I was wondering if anyone out there is having this experience:

Adrenaline rushes in the early morning hours.....I wake up scared, anxious. This bad feeling will last most of the early part of the day. I try very hard to distract myself with work, because I am feeling so insecure and afraid.

This has been going on for a year now.

I pray every day to turn over in bed and wake up happy. My husband holds me each morning trying to calm my fears.

Prior to peri, I was never like this.

Monk

Monk, my older sister told me about being awakened in full-blown panic during the night (she's 3 years older than I am). I had not experienced it before and I was hoping this was a menopausal symptom I was going to miss--NOT!!! This winter it began to happen to me. I wake up in a full-blown panic and I feel adrenaline and other hormones have something to do with it. I just try now not to add panic by getting scared by it and it passes much quicker, but it certainly is no fun! So you are not alone!

Oh yeah! Until I went the bios I went through a lot of Lemon Balm tea! It was the only thing that helped. Miserable feeling.

This has been one of the worst features for me. The sheer repetitiveness of it is what gets you down. There is no specific reason for this horrible feeling that wakes you regularly, with me its about 5 am. My whole sleeping pattern has gone haywire. I go to bed now much later that I ever did and get off to sleep with the help of a tiny dose of a sleeping tablet which has probably been one of the greatest helps to me. I am absolutely convinced it is because of the complete shift in our hormone levels. Usually I wake up hot and bothered and anxious, occasionally I have a good morning where I feel more calm and collected, it is so weird. I was not like this before my periods finished two and a half years ago, it is an absolute bitch. Simba 2

Monk,

Many of us here on Power-Surge have experienced the adrenaline surges in the middle of the night. It is VERY challenging.

Mine have completely gone away - I'll pray for that for you, too.

Hang in there,

JJ

I used to get that, and the fear that I was having a heart attack added to the anxiety. But my heart is fine (I had it tested). I have Xanax for really bad attacks, but seldom have to use it. There are many helpful ideas in this forum. Here's what worked for me:
I take Extravan PM every night. It helps. I noticed I did not take it for 2 nights in a row, and felt kind of crabby. It took me about a month to notice any real changes.
I take Calcium and Magnesium (250 micrograms). Some women find 500 micrograms helps, but be careful because for some it can cause diharrea. I've found the 250 works for me.

Cut out caffeine. I drink either Cammomile tea or decaf coffee in the morning. You may need to do this gradually to avoid headaches from caffeine withdrawal.

Exercise! I walk briskly at least 1 mile per day. Any form of exercise helps you sleep better. You don't have to do boot camp type exercises that only the 20-somethings and pros can do.

I cut out sweets. I used to be the lady with the bag of M&Ms stashed in her desk. Now it's an orange or an apple. I've been drinking lots more water (I try to follow the Weight Watchers Diet), and it all helps.

I have also just started on birth control pills to help even out the hormones, but don't know if that will help. I just started them.

I try to do a simple 'wake up' yoga routine in the morning.

Get plenty of rest (right!) and be kind to your self. Now is a time to take good care of yourself. Your family can help with this. Just ask. Don't feel like you have to do everything or have a perfect house. My mottos is "we can't both look good at the same time: it's me or the house." these days, I'm opting for me!

Good luck. They don't last forever. Mine is better in 3 months of doing all of the above, actually more since I started with the calcium and magnesium.

As always, consult your doctor. Having a little bottle of Xanax is helpful - sometimes just because you know you have it. I only take half of a .25 mg pill. I also don't have the heart palpitations any more that would wake me up.

By the way, my doctor says I'm somewhere in the middle of perimenopause (I'm 54), so it can happen any time. Another affect of perimenopause is that it can bring out personality traits in a much stronger way. For me, it's having to have all the details worked out about anything, and have it all planned. My last bout of some anxiety was before a business trip. I worried about all things that would go wrong, etc. But, I got through it!

Hang in there!
WriterMom

Mom, your post is so timely as I have a business trip coming up next week and it's giving me a very hard time.
It's been 2 years now on this fun ride for me. The first ymyr was the worst but now I've change a lot of my lifestyle and most of the time can keep things in control. I take suppliments, exercise, meditate, and try to each well.

But today it isn't working. The thought of traveling turns my stomach. The flying, the change, I'm not sure what it is but it is freaking me out, again, in the middle of the night. Oh sure, I even have a hard time going on vacation. But my family is there to hold my hand and say it is ok.

They will not be there for my business trip. I know I can do it, I've done it before. But the price was high. It was a difficult trip. Do I push myself and do it again? Or do I risk my job and just say no this time.

Anybody have any experiences or thoughts? WHy or why do I have to lose sleep over it?

WriterMom I agree with so much of what you say.
I take calcium and magnesium (250 suits me too)
changed to drinking only decaff
started powerwalking (not Olympic standard but enough to feel good afterwards)
I try to eat enough protein, high fibre and complex carbs I watch refined sugar and junk food and too much salt
If the house isn't perfect I feel the same way as you
Also I take B12, B6 and Inositol
I've been doing this for at least 18 months now and feel so much better

robin

OMG, I just started experiencing this. I am sleeping peacefully and then all of the sudden....BAMMM, a surge of adrenaline rush appears from nowhere!!! I don't see this as one of the 34 symptoms, did I not read it correctly? I had never experienced this before, what a strange and unsettling feeling.

((((HUGS)))))
K~

Has anyone thought these symptoms may be a rise in blood sugar, preparing us to wake up and get the day started? My body sure could pick a more appropriate time.

What you refer to as Dawn Phenomenon, blood sugar rise in the dawn hours, but it normally occures 5-8 am, not midnight.
I too get those adrenalin rushes, it is same panic /anxiety and you simply can't control it in your slip. I had it too, but now I take Xanax before bedtime, so I have non-interrupted 8 hours of sleep every night. Before these rushes could wake me up every 2 hours with racing heart and surreal feelings, and it was really bad midcycle and before TOM, no mater what I tried. I also no longer drink coffee, not even decaf, too acidic for my stomach and trigger anxiety that lasts for hours. I do drink wine, but in moderation, and both caffein and alcohol can trigger these surges.
I believe these surges indicate hormonal fluctuations. They also occures during the day, but we are awake and prepared to handle it, which is not the same when we are asleep.

Hi,

There are many other threads on Power-Surge about this phenomenon - women have been going through it forever! You'd think our doctors would know something about it, if so many of us have struggled so...

I've read that surges happen because the adrenal glands are capable of churning out small amounts of estrogen. When our ovaries start "shutting down," the adrenals attempt to take over, and unfortunately, as they produce these wee amounts, they are also releasing anxiety-provoking chemicals. Talk about a Catch-22!!! This is more apt to happen, unfortunately, in the middle of the night, a time when the adrenals become more active.

Estrogen is also produced in body fat, especially fat that gathers around the belly, which is likely why we gain in that area when we arrive at middle age.

Our bodies ARE trying to find a kind of balance in all this, and we are left just watching what's happening! For me, it's been sooooo reminiscent of adolescence! Mood swings, tears, slamming doors, looking with dismay at my body physically changing before my eyes... Whew!

Are we having fun yet?

JJ

Thank you ladies for your replies. I have noticed that what I eat and drink, definitely is related to these dreaded surges. Last night I was absolutely fine because I excercised yesterday and really watched what I ate. I was in L.A. last week spending time with old friends. We ate and drank a lot, and that's when the surges were the worst.

That makes complete sense as to why this occurs during the night. And yes, it is a catch 22!

It seems as though every month brings a new symptom or two. Thank God we are all in this together!

((((HUGS)))))
Karen

P.S. Oh yes Jolie, we are having lots of fun

Thank you ladies for your replies. I have noticed that what I eat and drink, definitely is related to these dreaded surges. Last night I was absolutely fine because I excercised yesterday and really watched what I ate. I was in L.A. last week spending time with old friends. We ate and drank a lot, and that's when the surges were the worst.

That makes complete sense as to why this occurs during the night. And yes, it is a catch 22!

It seems as though every month brings a new symptom or two. Thank God we are all in this together!

((((HUGS)))))
Karen

P.S. Oh yes Jolie, we are having lots of fun

So, estogen is made from androgens which in turn manufactured either in ovaries (premenopausal) or in adrenals (once gonadal androgens no longer avaiable). There is not difference which fat cell is used to aromatized estrogen: belly or tighs. We gain more belly fat is because we lose estrogen and our become androgen dominant with all expected side effects: abdominal obesity, hair loss, and facial hair growth, etc.
I believe that our metabolism changes, so we gain weight at menopause even eating same number of calories as before, and as we get older, it becomes a challenge to keep up with exercise regimen, even we need it now more than in our 20s.
So, it is a combination of factors. Of course, estrogen play major role, but I see many young women in their 20s and 30s, that resemble menopausal weight gain (pot belly), grow facial hair and have male balding pattern, but they are not even remotedly close to be menopausal. They just have hormonal imbalance, and it directly related to diet, exercise, and using BCP. it ia known fact that diet high in sugar, sodas, processed and junk food, and high calories linked to bel;ly fat gain and makes hormonal balance practically impossible.
JMO

Could be adrenal fatigue - you could have an ASI saliva test done (adrenal stress index.) It measures your cortisol levels at 4 different times of the day, 8am, noon, 4pm & midnight. If you google adrenal fatigue, it should make sense. If you're tired during the day & wired at night, that's usually a sign.

Erin