insomnia and menstrual cycle?

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i've been noticing that about every month or so, i cannot sleep well at all for a a couple nights. i have trouble falling asleep, or I wake up and can't get back to sleep to save my life. i do get sleepy at first, but then when i actually go to bed i get hot flashes and my mind is spinning. now it's almost 4 am and i STILL haven't been able to sleep yesterday was similar. during the day i am EXHAUSTED. and i am in downright rotten mood (partly due to not getting much sleep).

i JUST realized that this usually happens a few days before my period. otherwise i can sleep fine. Is this something that can be attributed to hormone changes?? if so, is there ANYTHING i can do about it??? I am nursing so there is limited things I can take.

man, insomnia sucks big-time. the worst part is that my kids are such great sleepers at night, and i feel like the biggest loser momma on the planet for not getting any sleep despite that (and being in rotten shape the next day). people see how tired i look in the morning, my kids are sniffling and they wonder " oh did the sick kids keep you up last night?" Of course I feel downright stupid for saying "no, they are perfect saints, they sleep even when they're freakin' sick, it's ME who sucks at sleeping." Right now, i am half-wishing one of them will wake up and cry so I can at least go and help them and do SOMETHING, and have an excuse for being awake still. How twisted is that????

[tiapam]

I can totally relate to having great sleepers but still not getting enough sleep myself. I stayed up way too late last night and am paying for it today.

The only advice I have is to check your thyroid. All of my non-self-inflicted sleep problems have been due to thyroid imbalance, IME. Thyroid also affects your period, so there's that relation, too.

My sister complains of similar fatigue and issues she attributes to her cycle and even with family history and all of my experiences with it, I can't seem to get her to take the thyroid thing seriously.

[wellyes]

I get the exact same way, especially if I don't get a lot of exercise the week before my period (which is not uncommon). The less you take care of yourself, the more you suffer that time of the month.

[Twin Mom]

My friend who gets night sweats the week before her period was told by her obgyn that she is peri-menopausal. She is in her 40's. I'm guessing you are not that old so did you ask your obgyn? I have another friend who got night sweats in her 30's and she said they mysteriously disappeared after a while. Hopefully that will happen for you! My friend who currently gets the night sweats was told that birth control pills would probably help but she hasn't tried them b/c in the past they have made her sick.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

thx for the replies. i don't get night sweats (i only got that in the first month or so of nursing) but i do sometimes get sensation of feeling hot at night. i had asked my OB about that before and she said it's normal with nursing, so i just attributed it to that...

and i haven't been exercising lately either, with all this holiday travel and the weather (it's been raining)..i am definitely going to try pick up on that, because i agree that exercise helps me sleep so much better.

anyway, the weird thing is, even though i got only 2 hrs of sleep that one night, the next day wasn't too horrible...i was able to take the kids on a walk to the park and do stuff with them and i didn't feel that tired..i felt somewhat amped up if that makes any sense. i did start getting a headache in the evening (probably from lack of sleep). it's amazing how hormones play such a huge role in how much energy i have. im' always telling DH how jealous i am of guys that they don't have to deal with all this!!

oh and i'm already taking the mini-pill (progestin-only) and i think they do help with the mood swings..

[Uno-Mom]

Sending sympathy vibes.......... I struggle with debilitating chronic insomnia periodically. I haven't ever noted a cycle connection but now you have me wondering. I might ask about that at the sleep clinic.

I know what you mean about feeling shockingly good the next day. If I have to do a lot of desk work, I am miserable after a sleepless night! But part of my job is classroom training and when that falls on an insomnia day I have a surprisingly good time. Sometimes I don't remember what goes on in the class, but my class evaluations always comment about how entertaining and fun I was! I often get better reviews when I teach sleep-deprived.

I always get a 2nd wind after dinner and feel really good until about 10. Which is good because it puts me in an optimistic mood and more likely to sleep.

I hope tonight's much better for you.

[wendibird22]

I'm 37 in 2 months and I have similar experiences. It's not insomnia but definitely restless sleep (waking a few times a night) and being very warm while I sleep. It happened last night and AF is due next week. That seems to be the typical pattern...a few nights in a row about 4-7 days before AF. I blame it on hormones of someone approaching 40.

[mytwosons]

I'm the same way lately and I've been shocked at how well I function the next day.

I have to say, it's the first time in my life I'm happy to see AF since it means I get to sleep...

[tiapam]

Not sure if I linked to this before in other threads:

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/T...hyroidism.html

I really identify with what she writes! If you are like me and have a diagnosed thyroid disease, then you know from experiencing it that thyroid disease mimics the signs of aging. Which makes me wonder if aging is actually just...an underactive thyroid. Maybe it happens naturally and is supposed to, but now that people live longer, we need our thyroid to work optimally for many more years. Anyway, she makes great points about not accepting certain changes as just "aging". Here is the intro:

The things that can go wrong with your body when your thyroid function is low are so pervasive and extensive it’s startling. So many of the difficulties and indignities we learn to live with, thinking they’re an inevitable part of aging, are actually the result of low thyroid function and are reversible.

As you read this chapter, you may find it hard to believe that your thyroid can have such powerful effects throughout your body. But the truth of the matter is that adequate thyroid function plays an important role in maintaining good quality of life as we age and staying free from pain and disease. Our basic bodily functions, general well-being, appearance, energy levels, mental function, emotions, and even our very sanity all depend on adequate thyroid function. Because symptoms that affect physical appearance often show up initially (and can be so distressing), let’s look at them.


I am in the middle of med changes, and I feel younger and think I look younger. My hair and skin have improved. So please don't buy the aging and/or hormones propaganda! If it was inevitable then how do they explain the many vibrant, active older people out there? I want to be one of them, not somebody just barely getting through the day.