Sleepless In Midlife

 This post is meant to share what I have learned about menopause based on my own experience.  It is in no way intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new healthcare regimen.  Never disregard medical advice or delay seeking help because of something you read on this website.

Almost every night, at some time between 2 and 4 AM, I am probably awake.  Not just a short trip to the toilet or grab a cup of water and back to sleep.  Nope.  I'm talking wide awake and going to be that way for a while.

Talking with other women, I have discovered that I am not the only one losing sleep in midlife. Far from it! In fact, according to the National Institute on Aging, up to 50% of women between the ages of 40 to 65 report having sleep issues, including insomnia and having trouble staying asleep. The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine says that number may be as high as 60%.

So... why are so many of us suddenly becoming unwilling night owls at this stage of life? 

- The decrease of hormones obviously plays a huge part.  The hot flashes and nightsweats that come along with hormonal changes in perimenopause and menopause are big sleep disruptions. 

- Anxiety and depression are factors that contribute to insomnia and sleeplessness at any stage. Since depression and anxiety can increase in perimenopause, they are also more likely to cause sleep disruptions during this time. 

- Research shows that the risk of sleep apnea increases during our menopausal years.  Symptoms for women may also differ some from just the well known snoring and fatigue, including headaches and insomnia.

- Health conditions - both perimenopause/menopause related and those that are not - as well as medications used to treat them can disrupt sleep. 

- Some sleep problems at this stage of life are life-style related, including blue light from electronics. Especially in the evenings just before bed time.

Sleep is so important for many aspects of a healthy life, especially during perimenopause and menopause.  A good night's sleep can help balance hormones, reduce the risk of hypertension and heart disease, and strengthen our immune system.  Sleeping well can improve our mood and ability to manage stress.  And it may also contribute to diabetes control and reducing our risk of dementia.

That's all well and good.  We want to sleep well and be as healthy as possible.  But, easier said than done. Right?  

There are some simplethings we can do to try and improve our sleep quality.

- Stick to a sleep schedule and create a relaxing bedtime routine.

- Create an environment that is sleep friendly.  A comfortable mattress and pillow. A comfortable temperature. Eliminate as much light and noise as possible.  

- Reduce or eliminate your intake of caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. Especially in the late afternoon and evening.

- Don't eat later in the evenings, especially heavy meals.

- Don't drink liquids just before bed.

- Avoid afternoon naps

- Exercise regularly.  But, not to close to bedtime which can actually disrupt your sleep pattern!

- Don't watch TV, use your computer, or scroll on your cell phone in the bedroom.

- Try supplements such as magnesium or herbal supplements. 

- Talk to your health care provider to rule out sleep disorders or do discuss other treatment options.

How's your quality of sleep? What have you tried to help get a good night's sleep?

Rest for the Weary

I'm tired.  Some days I would say that I'm exhausted, even.

As I mentioned in my monthly "Currently" post - having a puppy has seriously hurt my sleep pattern.  I'm staying up later than usual and getting up bright and early.  I'm definitely not getting as much sleep as I require.

Many Most of us can relate.  Maybe you're not getting enough rest because of a new puppy, like me.  Or a new baby.  Or a big work project or some other commitment.   Maybe you're dealing with some insomnia.  At one point or another, we all go through a season or two, or five (or a dozen) when we feel tired.

But what if it's more than tired.  What if you are weary?

What's the difference?

Tired is a physical thing.  Tired is lack of physical energy. It's a matter of getting enough sleep... or not.

But weary goes right down to your soul.  Weary is when you are feeling completely depleted - physically, emotionally and/or mentally.  It's more than just being tired.

Either one can cause a strain on our day to day life.  Nothing makes us less able to cope with life's irritations (big or small) than when we feel fatigued.  I know when I am tired I am much easier to annoy.  I snap out at those I love for even silly little things.   And if a bigger problem should arise - forget about it!  Being tired is bad enough, but everything is magnified even bigger when we are weary.

So, what can we do to help avoid or recover from weariness?  A few simple steps may help ease the strain:

• Ask for Support or Help:  Support - an understanding ear or actual help - from a friend or family member makes every stressful situation easier to bear.

• Learn to Say "No":  Avoid overfilling your schedule.  Busyness leads to burnout

• Self-care: Taking time for yourself will help to revive your spirit, refresh your energy levels and renew your productivity and creativity.

• Get some rest! Being tired for an extended period can contribute, or lead to, weariness.  

If the weariness goes on for an extended period,  or is accompanied by other symptoms of depression including anxiety, sadness, hopelessness, loss of interest in pleasurable things, difficulty concentrating, etc - please, please, PLEASE see a professional!

This post is in no way intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

Sleepless In North Carolina

One of my presents this past Christmas was a new FitBit.  One of those fancy-fangled ones that tracks not only your daily steps and activity, but also your sleep.  After wearing this gizmo for almost 2 months, I have come to one obvious conclusion:

I stink at sleeping.

It's true.  The numbers don't lie.  Just take a peek at this example of my sleep stats.

The dark blue thin lines are my "sleep" periods for each night.  The light blue is restless sleep.  Red is wakefulness.  All that light blue is just crazy! !  You can even see nights when my sleep is divided into two sets of stats. Apparently because I was awake long enough for it to be considered two separate sleep periods.

YIKES!!

Sooo...  I am now on a mission for better, more restful sleep.  Reading up on good sleep habits.  Pinning lots of things to my new "Sleepytime" Pinterest board .  Soon, I hope to have a post for you all about some of the best hints I have found for getting a good night's sleep.

In the meanwhile, what are some of your tips for getting better sleep? Let us know in the comments.

You can find me connecting at these Blog Hops and Link Ups

The Reality of Exhaustion

I had a whole post planned for today all about how happy I am to see the first day of fall and the lovely qualities of the season.  And I might even get around to writing that post.  Perhaps tomorrow.

But, the reality of today is that I did not get any sleep last night.  Literally.  None.  Not a wink.  Not a cat nap.  Not a tiny snooze.

Which has left my brain functioning far below normal capacity today.  If you can even call what's happening in there "functioning" at all.

Today, even my coffee needs a coffee

There's no one to blame but myself.  It was simply a matter of poor planning on my part.

You see, I had a customer who needed her order in a bit of a hurry.  And I grossly underestimated how long it would take me to complete her order.  And it had to be in the mail today if there was any chance of it getting to its destination on time.  So, as a result I found myself staying up last night to complete said order.  Which happened about 5:00 am this morning.

This gal is in need of some sleep.  In a very serious way.  And maybe after that I can manage to write that fall themed post I had in mind for today.

Zzz...

edited to add: Today Only! Save 15% OFF  everything  in  my  Etsy shop with code  FALL15  

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Three Things That Need to Change

Sometimes when something just isn't working for you any longer - it's time to make a change.  A lot of times that is easier said than done.  Here are three things I know I need to change:

1)  Sleep

Every evening I tell myself I am going to go to bed earlier than usual.  And every night, that doesn't seem to happen.  Then, every morning I get up very early.  Every day, I am tired by the middle of the afternoon (at the latest)

2) The Junk I Consume

http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=43198&picture=french-fries

I know I need to eat better.  My cholesterol numbers show that.  The scale shows that.  My doctor has told me that.  Scripture says that our bodies are temples where the Holy Spirit resides.  Would I fill a temple with garbage?  Um.... no.

3)  Water

I need to increase the amount of water I drink.  By a lot.  Some days it gets to be very late in the afternoon and I realize I have had nothing to drink since my morning coffee. Seriously - how am I not thirsty ALL. THE. Time?

Is there something you know you need to change?

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Three O'Clock in the Morning

I can't figure out what is going on with me and 3am!

First - I woke up at 3am sure someone was moving around and making noise in the male offspring's room.  Wondering what in the world he was doing at that time of night, I got up and went to check on him.  Both he and the dog were sound asleep.  Um... OK. Back to bed, where it took me forever to fall back asleep.

Then -  I woke up around 3am convinced I was smelling toast.  So sure, I got up to see who was making toast at that time of night.  The kitchen was empty.  The toaster oven was off.  And cool.  No one had been toasting bread of any sort.  Um... OK.  Back to bed, where I lay awake slowly taking inventory for any symptoms of a stroke.

Last night, I woke up about 3am absolutely sure that either a) the alarm hadn't gone off and we were oversleeping.  Or b) the alarm was about to go off any moment.  Of course, neither was correct.  Unfortunately, it messed up my sleep for the rest of the night because I kept waking up anticipating the alarm.

The hypochondriac in me is convinced that something is misfiring somewhere in my brain at three in the mornings.  The normal (?) part of me just wants to sleep through a night without having to get up at 3am for some reason.

Itchy

As I write this, I'm not doing so well...

Yesterday my hands suddenly became very itchy, turned red with some welt/hive things.  There was minor swelling and the itching was driving me insane.  There was some blistering in areas, many of which popped open. 

And of course I was trying to convince myself that I had some terrible flesh eating bacteria thing going on - because I'm crazy paranoid like that sometimes.  I took some benedryl and crashed early.

This morning, I awoke with a terrible headache, which I can't seem to shake.  And I have a dry itchy patch on my face.  The type of patch which usually means I've eaten something with peanuts in it.

After a little research, I found that the hand thing can also be a symptom of a food allergy.

I did have lunch yesterday at my favorite Asian buffet restaurant.  And all I can figure is that I must not have been paying careful attention to the signs, or something with peanuts or peanut butter wasn't marked - and I ate it.

Needless to say I am not happy about this development.  I have so much I need to get done today, but all I want to do is take some more benedryl, something for the headache, and snooze on the couch for the afternoon.

UPDATE: I can report that things have have improved.  I have no new redness, swelling or itching of the hands so far today.  But my poor hands look terrible from the sores left where the blisters popped.

Wisdom from Oma

Somedays you get up in the morning and after an hour and a half of doing pretty much nothing - you will be ready for a nap. 

A Sleepy State of Mind

I stayed up too late this weekend.  Every night I was up past my bedtime.  I'm not as young as I used to be.  I'm a gal who needs her rest.  I chose to ignore that this weekend.  Today, I pay for it.

I'm in that sleepy place.  The one where I'm running on auto-pilot.  The one where my mind doesn't really productively function, but rather just goes through the motions.  The one where if I stop moving, I'm pretty sure it's over. 

At this point I'm even scared to sit down and fold the laundry.  I feel pretty sure that if I do; that is exactly the mindless sort of task which will cause me to drift off.  Leaving the sleepy place for that nap place. 

On second thought, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

So Tired I Can't Sleep

I am so, so, very tired. 

I didn't sleep well last night.  I couldn't manage to fall asleep until sometime around 1:00 am.

I woke up about 3:30 - wide awake.  I think I fell back to sleep around 4:00.

My alarm goes off at 5:00 am to wake me up for the day.

It was a very busy day at work today.  I felt like I went through the entire day in a fog.  Like I was in slow motion, but everyone and everything around me was moving at normal speed.

I'm afraid at this point, I may be too tired to sleep.  Have you ever been that tired?  Just so exhausted that even falling asleep feels like too much of an effort? 

I think there may be a glass of wine, followed by a cup of Sleepytime tea in my very near future.

Dream A Little Dream

I don't remember my dreams much anymore.  I used to when I was younger.  I used to dream and wake with a vivid recall of my nocturnal imaginings.  Occasionally I would even have the dream where I realized I was dreaming.  Not anymore. 

It's not that I don't dream.  I know I do, because sometimes I wake with a vague feeling left over from the dream.  Or a few fleeting images.  Or I'll catch that feeling of deja vu sometime later.  But I don't remember the dreams themselves.

Sleepy Time

I had a to-do list today.  And it wasn't a short one.  I started out well enough.  Cleaned up the kitchen, did some laundry.  Then I attacked the closet downstairs where I have been storing my craft items and the extra blankets.

Working to purge the closet set off my allergies.  Eyes were itching and watering.  Roof of my mouth was itching.  There was much sneezing and running of my nose.  I knew where this was heading, so I took an allergy tablet to curb off the worst of the symptoms.

This was a mistake...

Next thing I knew - I was crashed out on the couch while "Elf" played on the television.  About two hours had passed as I peacefully snoozed the afternoon away.  It must have been a sight.  Me - asleep on the couch.  Piles of folded laundry on the coffee table in front of me.  And empty basket in the floor next to me.  And I'm pretty sure there was snoring involved since my mouth was very dry when I finally woke up.  Just lovely.  I can only hope I wasn't drooling or anything thanks to the allergy medication.

So much for that to-do list.  And I missed "Elf". 

10 Pounds

Ten pounds.  They say that's about how much the human head weighs, somewhere between eight to twelve pounds.  Today I am convinced mine weighs far more.  Fifteen, or twenty maybe? 

It's a result of the cold which has me in its grip today.

All the sinus pressure and pain making my poor little head feel twice as big as normal.  The pounding, which intensifies every time the coughing comes on.  The tiny explosions behind my eyes and cheekbones every time I sneeze.  Add to all this the scratchy throat and the general "hit by a truck feeling". 

It doesn't make for a happy me. 

So, if you will forgive me - I plan to cut this short.   Head back to the couch, take some of the NyQuil the Princess just picked up for me, watch some TV or read a little.  And maybe even get some sleep once the medication kicks in.

Happy Thursday y'all.

A Purr-fect Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.


If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

"This Moment" is a ritual I found through  Just My Thoughts .  By way of Pamanner's Blog, via Life inspired by the Wee Man adopted from SouleMama.  Check out their blogs, and if you are moved too, please leave a link to your Moment in the comment box below