Report on Sleep and Menopause

[Zero]

Exercise Helps Sleep in Menopause

"Stretching and moderate exercise can help overweight, postmenopausal women fall asleep more easily; but only if performed in the morning hours, according to a study published in the November issue of the journal Sleep. " Read more:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/htdocs/p ... 000001.asp

[foxferous]

I have lots of problems with sleep lately and I am going to try just exercising in the morning to see if this works. THanks

[Zero]

Hope that works for you, Foxferous! Usually, changing just one thing (like the exercising) won't completely resolve your sleep problems, but if you combine several of the tips it should help.

[foxferous]

Exercise definitely helps! I also started the Estroven and am enjoying the results. Now I need to concentrate on my weight. I don't know how much is menopause and how much is laziness. I guess I'll sort that dilemma out.
Foxferous

[foxferous]

I have been taking the Estroven for a month now and I have to say both my mood and my sleep have greatly improved.

[Terri]

Minnie and others, I am 43 years old and have been having problems for the last 5 years. I tried estroven and ended up with a yeast infection . I didn't know there was yeast in the pills and that is something some women should pay attention to. My doctor told me that my estrogen level is so low that I don't need anything but my body is telling me different. Any one have any advice hopefully there is help out there from you ladies.

Newbie,

Terri

[Yvonne]

Hi Terri, a year ago my Nurse Practitioner put me on Tri-Estrogin, 1.25mg. This mix can only be done by a Compound Pharmacist. She herself had been on HRT for years and then with the scare we all found out about she decided to go more natural. I am 47yrs old.
Look it up on the net and see what you find, hope this helps..

Yvonne

[Catherine]

I have for most of my life had difficulty sleeping after 3am...
for some weird reason I very often got up and still do to some degree at that time and had trouble getting back to the zzzzzzzzzz's.
But one thing I do now that almost guarantee's a full nights rest is I do very deep stretching right before bed, a lot of it forward bends and side bends to loosen up my lower back and legs. During this time I also try and empty my brain as much as is possible from all the psycho babble I usually put up with most of the day.
If that doesn't work and I am up for some reason, I may read for a while, do crosswords or knit. I try not to get out of bed because that just prompts my body into waking more. If I think I may wake my hubby, I just move to another room. I also try to keep warm to continue the 'in bed' idea so I don't move too far away from falling asleep again.

[Catherine]

P.S.
...I only do deep stretching at a slow, prolonged rate...
no exercising right before bed.
In fact, it is recommended not to exercise at least 3 - 4 hours before bed because you spike your endorphines and that's what makes it difficult to get to sleep.

[sfogrrl]

I'm a big believer in calc/mag packets before bed. Take it with hot "Sleepytime" tea & sometimes I'm out pretty fast. For me it's muscle tension. Unless it's my mind. But for the muscles- I often think I'm relaxed, but I'm still holding my bones tight. Straight spine & head on good pillows. Also, aromatherapy; I put a little lavendar oil on my nostrils. But it's usually moot: i awaken several times & pee. i try to cut back on h2o pre bed but I'm just too thirsty. I also get my main exercise at night, usually. Anyway, when I'm doing well with my hatha & meditation practice it's way better. when i lived in an ashram i was out right away every night. oh i also cover the clock so i can't tell what time it is & get all wigged out. & i have a big fan for white noise. god i'm beginning to sound *totally* neurotic.

[Zero]

No you don't sound neurotic! Well, maybe a little...heheheh...really though, this is the kind of thing I'm usually suggesting....sometimes we have to use every tool we can find to give ourselves relief from all the symptoms.

It can be quite a challenge to find a balance and usually it only lasts for a short time so we have to mix it up a little, adjust what we're doing, etc. Thanks for the encouraging post...... I love Sleepytime tea too!!

[Catherine]

I agree with you Dee, that you have to mix it up and do what works for you.
And that includes changing it along the way sometimes, since something might work for a while and then things shift some more and the old way is no longer effective. It's important to stay aware of our bodies, and what messages they're giving us and to try different things, not to say if this was working, it should still be continuing to do so.
And too, the healing professions are always discovering some new and some things old as well, so don't give up on finding things that will help.

By the way, I love Sleepytime too.
Cath.

[sfogrrl]

last but not least, I should have added I cover all windows completely, like a rock star does, so I can't tell if it's day or night coming on. nothing worse than dawn when i've been up hours. i also cover my head & eyes with a blanket so if light ends up creeping in i can still fool myself into thinking it's only about 2am .

hope the massage went werll.

[berykute]

I don't have a problem falling asleep.
I wake up every hour. Then I am sleepy all day.
My doctor gave me sleeping pills but all that does is make me more groggy during the day and I still wake up at night.

[Tina12345]

Restorative yoga works wonders for menopause related sleep issues. I practice for about 15 minutes each night before bed. For my night sweats I use wicking pajamas that I found at http://www.cool-jams.com. They work really well to help with the awful night sweats. Lastly, I've seen an improvement in my menopause symptoms when I take Omega 3 fish oils regularly.
Tina

Editors Note: Other sites for wicking sleepwear-compare prices
http://www.serenecomfort.com
http://www.coolsets.com
http://www.haralee.com
http://www.hotcoolwear.com