{"id":406,"date":"2008-11-27T16:15:46","date_gmt":"2008-11-27T16:15:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizonsmagazine.com\/blog\/?p=406"},"modified":"2015-07-02T06:51:52","modified_gmt":"2015-07-02T11:51:52","slug":"the-morphing-sleep-cycles-of-menopause-15-things-to-do-when-you-can%e2%80%99t-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/horizonsmagazine.com\/blog\/the-morphing-sleep-cycles-of-menopause-15-things-to-do-when-you-can%e2%80%99t-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"The morphing sleep cycles of menopause. 15 things to do when you can\u2019t sleep. Here are lots of links to natural sleep aids."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sleep<\/a>When I entered menopause at age 42, I noticed my sleeping patterns beginning to change.\u00a0 Like everyone else, at first I fought it and tried all sorts of things to keep me asleep for my previous 6-8 hours at a stretch.\u00a0 If you listen to the tv ads, that\u2019s what\u2019s \u201cnormal\u201d and menopause was \u201cinterrupting\u201d that natural cycle. I typically have 3-4 hours sleep in a row and then it\u2019s feet on the floor and back to the office.\u00a0\u00a0 A recreational sleeper I\u2019m not.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Then I thought, wait, menopause itself is a natural cycle and if I just go with it, instead of fighting it, let me see what my sleeping patterns morph into.\u00a0 I\u2019m lucky in that I work for myself and can make my own hours, so I began what would be a decade long experiment to find my own natural sleeping pattern.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

I remember back in 1970 when I first learned to meditate.\u00a0 At first I thought it was ridiculous to wake up at 4:00am just to sit on the floor with eyes closed for an hour.\u00a0 Sheesh, couldn\u2019t I do that in bed since my eyes were already closed?<\/p>\n

In the beginning, often I would just get up, powder my nose, think about doing a short meditation, but go right back to bed instead.\u00a0 Then I just began naturally waking up at 4:00am.\u00a0 I was told to \u201cget up when God wakes you up\u201d and that by sitting to meditate, I\u2019d get the answer to why I was awakened.\u00a0 It took me several years to get into the habit, and now I can\u2019t imagine not doing it.<\/p>\n

So at menopause, I meditated upon my sleeping cycles and the change in the number of hours I was sleeping.\u00a0 I was told I would settle into a pattern that was good for me.\u00a0 I knew I had to lose the expectation and belief that my past sleep patterns had to be replicated, even if I had to use sleeping aids to stay down for more than 4 hours.<\/p>\n

I settled into a pattern that mostly continues to this day, of sleeping 3-4 hours at a stretch, twice a day.\u00a0 That\u2019s usually somewhere between 4:00 to 9:00 both am and pm.\u00a0 If I am at a conference or otherwise on someone else\u2019s schedule for a weekend or more, I will take 2 valerian and 2 melatonin or tryptophan capsules about an hour before I want to fall asleep at night.\u00a0 They do the trick for me but I don\u2019t do that often.<\/p>\n

I used to try different pills, both over the counter and prescribed.\u00a0 But I found that for me, the biggest drug I want to take is the occasional Unisom, which is simply Benadryl.\u00a0 Since it’s so dehydrating, I avoid it except in emergencies.\u00a0 I find the herbal valerian root and tryptophan work well on me, but that may be due in part to me rarely taking any prescription drugs for the past 20+ years, and I don\u2019t drink alcohol.\u00a0 I eat a balanced diet although not all organic.\u00a0 I also don\u2019t eat much processed food, no chips or pies or that kind of thing, although I do eat bread and pasta.\u00a0 So maybe all that adds up to me absorbing nutrients and supplements better than the average bear\u2026<\/p>\n

So, for me, the answer to the change in sleeping patterns as I get older, is to have several ongoing projects that I want to spend extra time doing.\u00a0 Then if I can\u2019t get to sleep, that\u2019s my signal that God\/the Universe wants me to get up and work on it.<\/p>\n

I also learned that, like a little kid, if I let myself I can get so wrapped up in a project that I will work on it until I\u2019m exhausted and just drop off to sleep in my chair.\u00a0 That can be the best hour or two of sleep right then., so I learned to buy a good executive office chair.\u00a0 One that is supportive enough to sit at a keyboard for 8-14 hours a day, yet big enough to lean back and curl up in for a quick snooze.<\/p>\n

These are 15 things I\u2019ve done when I was wide awake in the middle of the night:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Organize the files on my hard drive and delete old files
\nOrganize closets and clear out clutter
\nRe-arrange furniture
\nClean, vacuum, do laundry
\nTake a hot bubble bath or epsom soak
\nGive myself a manicure and pedicure
\nTake insurance photos of everything in the house<\/p>\n

Sketch and paint.
\nTake photos of my kitties
\nVariation: Dress kitties in silly outfits and take pics
\nVariation: Stage silly scenes around sleeping kitties and take pics
\nVariation: Stage silly scenes around sleeping family members and take pics<\/p>\n

Take all my clothes out of the drawers and closets and wash them and put them back.<\/p>\n

Think of whose birthdays are coming up and make them a card.<\/p>\n

Go room to room and make a list of anything that needs to be repaired or replaced<\/p>\n

Search words and phrases at my blog www.horizonsmagazine.com\/blog\u00a0<\/a> and visit all the links \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Holy basil may be used as a treatment aid for depression
\n<\/a>Holy Basil Extract for stress, insomnia and depression<\/a>
\nHoly Basil for Anxiety and Insomnia
\n<\/a>L-theanine as a unique anxiety reliever
\n<\/a>Vitamin D3 Reduces Risk of Common Health Concerns
\n<\/a>Coffea Cruda for sleeplessness with mental hyperactivity
\n<\/a>Our ancestors used to sleep twice a night<\/a>
\nThe secret to rest is staying in bed in the dark with eyes closed<\/a>
\nRestful sleep and increasing melatonin levels naturally<\/a>
\nMy current sleep schedule<\/a>
\nThe In Between Places<\/a>
\nMy sleep habits are morphing again<\/a>
\nI may not need to change my life, I may just need to change my perception of it<\/a>
\nNot able to sleep? Turn Off The TV, Turn Off The Lights
\n<\/a>Melatonin 101<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
<\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t