Frustrated beyond belief.

Not probably what you want to hear but your mind is so concentrated on the fact that you 'need' to go to sleep that your anxiety is keeping you awake all those different 'cures' ' in one night will have put your body on high alert 12 is too late to go to bed anyway remember that old saying that the sleep you get before midnight is most valuable I don't feel at all relaxed reading this I feel you're so desperate youre running around like a headless chicken The warm bath and chosen drink should have happened at 10 or 10 30 then tucked up in bed with maybe some soft music or similar and the old counting sheep is a great one I do girls or boys names starting with A I never seem to get passed A occasionally B it actually stops you thinking about sleep another good one is imaging a completely black blank picture, nothing, .... basically you need to be rid of all those intrusive thoughts It doesn't matter how much you relax your body if your mind it roaring on you will stay awake

That all sounds fine BlueBelle but, because I am going through the menopause I only get four hours sleep at night so if I was in bed at 10 every night, I would be back up at 2 am. It's been like this for a few years now and I know it needs to change but it is not going to happen overnight.

My mind is not roaring on, I just start twitching with my muscles, involuntarily. It's all the hormones changing etc. I just wanted to see if anyone else had suffered and what they did.

Thank you for your post though, I will try counting sheep.

rubylady, I've had those menopausal symptoms too, but I am a great believer in homeopathy and it has worked for me. People may sneer at homeopathy, and that's fine, they are entitled to their opinion, but I know it works so I carry on with it. Rhus Tox 30 is a good remedy for restless legs when you're overtired. It works within 15 minutes for me. The best remedy for that feeling as if insects are crawling all over you (a really horrible feeling - its official name is formication ... with an M and not an N ) is something called Psorinum 30. Rhus Tox is available in Boots but Psorinum is one of the lesser known remedies. I buy my more unusual remedies from a homeopathic chemist who will post them to you, called Buxton and Grant in Bristol. I don't know if I'm allowed to put their phone number here but you can google them. After 2 doses of Psorinum, I never had that horrible crawly insect feeling again, and was cross with myself that I'd put up with it for 2 years.

Good luck.

Obviously annoyed you there, not my intention
You didn't mention menapause in your original post though so can only try and answer what was coming over
I ll withdraw now, hope it improves soon

Sparkle Thank you so much for your kind words and your knowledge of taking homeopathic remedies for this totally annoying condition. I will look up the chemist you said and phone them. I take other medication so it will have to be checked to see if I can take it, but I do hope so, I'm going out of my mind with these sleepless nights. It's no wonder it is used for torture. for you.

BlueBelle I am sorry if I was sharp with you. I am irrationally grumpy at the moment so please forgive me. As I sit here my body feels like it is being crawled all over and my feet feel like they are going to explode with the water retention. They also feel very sore with the skin going up and down. I have sores on my lower legs due to the retention and catching them on something and water runs out. It is awful. I go to bed and my shoulders hurt. Anyway, I am sorry, you can come out of your hidey hole now.

Hi there Rubylady I hope that you don't mind me saying I think with what you describe you need medical help .I see from your post that you take medication Pheraps it needs,a,review.

I second what italiangirl has said. Go back to your GP and tell them what you've said in your OP. Good luck.

I can't remember if you said you take Amitriptylline for pain but that is supposed to help with sleep too.

Thanks Rubylady no problem I understand it can be irritating when someone states stuff you already know and probably have tried ?
I hope you can get some help one way or another as it's miserable to be so sore and hurting and massively awake Are your legs being cared for by your GP/ community nurse etc ?
Get well soon ?

I too am a great believer in homeopathy and have benefitted immensely from it over the years (and you don't have to believe in it for it to work - it works on animals.) Another possibility is one of the Bach Flower Remedies, White Chestnut which is for unwanted thoughts going round and round your head.
Good luck.

Poor you rubylady. I count my lucky stars that I sailed through the menopause, but do remember insomnia when I was much younger. it's horrible. I hope you find a remedy soon.

I know this is not for everyone but it worked for me. After a triple coronary bypass a year ago, I had dreadful problems sleeping. I felt that I should be doing more but with an arthritic spine and hips, walking was and is difficult. I got back on the exercise bike, not going mad, just a gentle plod more like walking pace. Boring beyond belief but I began to sleep more. During the Olympics, feeling guilty about the time spent watching the box, I decided to watch in front of the computer pedaling away on my bike. When Nick Skelton got his Showjumping gold, I did 25k! Didn't think I had it in me, Sleep problems now completely gone unless we eat out and I have Chocolate Heaven for pud! I try to save a programme I like to watch on IPlayer and am currently aiming for 10K a day. It seems to clear my mind and about 30 minutes after I get off the bike I feel a lovely warm weariness creeping over me.

Think you ought to pay a visit to your G.P. and explain all these problems. Make sure you say how bad they affect you.

I have a friend who had all this crawly skin problem - he was given cream to put on and other treatment but he had to cause merry hell with GP practice to get them to do anything to help.

I have a touch lamp next to the bed and I find if I set it to the dimmest setting and try and read a book my eyes get soooo tired very quickly I fall asleep..don't last more than 15 mins usually... must reach out and touch lamp at some point while asleep and switch it off..

I have restless legs....symptoms are unable to get to sleep no matter how tired and the need to move shoulder, elbow and feet and the feeling of ants creeping under your skin on soles of feet and in lower legs.

Dear Rubylady - You have my profound sympathy. I hope you can get a medical review as Italiangirl advises and that the homeopathy helps. I'm a great believer in hypnosis and relaxation techniques, if you haven't tried them already. There are some good CDs out there and good practioners. I hope you find something to give you relief. Thinking of you -

Hello everyone. If I can't sleep I take melatonin which you can get online. It really works.

Menopause symptoms can be managed with the gel HRT if you are not wanting to take the tablets so ask your GP. I'm on the gel now and glad of it. Have to take the progesterone as I still have a womb.

When people moan at you about all things menopausal, just remember, it's puberty in reverse!

Causes of water retention:

www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/wellbeing/lifecoach/10734374/Life-coach-what-causes-water-retention.html

to stop my mind whirling, I count backwards from 1000 in the three languages I speak. Concentrates the mind so much on the job in hand that I rarely get beyond the 700s! Try it.

Sorry to repeat myself but if it helps, it helps. I have a cake of toilet soap freelancing between the sheets and I've not experienced the tired leg syndrome since. Read the tip from a similar sufferer and thought it was worth a try as the TLS was SO awful. Can I ask for help on something completely different, please? Cordless........ Gtech or Dyson? All tips really appreciated.

Ruby so sorry to hear of your suffering. I tend to go to bed earlier if I can as I know I am unlikely to sleep for long. If I wake then I just go with it and perhaps read for a while or watch something I have recorded. The trouble always comes when you have something particular to do or an appointment to keep as that is when it is inevitably the worst. That could be tension I suppose.
Hope you managed with your visitor and that you felt alright in the end.

Kim I was told that a bag of champagne corks works the very best! Well, I suppose that if you drink your way through a few bottles on order to get hold of the corks it might just get you in the way of things.

Do see your GP. This is not said to worry you because it is probably not the same in your case, but my DH had restless legs for ages before he went to the GP and it was hell trying to sleep with him. He now takes a very low dose of Ropinerol which is used in higher doses for Parkinson's. Sadly the underlying cause of restless legs in his case is peripheral arterial disease but this is not always the reason for it. The jumping causes a rush of adrenaline which won't help you sleep!

My husband suffered with Restless Leg Syndrome, my online research mentioned a possible cause to be iron defficiency. He went to the doctor who was happy to prescribe iron tablets. Problem solved!