Blaugust Day 2 - Insomnia Sucks!
It's 5.45 on a Sunday morning and I have finally given up on trying to sleep so I thought I'd bash out my day 2 Blaugust post! I've never been a good sleeper - as far back as I can remember, I've had interrupted nights more often than not but in the last year or two, it's got even worse.One of the side effects of breast cancer & mastectomies is the almost immediate start of your menopause. I don't know if that applies to younger women with breast cancer but mine was looming on the horizon anyway and within a week of my 2nd operation, I was overheating and freezing in 15 minute cycles, all day every day!
The downside is that I can't take any hormone related medication which is the usual fix for menopause symptoms but my doctor did find Clonidine which has helped immensely during the day. Sadly, it doesn't seem to help quite so much at night so it just adds to the sleeping problem.
I've tried so many things over the years - various herbal remedies that are supposed to help like Valerian and chamomile tea (yuck!) as well as cutting out coffee after noon each day. I even resorted to over the counter sleeping pills for a little while but they only meant I was waking up 2 times a night instead of 3 or 4 times!
I've tried yoga, meditation breathing, dimming the lights for an hour before bed, not being on PC or iPad for an hour before bed - all of them helped a tiny bit for the first night or two, then it was back to my normal restless night.
Funnily enough, I do sleep fairly well when I'm in St Louis which is surprising given that I'm sharing a bed not only with Cold but also his cat half the time! Add in to that the city light pollution and the constant traffic noises, it's amazing that I sleep at all!
I'm getting pretty desperate for good sleep time as now that I'm working, I can't nap in the afternoon to make up for the lost sleep and I'm constantly exhausted. It's affecting my work and more importantly (!!) my gaming too!
Do you have any suggestions for me to try? What works for you when you have a period of restless nights?
Sorry to hear that you're having such a rough time of things. I am such a hot mess with broken sleep at the moment, so I can't even fathom how you must be functioning! Hopefully one day you find the solution (or your move to the US happens quicker than you expected!) x
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine how new parents cope - I would be a total mess & grumpy as the bitch queen from hell! I am functioning but definitely not 100% lol Hopefully my move to US will fix it though as you say :) Hope yours settles down soon too xxx
DeleteSorry to hear about your troubles :/ I don't have a any good suggestions I am afraid. I usually try to read a bit from a book before bed and helps me but seems you have a lot going on. People say routines help. Go to bed at the exact same time, and get up at the exact same time to teach your body to get ready for bed/waking up.
ReplyDeleteHope you find a solution!
Hmm I used to read in bed - trouble is, the just one more chapter syndrome used to get me! Waking up the same time would be great - I do set an alarm but I usually wake up anytime up to an hour before. Maybe I should set it earlier & get shit done in the mornings as I'm awake anyway! lol
DeleteIt isn't insomnia, but I stayed up way too late beating a video game last night when I had to be at work at 6am. I made it through the day, but I am not the young gamer I used to be and I proved it to myself today. :(
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know that feeling too! Last year, I never went to bed before about 2-3am but then I could sleep til late if I wanted to as well. Certainly couldn't do it now though!
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