Hello!

I am new here and I am so glad that I found this site! I just turned 42 and have been experiencing some very weird things with my body for the past few months. I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately and I get anxious at night when its time to go to bed b/c I don't know what to expect. I have been waking through the night and just within the last couple of nights have had strange vibrations in my body, around my chest area and down my legs. I have had heart palpatations that seem to come out of nowhere. Its like my heart is pounding out of my chest. I get extremely bloated around my period time and while I think my periods come around the same time every month they are pretty light and only last about 3 days. I also sometimes feel like I am having issues with my breathing when I sleep. Like I have to take a breath or I'm not breathing right when I sleep ( this dosen't happen all the time) but its very upsetting. Going on the internet to find information can be a double edge sword b/c there is so much out there that is scary to read and I don't want to go down that path or I will really lose it. I feel like I am going crazy or that there is something really wrong with me and I don't know what to do. This site has really helped me feel better and has given me hope. So great to be here!
Terri

Hi Terri

I've been having these symptoms for so long now that I forget some of the ones that disappear. I remember around 40 or so having the feeling at night in bed of "forgetting" to breathe. I didn't feel distressed or anything, just like sometimes I had to actually think "breathe" which was really weird. That one doesn't happen now, or at least not that I notice. But you reminded me that it did happen at first. The bloated thing- that definitely has gotten worse over the past few years. At the moment I seem to be bloated in my stomach ALL of the time which is distressing. It's great that you're coming here early in the process. By the time I found this place I thought for sure that I was dying and insane and most definitely had to have a brain tumor! It's a wonderful site for those of us suffering and those family members who suffer with us.

Hi Terri,

I turned 43 a few months ago, and let me just say, at 42 I went through everything you just described.

It's strange isnt it? From the anxiety, to forgetting to breathe properly, and my favorite one of all, the palpitations!!!

I can completely relate in regards to what you said about the double-edge sword. It's great to be informed, however; too much information can be extremely frightening!

Terri, the good news is that you're NOT going crazy, that's a fact! The bad news......well, unfortunately it's not going to go away tomorrow

Hang-in-there, as you can see, you're definitely NOT alone!

Karen

Hi,
Yes, I'm all to familiar with most of those symptoms. I get the having a hard time catching by breath especialy if I'm having an anxiety dream. I wake up with palpitations and all. This is common as are your other symptoms. Nothing to worry about. I've had some of these for the past 10 years. Don't be alarmed, it's normal change of life things happening.

Hi,
it's 3:25 am here & I'm on the computer because for the 3rd time in a week I just woke up with horrible scary symptoms.
I think what I'm getting is adrenaline surges. Afew months ago when my anxiety was more extreme I would wake up in a severe panic attack but since my anxiety is calmer it's like I'm having rushes of adrenaline. I wake up & my body feels really tense & sometimes I get a buzzing, vibrating sensation like an electric current running through me & then I get adrenaline shakes.
I can't just lie there because then I just feel everything more intensely so I get up & wait until the adrenaline has calmed down before trying to go back to sleep, this usually takes about an hour.
I have also had the weird breathing stuff at night, where I suddenly wake up with a gasp or get a brief smothering sensation, this comes & goes.

These are all very common anxiety symptoms. I have suffered from anxiety most of my life but all this really took off when I hit peri at around age 41, so it could be peri-related anxiety you're experiencing. Don't let people tell you you're too young for this, I get that all the time. Do people (including doctors!) really think everything stays the same until you hit the magic number 50 & then BAM you hit menopause?!

I'm sorry but I don't have any real advice for you other than the usual stuff about calming bedtime routines, lavender, herbal sleep aids etc.
These things can often come in phases, they can last for afew weeks & then disappear for a while & return again later.
I used to find that I had more night time panic attacks mid-cycle. Maybe keep a journal of what's happening to you when & you might start to see a pattern emerge which might help to reassure you that it's hormonal.
You're not alone, there are so many of us here who suffer weird & scary stuff so if you're worried just come on here & you'll get the support you need.

I agree, the internet is not a good place to start looking for symptoms. If I'm worried I search on here & on a panic/anxiety website & I usually find someone else has suffered from the same thing.
Hope this helps a little, sometimes reassurance that this is 'normal' is all you need!
take care
love Sarah xx

Wow! I just want to say thank you Ladies so much for your responses! Its 12:30 a.m. and I am tired and want to sleep but I feel some anxiety about it. I will tell you that reading about how some of you have had trouble with the breathing at night has really given me a sigh of relief! I have been having these thoughts that I have some kind of sleep apnea or heart problems. Just all kinds of thoughts running through my mind. You have no idea how touched I am that you all have shared your stories with me. I so agree that being 42 is not too young to be experiencing these symptoms. Its not "menopause" its the stuff before "menopause". Why don't we hear more about all of these symptoms that women can have?? Its enough to make you lose your mind if you don't know whats happening. Well I think that I will sleep much better tonight just knowing that this is all normal. Thank you all again!!!

One more thing I wanted to add, allergies can also cause a hard time catching your breath. I've had them all my life and they hit me around age 9. I would sit up all nite because I was afraid I couldn't breathe. When the doctor said it was allergies and I got medication it cleared up. Now I get it bad around ragweed season. I take a daily RX for it.

Hi Terri, I am NEW TOO, and we sound identical!! I am only 38 and I've really been feeling crazy lately with the sleep issues and the waking up with the vibrating. My symptoms are worst around the PMS/Period time, though like you I only have about a 3 day period with spotting a day or so either side. I recently moved and have been going through some stress adjusting, and my doctor thinks that this has made the symptoms worse. The heart palpitations are the worst, I am sorry to hear that you have them too, they are frightening. I had an Echocardiogram last week to rule out heart problems, so at least I'll know that I'm fine (just probably hormones). I find that I feel like i can't breathe sometimes, too, I get scared to go to sleep.

So, here's what I've been doing to get through the symptoms: I wake up my husband if it is REALLY bad and he is very understanding about the shaking, etc., as I feel I need someone awake with me. If you can't get that support then I would just get some RELAXAT@ION CD's, some sort of Meditation/Guided Visualization, etc. as I find that it really helps for me to listenn to someone elses voice, I can relax a little, and get through the night better, even if I don't sleep. If we can relax for 15-20 minutes it helps, just take it one hour at a time. I also eat something if I wake up shaking, as I wonder if it is blood sugar issues with me. I don't think it is always good to stay in bed if you feel that Cortisol or Adrenaline surge, I have been getting up and cleaning in the house. This seems to disperse the chemicals in my blood faster and I can go back to bed.

The best thing I have done for myself is to see a Massage Therapist who is helping me get in touch with my body. It is something kind you can do for yourself, nurturing yourself is important right now. It has been the thing that has been keeping me sane right now. My husband is 5,000 miiles away for several weeks and I've just moved and have had to deal with most of this on my own. My husband hasn't known what to do, but at least I am narrowing it down to my hormones. I see a Gynecologist in 2 weeks and I am keeping a list of my symptoms and when they are worst.

I am taking Estroven, Black Current Oil caps, and Flax Oil (a high potency with Lignans in it). I only just started the Estroven ES, but I already slept better the past 2 nights.

Hope some of this helps, please message back if you like! I could sure use someone to talk to about this stuff. :-)
Take Care, Clarisssa

Hi Clarissa,

I can't tell you how much better I feel to know that this is something normal although very disconcerting and upsetting at times and that there is this website for women to connect and share stories and symptoms and to have a support system. I certainly don't feel better that this is happening to you, lol... I just feel so much better knowing that I am not alone. I feel your pain!! It seems that doctors for the most part don't seem to know what is going on and that is really upsetting to me. I think its great that you have been to see a doctor about your heart though and that you are going to a GYN to get a checkup. I haven't been able to muster up the courage to go see a doctor, although I think that after being here and hearing how other women are experiencing the same thing I would be less concerned. I feel like such a chicken but I have had some bad experiences with doctors and for the most part I don't have a very high opinion of them. I also am experiencing such anxiety these days that my mind just goes directly to the most horrible thoughts I can imagine and then I am just terrified. Thank you so much for your suggestions about how to handle the sleep issues. For me the sleep problems seem to be more intense right around ovulation time ( which is right now for me). I wake from sleep and sometimes I seem ok and it can take me a while to get back to sleep but I'm not shaking or anything and then other times I wake up and I am shaking and vibrating. Other times I wake and feel like I have to catch my breath or its like I have been holding my breath or not breathing deeply enough and my chest feels tight. Its not fun and it has definitely affected my mood and my sense of well being. Finding this site though has helped me feel that although this is not fun its not serious and that "this too shall pass", some day..... LOL! Apparently this is just the beginning of a long journey but at least we know what we are dealing with and can do everything we can to alleviate the symptoms. I have been taking more calcium and magnesium and I also take 1000 mg of flaxseed. I just started drinking soy milk (chocolate) is very good!.. lol! I need to keep making more changes though and like you said I need to nurture myself. A massage therapist sounds wonderful! Good for you for doing that for yourself!!!! I have two little ones who are 5 and 3 and they require so much of my attention. I forget sometimes to take care of myself b/c I am so focused on them and what they need. It must be hard having to handle so much of this yourself being that your husband is gone so much. (( HUGS)) to you !! So nice to have this site ! Take care of yourself,
Terri

Hi again! Yes, i totally understand about the Doctor thing. I saw one recetnly that made me really upset. He was telling me it was depression and wouldn't even listen to me about the hormone issues, was really dismissive and almost mean. I think I'll try to see women in the future! The breathing and night waking is such a crazy, awful thing, but finding out that there is nothing physically wrong with you would help you cope with the feelings. Adding anxiety to the surges/adrenaline rushes, etc. makes it all worse, trust me. I find that deep relaxation gets me through the early hours when I can't go back to sleep. Relaxing does rest the body, even if we aren't sleeping. Keep taking the supplements, I am doing mine daily now, and they should help in a few weeks. Nurturing ourselves is the most important thing, it will help you be a more calm Mom for your kids. I have a girl come over 2x a week to play with my son so I can take a walk on my own and relax if I need to. Women in our society aren't allowed to relax, aren't allowed to ask for REAL help, and this is probably part of this hormone problem! Its like we tell ourselves "we can't rest" and then our body hears that and then wakes us up telling us not to sleep! Just my own philosophy, sometimes it helps to think of the emotional reasons behind this, rather than worry about the body all the time (makes me crazy when I do that). But do get some tests done, it will help rest your mind. And as others are saying, this isn't permanent, just take good care of yourself and things should get easier (at least this is what i am counting on!). :0)

Big hugs, Clarissa

It just makes me wonder how many of us out there are suffering the same symptons! This time last year I felt exactly the same as your doing now, I got onto this site and it made me realise that I wasnt alone and certainly not going mad. My body has done alsorts to me over the past 2 years that I cant explain. I've put on 2 stone yet am excersing the most I ever have done, I cry at the slightest upsetting thing I see on tv, even though I feel fine. The palps still occur and I certainly get the hot flushes - sadly wet ones and not pleasant (very embarrassing). I just wish I could be the person I was before it all started Good luck with it all -I found that magnesium tablets help with anxiety!

Hi Katana,
I know, I have been wondering too how many women are suffering these symptoms. If I had not found this site I probably would have gone to the nearest hospital or luny bin. I just was not prepared for this to happen to me. I wasn't even thinking about "perimenopause" up until just a few months ago when all this started happening. I don't even know what made me put it all together to even consider that perimenopause might be the reason for my symptoms. I'm just so glad that I found this site and that there are women experiencing the same symptoms especially the problems breathing at night. I was so worried about that. It still bothers me but thankfully the last couple of nights I have slept pretty good. I drink a tea with valerin root in it and I take a 3 mg melatonin and it seems to be helping. I haven't had night sweats or hot flashes as you describe but I definitely get a vibration feeling in my body sometimes when I am sleeping. If you don't mind me asking how old you are?? I just turned 42 last month and things started happening a month or two before my birthday ( what a nice present from my body). I hear ya about wishing that you were the person you were before. I feel like that was forever ago and its only been a few months. Its like one day I woke up and my body was not mine anymore. Invasion of the body snatchers, thats what it feel like. Have you checked out the insta chat?? Lets chat sometime. Take care!
Terri

That is how I felt earlier this year. I thought that I was going to go crazy. I had been on Zoloft for almost 4 years but I stopped in Sept 2006. I just didn't want to be on it. I had gone on it for Panic attacks due to DVT that I got in 1999. I went back on the Zoloft in April of this year. I have calmed down. I am not so stressed out all the time. I have my moments but it is not all consuming. I also take vitamins and minerals. I think that one of the most important minerals that one can take is Magnesium. It has helped me considerably.

hi.....when my hormones first started changing at 38 ( I am 45 now) my first big signs were severe palpitaions and a horrible sense of stopping breathing about an hour after I had fallen asleep. I felt I was being smothered...it was so scary but I did not relate any of this to my hormones till I found this site .THANK GOD for this site! For me it seems my symptoms last about a few months to a year and then are followed by different symptoms. the palps completely stopped after a year. then I got labile( up and down) high BP afterthat. Anxiety and irratability. I had auditory halucinations for a month( by far the scariest thing!!!!!) vertigo ,where I could not drive. smelling changes,more sensitive. those are all over now.... I just have month long pms aand a short cycle with two day light bleeding. OH yea and a dermoid cyst in my left ovary that really hurts in the morning..........sooooo I am happy to say I am having a hysterecomy in two weeks and hope the pain will leave and I can regulate my hormones with natural hrt or the estriodol dot. SO its been interesting to say the least........ Linda

Just have to "second" your note about Magnesium, I have been taking it lately and feel MUCH more like myself, my sleep is better, my days are better, etc. I take Estroven too, have for a few weeks, so maybe the combo is helping. But YES to Magnesium!!!!!