Good Morning Ladies: I have been suffering from the symptons of peri for 4 years now, anxiety being the worst. I am taking Activella a HRT that has helped with the hot flashes and night sweats but not the anxiety. The anxiety seems to be worse at night when I am trying to go to sleep. It has come to the point that I dread the evenings and trying to go to sleep. I start becoming fearful and just neverous. I can't get comfortable in bed and it take hours to get to sleep. I exercise 6 days a week and physically I feel good but mentally I feel like a wreck.

Do any of you suffer with night time anxiety and if so how do you deal with it?

Thanks for the help.

Angel 1

One word... YEA....

Yes, I get the same exact thing, and yes it is harder to deal with cuz who can start walking around the neighborhood at 10PM... Couple of things that I do..

*Hot herbal Tea, either Chamomile or w/Valerian Root (at least 2)

*Put something on either TV or the radio that is relaxing, I find myself watching alot more Chrisitan Show, such as Joel Osteen, try watch or listen to anything positive...

*If I am not going to take my Ativan, then I will take two Valerian Root

*Read - positive book

*Pray - seriously it does help, sometimes I just keep reciting the Lords Prayer, helps in two ways; one it keeps my mind going (sometimes it is actually hard just do that, cuz my mind is racing, but I keep praying); and Faith in the prayer that the Lord will see me through..

*Very Important - BREATHE... No kidding, if you ever notice your self breathing, it will be very quick and shallow breathes, which then makes the anxiety worse. I will take 5 to 10 deep long breathes.
*Beathe in through my nose, counting to 5 slowly as possible, making sure my belly expands so I know I am getting a good deep breath.
*Hold up to about 5 or 10, whatever feels more comfortable at that time
*SLOWLY exhale through my mouth, as slowly as I can, counting to atleast 5
The 1st breathe you may feel a little light headed, that's bcz you are getting oxygen back to your brain, due to the fact you were basically hyperventilating yourself....

*If it is REAL bad, I will literally get a BROWN PAPER bag, just as you treat hyperventilation.

*Anything that I can do to take my mind of my body, cuz when we are anxious we tend to be over sensative to everything in our body, such as our heart beat, ect.

*If I can WALK... If you know you are more anxious at night, try to take a good 30 minute walk before the sun goes down, it can help...

Yea, as you can tell I have suffered w/that too.....

When all else fails, I take an Ativan, come on here, and say ladies help.....

Thanks so much for your reply. I do the breathing and thank God I have never felt like I can not breath. I have felt that I can count my heart beats and that makes me crazy. That sets off all kinds of thoughts in my mind. As for prayer I do that all the time. My last resort is Xanex and only if all else fails. My doctor says that I should not wait till the anxiety get so bad to take the xanex. I have the .25mg and I cut that into quarters. He laughs and says that is just like taking nothing but it works for me. Its enough to take the edge off.

Thanks for the advice.

Angel 1

Night time is usually my best time, My anxiety starts the minute I get up and will start calming down around 6pm but then I start to cry because the whole day was nothing but anxiety and all the other junk

Hi Angel,

I think that just before ovarian shut down women suddenly become unable to sleep and develop severe anxiety at night. Even if they can get to sleep they tend to wake at about 1.30 am filled with dread and irrational fear. I believe that the adrenal glands are involved in this horrible cycle. I used to wake night after night, terrified that I was going to find my husband cold and dead beside me. I knew that it was irrational but I could not stop the behaviour pattern. The feeling of being totally wired in the middle of the night was unbelievable. I used to get up make myself a drink and do some work on my computer and the next day I never felt particularly exhausted because of the lack of sleep.
I hate to say it but I think that this nightime anxiety is par for the course at that stage of menopause.

I am now 3 years post and i can now sleep soundly again.


XIII