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Menopause - how did it affect your sleep??

(72 Posts)
StellaGransnet (GNHQ) Wed 17-Mar-21 09:22:18

From hot flushes through the night to dealing with aches and pains, we want to know how menopause (and perimenopause) affected your sleep? Did you find symptoms made it more difficult to nod off? Did this affect your energy levels day-to-day? Or maybe you actually found yourself sleeping better? Share your experiences with other gransnetters anonymously on this thread.

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Katyl Fri 19-Mar-21 13:51:26

Hot flushes, very little sleep. Total nightmare. I am unable to use HRT.

lexigran Fri 19-Mar-21 13:09:40

I have no problems getting to sleep but usually wake through night and lay awake for ages worrying about all sorts. I still get night sweats but not as often thank goodness.

ottypotty Fri 19-Mar-21 13:06:57

I used to sleep like a log pre-menopause - dropped off like a log and woke up the next morning - no breaks.
Now I wake feeling soo hot - throw off the duvet, and try to cool off - I have a Dyson fan next to my bed so turn that on - it's so quiet and gives a gentle breeze to send me back off again.

cathyov Fri 19-Mar-21 09:23:57

Menopause definitely saw a deterioration in my sleep and hot flushes were a particular problem. They still are with me but not as frequent but that ability to sleep really well seems to have deserted me.

Harmonypuss Fri 19-Mar-21 04:01:43

Menopause was no different to any day I've experienced in the past 30yrs.
I have MS, am heat intolerant and a terrible insomniac, so hot flushes and sleep issues are nothing unusual for me.

zulianilord Thu 18-Mar-21 15:51:16

I was very uncomfortable at night and suffered very hot sweats causing me to costantly throw the duvet off which drove my husband crazy!

cookiemonster66 Thu 18-Mar-21 11:45:34

I feel like I am in the princess and the pea story as the main star. My bedroom and duvet have to be just right, not too hot, not too cold, freshly laundered linen, pillows correct height, mega fussy with mattresses. I often get boiling hot during the night, so the duvet is between my legs and one leg out on top, and the other underneath duvet warm, then every hour or so I rotate, usually when the leg out gets so cold it goes numb. My general aches and pains keep me awake, and regular toilet visits. HRT has helped!

Silvergran59 Thu 18-Mar-21 11:21:18

I take HRT - it just works for me, gives be the boost I need - after 6 months of hot flushes and reading up about the pros and cons - I asked my doctor, and she put me on HRT and I have not looked back.

montydoo Thu 18-Mar-21 11:04:47

I still wake with hot flushes, although this has subsided over the last 5 years, It certainly was a gamechanger when I had arthritis pain and hot flushes keeping me awake, I did take medication to help me sleep, but they left me feeling groggy the next day, so I take very little medication nowadays.

Rowsie Thu 18-Mar-21 10:45:13

I was bothered by hot flushes which kept me awake when I was going through the menopause but as soon as I started HRT this stopped.

DUDY Thu 18-Mar-21 10:42:18

Some nights it affects my sleep where I wake up in a hot sweat. I usually throw the covers off then get too cold after a few minutes & have to snuggle under them again. It normally doesn't take me long to fall asleep again.

Tillymint21 Wed 17-Mar-21 23:06:39

Having slept perfectly all my life things then changed dramatically with the menopause. I’m now too hot all night and rarely sleep for more than an hour or so at a time. I’m about to talk to my doctor about HRT as it’s really making my life a misery. I’ve started to dread going to bed.

OlderthanIthink Wed 17-Mar-21 22:49:24

No problems getting off to sleep, but I found I'd often wake too early and have trouble getting back.
Cutting down on caffeine and alcohol help as well as using a meditation app and yoga breathing practices.

Kittyme1 Wed 17-Mar-21 22:37:19

It's definitely had a negative impact on my sleeping pattern, only getting around 5 or 6 hours sleep.

Nanniejude Wed 17-Mar-21 20:14:24

I had hot flushes at night time only. Eight years on and my sleep is still poor.

rozina Wed 17-Mar-21 20:06:03

The worst thing for me with the menopause, which was about 20 years ago now was not the hot flushes but the night sweats which I could swear had a certain smell to them too, which I hated. Also having to keep changing sheets was a nightmare. Apart from that I was OK with my sleep because I was put onto HRT which I found was marvellous for the menopause. Unfortunately I was eventually taken off of this for an operation and as soon as I came round from the op, my first words were "can I go back onto HRT now"! I did go straight back onto HRT but was eventually taken off of it as I think at the time there was a worry with HRT and breast cancer. I think the HRT certainly saved me from a lot of problems connected with the menopause and sleep.

helen0903 Wed 17-Mar-21 19:26:54

I suffer with my sleep since starting my menopause early after having cancer was I was 40 I had operations to remove my ovaries hence I am now in an early menopause. My sleep is terrible from hot flushes to waking up constantly.

GD14 Wed 17-Mar-21 18:40:26

Between the age of 50 to 60 I suffered night sweats that we’re horrendous and sleep difficult. Unfortunately the sweats returned around the age of 65, I am now 68 and my sleep pattern is bad. I cannot take HRT due to a heart condition and there seems to be no help available. I take Menopace night but it doesn’t seem to help much. I am constantly tired but seems to be very little I can do about it.

Redhead56 Wed 17-Mar-21 17:54:11

Restless legs in the day time and beginning of arthritis and I would wake up drenched with sweat very unpleasant. I would have to get changed and I was unable to sleep again. I was also very emotional at the time seemed weepy quite a lot. I was prescribed HRT but everything they tried at the Women’s hospital made me ill. I just had to put up with it I am sixty four now on the rare occasion I get a hot flush.

bobble5366 Wed 17-Mar-21 17:46:10

I do not take any medication for the menopause, though am quite tempted to discuss with the Docs, my sleep is very erratic and I will often wake up with sweat running down my forehead. I sleep around 3 - hours at a time between waking, and will often resort to sleeping downstairs in the cooler livingroom (which is also much much quieter) - It seems to work for me.

Carpentress Wed 17-Mar-21 17:02:41

Once hot flushes kicked in my sleep deteriorated. For a year or more I would wake frequently in the night and then wake at 3am and stay awake. My daughter bought me a weighted blanket before Christmas last year and miraculously I have slept every single night since, if I wake I go straight back to sleep again. It's changed my life!

Leah50 Wed 17-Mar-21 16:21:23

No change, I've been an erratic sleeper since the children were born. Just the frequent nuisance of having to change sweat-soaked bedding in the middle of the night.

snowyboots Wed 17-Mar-21 15:45:25

Since the start of the menopause my sleep pattern has been a nightmare. I toss and turn a lot and find it difficult to get comfortable, I am either too hot or too cold, and just as I drop off I suddenly wake up.

compfan Wed 17-Mar-21 15:06:59

no change

grandMattie Wed 17-Mar-21 14:41:09

I stopped sleeping well after I had children. It was exacerbatd by the menopause. I was on HRT for 5 years to help with my mental problems, but now they are OK, am off HRT. I still sleep badly.