A positive entry
I have been wondering how much difference would it make if I could just get enough sleep. My mother always said that I seemed to need more sleep than my other two siblings, and I am now under orders from my neurologist to get 10 to 12 hours of sleep. Needless to say, what with having a job, raising a kid, maintaining a good relationship with my husband, and trying to keep the house on some sort of even keel, this is not often possible, even before menopause.
It's become common for me, especially during a menopausal bout, to go to bed between 10 and 11, then wake up between 1 and 3:30 and am unable to fall back asleep for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (I'm not awake enough to get up and go do something, and I need the sleep). Then I wake up again between 4 and 5:30. This time, I doze in and out, which is not very restful, and usually the dreams are stressful. Then I get up at 6:15am to start my day. I can usually get some sort of nap during the day, but that isn't always sufficient to make up for the lack of REM sleep from the night before.
I'd called my neurologist to see if he could suggest an OTC sleep aid that would not be habit-forming, but by the time his office called me back, I'd found a pill called Alteril. It's an all-natural sleep aid, that consists of tryptophan, melatonin, glycine, and several herbs (skullcap, valerian root, chamomile, hops, passionflower) and GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid).
I tried a half dose to no affect. The next night I took a full dose. I woke up at 2am BUT I was able to go RIGHT back to sleep, and woke up only 1/2 hour before I had to get up! And during that day, I felt more Normal; while still achy and tired, I felt much more on an even keel than I had in several days. I repeated the dose the next night with the same result! The next day after that was Saturday night. The box said to consult a physician if using for more than 4 weeks, so I thought I'd stop for a day (if I lost a rainy Sunday, it wouldn't be too sad), but I felt fine on Sunday!
So I'm going to save it for those times when I start to feel off; some stomach upset, achiness, tension headaches, fatigue, unexplained feelings of anxiety and/or sadness...all the stuff I experience at the beginning of a menopausal bout.
Offhand, I don't see this as a Cure for my menopause, but more as a possible way to lessen the severity of the symptoms, and if you read any of my other Journal entries, you can see how anything that can do this without resorting to HRT will be welcome.
I need to also add that this is an experiment, and this pill may not be for you, and you need to check with your doctor(s) first.
It's become common for me, especially during a menopausal bout, to go to bed between 10 and 11, then wake up between 1 and 3:30 and am unable to fall back asleep for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (I'm not awake enough to get up and go do something, and I need the sleep). Then I wake up again between 4 and 5:30. This time, I doze in and out, which is not very restful, and usually the dreams are stressful. Then I get up at 6:15am to start my day. I can usually get some sort of nap during the day, but that isn't always sufficient to make up for the lack of REM sleep from the night before.
I'd called my neurologist to see if he could suggest an OTC sleep aid that would not be habit-forming, but by the time his office called me back, I'd found a pill called Alteril. It's an all-natural sleep aid, that consists of tryptophan, melatonin, glycine, and several herbs (skullcap, valerian root, chamomile, hops, passionflower) and GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid).
I tried a half dose to no affect. The next night I took a full dose. I woke up at 2am BUT I was able to go RIGHT back to sleep, and woke up only 1/2 hour before I had to get up! And during that day, I felt more Normal; while still achy and tired, I felt much more on an even keel than I had in several days. I repeated the dose the next night with the same result! The next day after that was Saturday night. The box said to consult a physician if using for more than 4 weeks, so I thought I'd stop for a day (if I lost a rainy Sunday, it wouldn't be too sad), but I felt fine on Sunday!
So I'm going to save it for those times when I start to feel off; some stomach upset, achiness, tension headaches, fatigue, unexplained feelings of anxiety and/or sadness...all the stuff I experience at the beginning of a menopausal bout.
Offhand, I don't see this as a Cure for my menopause, but more as a possible way to lessen the severity of the symptoms, and if you read any of my other Journal entries, you can see how anything that can do this without resorting to HRT will be welcome.
I need to also add that this is an experiment, and this pill may not be for you, and you need to check with your doctor(s) first.
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