to stop taking the tablet but it's no good.
I have tried warm milk.....someone said, don't go to bed hungry..have carbs before bed time, so I have a slice or two of bread. My friend only has to look at her pillow and she falls asleep. I envy her.
I have retired, so I can take a nap during the day. I really feel for you - so difficult when you have to get up for work the next day. Try the warm milk and carbs ...see if it works for you. The carbs are not good for you I know. I am just saying what I have tried...sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't . Good luck

Thanks crazyH, yes I’ve done the warm milk, think I’ll keep persevering for a while then will have to reconsider job, not worth making life so difficult.

Do you think it might be anxiety regarding your job?
If I have problems with insomnia I take an anti histamine (Phenergan) for one of two nights just to get out of the cycle of sleeplesness. Works for me. Ask your pharmacist.

See, I am up early today.....only had about 5 hours sleep. Yes, antihistamine does work...I have tried it. Good luck Moll !

I'm taking phenergram at the moment, were having a stressful time moving house, amongst other things, it does seem to help in that if you wake up after a few hours, you usually feel drowsy and can drift back off.Hope it works for you.

You can try guided meditation, listening to a book, classical music, drinking warm milk, asking your GP about the benefits of Melatonin supplements ..

It's 2am here ..

I had the lot thrown at me once I'd turned 50. Chronic migraines after a hot sweat, sleeplessness, looking after a terminally, ill husband and a full-time job in the NHS----as well as seeing to two GC when my D's marriage broke-up !!

I think back and wonder how I got through it all in 10 final working years. I lost so much weight that consultants who I worked with were asking me if I was alright----me being me I just gritted my teeth and said yes, throwing paracetamols down my neck like Smarties.

I had to get on with it-----it was certainly a learning curve which in the end made me strong and able to overcome anything. I had a terrible time of things in the 90's.

I'm always sorry for people who have trouble sleeping. I usually sleep well so on the few occasions when sleep escapes me, I hate it.

This works for me: Nytol (but the stronger one, you have to ask for it, I think it is herbal + antihistamine. Recommended by the pharmacist. Warm milk with honey plus a pinch of nutmeg. Delicious and nutmeg is a sleep aid. Oh and don't look at the clock!

Good luck, don't throw in the towel with your job!

Hi Moll22, great empathy with your insomnia, chronic sufferer myself. Over the years have tried everything and anything, even referred to a sleep consultant. Now, I seem to have accepted it, my GP has prescribed mirtazapine and, after a run of bad nights I cave in and cut a 15mg tablet into 4 so 3+mg will give me a good night. BUT, recently I have found a Yoga Nidra meditation on my phone that has helped with the overthinking in the small hours. Google Yoga Nidra for Sleep by Jennifer Piercy. You could also check out Sleep Station which you can be referred to on the NHS which do a 6 week programme with daily help. It suggests sleep restriction which I found very hard, almost impossible until the hours were changed to suit me. Best of luck.

Thanks so much all, very much appreciated. I’ve found that I sleep much better on the nights I’m not working the following day, so definitely related to worrying about having enough sleep to manage the working day/ getting up in time and maybe the day itself.
On doctors advice I’m going to take two amitriptyline on work nights - got about five hours sleep first time so hoping works this coming week too. Thanks for your suggestions.

I sympathise. I went through a period of not sleeping and waking with a kind of anxiety attack.

And it still happens on a Sunday night when I know I've got a full day of work to get through.

I don't like taking medication but what I've found helps me is having a session of supervised weights training at the gym on a Sunday. Not for every one,I agree! But at least I'm knackered enough to sleep lol.

Don't feel guilty about sleeping in the day if you have to. Apparently very good for you. I still nap on the days I'm not working- always have, even as a youngun.

Being knackered doesn’t always work I’ve worked an 8 hour day on house renovations and still not been able to sleep but other days just been reading or gardening and slept really well.
Actually I find the only thing that totally wears me out enough is a long drive then I do sleep.
I get between 4 and 6 hours sleep most nights and usually take about 1 hour to fall asleep. I have to take antihistamines as I have Angioedema but they don’t make me drowsy.Recently I’ve been going into a deep sleep from 7am and then feeling totally dopey when I get up whereas I always used to get up early and hated laying in.

I was offered amitriptyline and refused it after reading the side effects, not the least of which are hormonal changes and weight gain.

Instead I take 2 capsules of magnesium chelate, with Sleepytime Tea, before bed and have an interesting audio book handy for if I wake up.

My job is really stressful at the moment and I have been sleeping badly and waking up with my head full of the issues at work. I agree with Bradfordlass, in that I have an audio book or radio play (Radio 4 Extra) ready to listen to on headphones. This stops me worrying about 'everything under the sun'. I invariably fall back to sleep before the play finishes, I think because I have stopped worrying.

do you have access to Cannabis? I have to say I never tried it until I hit 55 and finally after both my daughters discussing it with me I went to the Dr and got a prescription. It has been a life saver. I take very little at night but it gives me a very sound sleep. It quite literally shuts off all the mayhem in my brain and allows me to have a restful sleep. I used to take Zopiclone but what that did was create an addiction with anxiety. It is difficult to explain, but because of the dependency on it, I had an anxiety about sleeping. Sure it knocked me out but not before I felt this crazy angst. I do not miss that.

Only just seen these posts, so may be too late, but my menopause was kicked off with insomnia. In fact, looking back, that’s what really kicked it off in 2015. I’d had a very vague sense of what I know now, was depression in 2012, but it only lasted 6 months, and was not the same as the depression I get bouts of now. Insomnia is a major symptom of menopause. Hope if you see this, it helps?

Hi Moll 22. I had very,very bad anxiety. I went to see a Hypnotherapist ( not a Hollywood style film one with swinging pendulums and all that nonsense), a proper registered one. I warn you it's not cheap, but the one I saw was worth every penny. I now have 'coping' mechanisms which I use. The insomnia was more difficult. I just used to get up and read or watch TV as for me , lying in bed dwelling on it just made it worse. I wasn't working though and can appreciate the difficulty. There was something I bought from the chemist which was Nytol I think. Doctors dont advocate using sleep medicine long term. That was the beauty of the hypnotherapy, no drugs of any sort. This will pass. Im now back to sleeping ok. The anxiety if it kicks in, I use the coping strategies I was taught. There is no cure for anxiety, but you can manage it. The insomnia and palpitations did go eventually, just over time. I could not go on HRT as high breast cancer risk in my family. Whatever you choose, good luck, menopause is a horrible time. I went through absolute hell.

I use concentrated cherry juice from holland and barrett. They have capsule forms too

It has melatonin in it which is a sleep aid

I still dont sleep that deeply but it helps me to drift off rather than lying there wide awake watching the clock getting closer to getting up time!

I tried everything. Tablets, meditation, hot milk, whisky.
Then I read about lettuce. It has something in it that induces sleep, apparently. I knew about the carbs helping.
So I tried a lettuce sandwich at bedtime. Which made me wee like a donkey so I was up and down. So I tried eating about an hour before bed and I am certain it helped. I did drop off and got a couple of hours. It’s worth a try.

Ah..lettuce, I do remember learning the word sophorific at 5 or 6 because Beatrix Potter used it to describe the effect of Lettuce on the floppy bunnies - it got them into all sorts of trouble, handle with care...

I am getting on brilliantly with my weighted blanket which is scientifically proven to help with anxiety and insomnia.

Moll22, I was prescribed amitriptyline for a back injury nerve pain problem. It made me feel sleepy all the time and gave me serious stomach pains too. I don't know how people can take it!

Hetty Amitriptyline has nasty side effects ... even the common ones for 1 in 10 people are horrible. I refused to take it.

I meant to say, I take magnesium for insomnia and it works very well, also folic acid and vit. D and calcium . Seems to have made a big difference.