No sleep with having night sweats

I was lucky enough to have no health issues at time of menopause so went on to HRT as it prevents bone density loss I believe. Stayed on it for 5 years, sailed through menopause and weaned off gradually. No weight gain at all. Wish I could say the same now but know it’s self inflicted, little exercise, lots of afternoon tea and cake and over indulgence at Christmas. Working on it, wellll maybe start tomorrow.
Good luck, hope you find what’s right for you.

Why do so many ladies suffer night sweats and others do not.I do not wish to appear blowing my own trumpet but never experienced them. My demons were black moods. I was sure I was going mental and apart from the usual monthly experience,, which grew less and less, that was it. I had never been on the 'pill' but neither had my mother who had suffered these sweats.Which ruled out what had been in my mind.
Answers appreciated.

Sounds like it. There was a good discussion on Woman’s Hour this morning, radio 4. Too late for me but could be useful to you. The main throng of the conversation was to see your GP and don’t take no for an answer.

If you can find the video of the live chat with Dr Chatterjee, he mentions someone whose menopausal symptoms were eased considerably when she followed his advice. It's on this site somewhere.

Please go on HRT, it gave me my life back. I was becoming so bad tempered, which just wasn't me, I was like a different person. My poor husband. I didn't get any weight gain etc. Try it, my friend was divorced because she wouldn't go on it and was unbearable!

W11girl I listened to this a.m Woman's Hour and what really jumped out to me was that there is NO upper age limit for H.R.T, my own GP has not agreed to prescribe this for me "at my age" (73) but I think I'll pay him another visit armed with this information.

The thing I remember from the Womn’s Hour discussion is that Japanese Women don’t suffer night sweats because of their diet. WH is covering menopause all week.

A simple but foul tasting remedy that definitely helped me was a handful of sage leaves, steeped in hot water for 15 minutes or so, strain and drink the residue. It was more palatable with a bit of honey added but if you are trying to keep the weight down ... I hope that this helps you. Menopause doesn’t last forever, it just seems that way when you are going through it!

The thinking on HRT has changed in the last couple of years, with the benefits being seen as much greater than the risks (unless there are specifically known concerns within the family etc). I’ve been taking HRT for seven years now. The night sweats stopped immediately and I haven’t put on any weight. It’s made such a difference OP.

I went on HRT with no weight gain. Think it was because I was. Sleeping better and had more energy. Stayed on them for just over 15 years with no problems. My health at 70 is good and so is my weight. Go for it.

I'm a fan of HRT without it I'd have been divorced or dead.The night sweats were horrific and I had to change sheets during the night sometimes twice or more,my OH moved into the spare roombut he wasn't happy I was moody and tearful and reclusive,didn't want to go out of the house if I could avoid it so of curse I was depressed too.All this in my late 40's .I tried to come off but all the symptoms returned with a veangeance and I was sent to the Menopause clinic where the Gynaecologist said I could stay on HRT for life .I was never overweight ,always active(ran a minimum of 6 miles a day) and a vegetarian ...so I domt know where I was going wrong .HRT changed my life ..gave me it back and I just said yesterday I'm happier and more content now at 64 than for a long time.As an added fact my sister who is 69 is also on on long term HRT for similar reasons

Coll66 - Nightsweats were a regular feature with me in my 50s - the bed totally wet, hubby next to me fast asleep and no opportunity to change the sheets even if I'd had the energy. I used to put a very thick towelling robe on and get back into the wet bed falling asleep before that became wet itself. Absolute hell and then there was the regular washing of the bed linen the following morning and all that fatiguing work when I was already tired. I had been on HRT before the nightsweats but had to come off because of weight gain and cancer risk so no option but to turn to herbal remedies. Like others, I tried Black Cohosh, wild yam, and sage which I drank as a tea. I did get some relief. The nightsweats did stop eventually - took around four years actually and even now at 68 I still get the occasional one but have no idea what to put it down to. My advice to you is to stick with the sage tea (make your own), and try to eat as good a normal diet as possible. By the way, hats off to you for your great weight loss - you did well.

I had HRT for 18 months. Daughter persuaded me to stop it. I also had the pill for a few years, but then the coil. I had breast cancer 8 years ago. A lump removed, also all the lymph glands under that arm as it had spread to one node. I already had osteoporosis and the medication to not get the cancer back made this worse, so I had medication for that. I can't say whether the cancer was caused by the HRT, the pill or the fact I was very overweight for some years. I'm just adding the information so you can take the risks into account. I'm much slimmer now . I lost 8 stones on Weightwatchers because it makes me safer not to get cancer back and have kept it off for 7 years, but I had lost most of it before I got cancer.

I wasn’t allowed HRT due to migraines and the meds I take (still do) for that.
But diet sorted it, I cut out the sugar and i5 made the whole world of difference.

I wouldn’t touch HRT because of the dreadful cruelty involved in its collection. I got over the menopause the best I could as other generations of women have had to do i the past.

My sweats were morning, noon and night. I remember standing up from my seat on the bus and leaving a perfect sweaty stamp behind. I was mortified, and it was regular that I was literally dripping with sweat. It would run into my shoes and make my feet squelch! I cried when the doc said I couldn't have HRT.

I have gone back onto the Menopace Red Clover extract tablets as at 58 I started getting really hot and tired all over again. Feel so much better now. I am very careful with caffeine and alcohol as sadly, wine in particular affects my sleep. Fizz is not so bad strangely! I use some herbal sleeping tablets on and off too.

I always found the cost of herbal remedies prohibitive. I just put up with all the sweating, but since then I can't stand being too hot. Its as if my thermostat has been damaged and can't cool down.

I must be lucky as I have never experienced any of these symptoms when going through the menopause, only occasional flooding which was embarrassing. I would have been reluctant to go on HRT in any case but a friend developed breast cancer and was told to stop HRT immediately which confirmed for me that it was a bad idea.

HRT is the thing! I am taking it and have put on no weight -though I do weigh myself regularly to ensure it stays that way. HRT is meant to keep your bones from becoming brittle, to help your hair and skin and to stop your waist thickening. I also find it keeps me on an even keel mood-wise as I used to be very up and down.

Interesting items re menopause on Woman's Hour yesterday and today. (10am radio 4) You might find some remedies on there.

tea made from red raspberry leaves
and soy milk
before -had to change night clothes 3-5 times a night
after-almost never
tea is generaly for female issues
do not drink if young enough to want to get preg but is excellent for cramps as well.has vits and flavonoids that help uterus to stay healthy
heres some info on teas

www.diyhealthremedy.com/7-best-tea-options-for-easing-hot-flashes-and-night-sweats/

soymilk is still a big debate but worked for me

I can recommend Bio Identical HRT which I am told is plant based. My doctor is a menopause specialist and uses it herself.

Thank you Jane I suppose it's just something that we have to deal with I know at some point it will end but really can't come quick enough

This is really interesting. I’m 64 and menopause hit me just after my 49th birthday and it is still an issue for me with no apparent ending in sight. Having said that the night sweats have eased but we’re bad for about 12 years as were the hot flushes. Unfortunately one of the ongoing issues has been the rise in BP which the menopause has caused. My BP was always very low but I began to realise that the hot flushes were having a real effect and when I went to the GP she asked me why I had waited so long and was all set to prescribe HRT and then she measured my BP. She instantly changed her mind and prescribed meds for the BO instead which almost immediately slowed the frequency of the hot flushes. They had become almost a constant for me and I was becoming very desperate. I do feel cheated though because a change of GP has meant that there has been a change of opinion and I’ve now been told that HRT should have been considered as it would have helped other symptoms. My present GP is reluctant to initiate HRT now at age 64. I’m told that the jury is out on its effectiveness when being taken for the first time after 60.