Starting 3 years ago I started having major insomnia where I can't fall asleep or take naps.Could this be hormonal ? I've had to take sleep meds since . I've also had off and on fatigue and wiredness feelings. But when I'm fatigued I still can't sleep. My last counts were...
progesterone-2.93
estrogen-37.9
fhh-18

Is there anyone out there with similar symptoms?

Hi, I cannot answer for the results of the ovarian function, but I can recommend thryroid testing....irregular thryoid hormones can also account for the wired feeling as was in my case. You may have autoimmune Graves Disease or Hashimotos that fluctuates up and down, or on and off bouts of thryoiditis...the thyroid is just as tricky as ovarian hormones, part of the same system, and I believe should be tested on a regular basis especially in perimenopausal/menopausal women as thryoid problems are very common at this time.

In any case you need to test for ALL (insist to doc) FT4, FT3, TSH (keep in mind range for TSH is between 0.3-2.5) and the antibodies for Hashimotos and Graves disease. Be assured that though tricky, the majority of thryoid problems can be helped with medication, diet changes, some life style changes and in some cases, supplements when there is a lacking. Hope this helps...for me my thryoid problem is resolved, but I wake up about a billion times a night recently...don't feel rested....skipped my first period in March and haven't had one since...recent testing shows FSH 69...can't remember the estrogen or progesterone, but as I recall both were low....oh,well! Joan

l have chronic severe insomnia. I have problems falling asleep...and if I do manage that, then I have problems staying asleep. Some night I simply don't sleep at all. Naps are pretty much the same story...I just don't fall alseep no matter how little sleep I've gotten the night before, or nights before. This has been going on for 18 years, so In my case I don't think it can be blamed completely on hormones. I was certainly not peri in my early 30's! I have noticed since my periods went whacko 5 months ago that the insomnia has gotten worse...wicked bad. Sleep deprivations is nasty and makes me totally crazy...first I get anxious and if I don't get sleep I eventually become depressed...then after a good night all the symptoms are gone...presto! I've tried all the meds on the market except Lunesta with no luck. Xanax, however, has been a life saver. I take it a couple of nights a week when I at my wits end.

I have never been a good sleeper, but recently I feel as though I have lost the ability almost completely I have had reversed sleep for years, sleeping in the morning only. Lately I can't even manage this and have had only two hours daily for the last two weeks. I feel like I have the flu constantly. I have stayed up for two days at a time in the past to adjust sleep to night - no luck. Sleeping pills don't work, just make me more exhausted. I call it 'sleep impotance' because I wanna, but can't manage it.

I have no problem at all falling asleep. All I have to do is try to read a book or do a crossword and I'm gone. But I do have insomnia during the early morning hours two or three nights a week. I usually have to get up and go to the bathroom around 2 or 2:30 (fibroids pushing on my bladder!), and once I go back to bed I have a hard time falling asleep. It seems my mind just starts racing. Then about 4:30 or so I doze off, and wake up about 6:00. I usually just have to crawl out of bed. I know its peri so it doesn't bother me. I figure it'll eventually go away. I hope.

ria, i had the total insomnia start for me about 3 years ago as well. since i really never had sleep problems (except maybe sleeping too much), i just figured things would reset. boy, was i wrong. i don't know how any of you out there function with little to no sleep over many days. i felt like i was on the verge of a major break after weeks & then months like that or multiple days in a row of no sleep. it was like someone flipped a switch that wouldn't shut off. so it meant that i was incapable of napping as well. my body seemed to keep kicking me out of falling asleep or remaining asleep.

ativan was finally prescribed at a pretty high dose & i have continued to taper that down. but i have flares of the sleep wigging out on me, so i kick up the dose at those times & then cut back again. lots of strong opinions on the benzos & there are risks of physical addiction to consider, didn't know any of those at the time - just knew that i couldn't live in that state & was glad something could bring me back to some quality of life.

joan - i have still wondered about thyroid, but things do swing so widely/wildy. all tests have always been normal.

best,
ellen

ria: I have had major insomnia all my life. I cannot sleep at all without sleep aids. I won't take them regulary because I don't want to become dependent, so I am simply a person who is always sleep deprived. I do find that melatonin can help. It doesn't always work, but once in a while I can get lucky and catch five or six hours after taking 1 pill. Have you tried it? It's not that expensive and available in some grocery stores in the vitamin section. How I envy people who sleep well...it's just not the way I turned out. I've told my husband I should get a 3rd shift job because I'm always up and awake all night anyways!

Hi All,

I went through a horrible period with insomnia. I've alway slept really well but I hit peri and I could only sleep 1-2 hours at a time. I would fall asleep easily but wake constantly throughout the night. I would feel awful the next day but I was afraid to nap because I was afraid it would make the next night worse.

I'm happy to say that I've been postmenopausal for 2 1/2 years and I sleep perfectly again! Yesterday I took a nap in the afternoon and still slept 8 hours straight last night. It is wonderful and I feel so much better. Hopefully some of you will have the same experience if your insomnia is just related to your hormones.

DianaJJ

If it is any consolation, I think insomnia is VERY common during the peri and meno years. In fact, my mom, who does not remember much about her menopause, does remember the extreme insomnia, fatigue, and wired feelings.

Shakin'

I too have had insomnia the last 3 years....I tried EVERYTHING...except sleeping meds...fear of dependency due to a friend of mine having terrible probs getting off of them, and still is after 5 years!

In the last 2 months though, my sleep is filtering back....I began taking a herbal supplement called 'herbal equilibrium' from womentowomen.com, it takes about 3 weeks to get in your system to start working, and right after that I began sleeping 7-8 hours again...my night hot spells (and day ones!) have completely gone!

I went a week or more not taking them because I was trying to do a detox (which made me constipated!!) and I then began not sleeping again and my anxiety level went up again...so, I have now introduced them again and I'm looking forward to my sleep returning yet again!

They have herbs like, ashwaganda, kudzu, red clover, black cohosh and chasteberry etc., in....good apparently for: insomnia, hot flashes, mild mood swings and help balance pregesterone, estrogen and testosterone.

I only take one day - half the suggested dose, but it works for me!.....I'm hoping my sleep will come back naturally after a while.

Caz