08 Mar Confessions of a Menopausal Insomniac
“In the jungle, the mighty jungle
The lion sleeps tonight…”
I’ve gotta be honest. I’d give ANYTHING to be that lion right now!
My name is Julie. I’m almost 64 years old.
And I am an insomniac.
It’s been months since I had a decent week of sleep. A single night? Sure! Two nights in a row? Occasionally! But a week where I find myself collecting 4 or more hours of shut eye each night? I can’t even remember!
Recently, after a particularly restless few weeks of sleep I finally said, “Enough!” I contacted a local sleep specialist and began the process of trying to figure out why I just can’t catch any zzzzzzzzzz’s.
I’d like to tell you there was a simple answer but my relationship with sleep is
Complicated!
We discussed cause & effect, pros and cons of various forms of treatment, and scheduled a sleep study for next week.
She also recommended a book which is apparently the Holy Grail for sleep deprived menopausal women like me. (Which btw, menopause is a BIG contributing factor for women suffering from insomnia.) But the book has been a game-changer for me and so I’m telling you now….
BUY IT!
Before you start thinking this book is not for you like I did, hear me out! I’m not depressed. I don’t suffer from anxiety (except when I haven’t slept in days), nor do I suffer from chronic pain. So don’t let labels or misperceptions get in your way of benefiting from this read! The recommendations are universal and apply to everyone! After only a few chapters into the book I’ve come to the horrible realization that
I’ve been doing everything wrong!!!!
While you’re waiting for your book order to arrive, I’ll share a few of my biggest aha moments:
Never go to bed unless you’re sleepy. (Regardless of the time)
Never get into bed before your usual bedtime.
Once your alarm goes off, do not linger in bed.
Do not nap! (ok…. I died a little when I read this one)
If you wake at night and can’t go back to sleep, get up! Leave the room. Do NOT stay in bed.
5-6 hours of quality sleep is better than 8-9 hours of poor, interrupted attempts at sleep.
Use your bed for sleeping and sex only. No reading, writing, eating, watching TV. (Ugh! I LOVE reading and writing in bed!)
Everything you need to know about getting better sleep is revealed by remembering Pavlov’s dog!
The book includes several logs that are recommended for completion so I’m doing all the things! By keeping a log I’ve already noticed the impact some of my poor, above mentioned habits have had on my sleeping patterns. This girl plans to get her beauty sleep in 2021!
And hopefully you will too.