Hot Flushes and Sleep

dreamdaisy

I just read Hileena111's post on lack of sleep and boy, do I sympathise! For the past 4 years I have woken up at least six times a night, drenched, and at least three times a night with pain. Can cope with the latter, but the former?! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! The double whammy of the aging arthritic woman. Oh to be a bloke. Would love to sleep apart from The Husband because he is too hot (temperature wise I mean!), wants the warmer duvet at the moment because it gets cold at night - huh, NO, IT DOESN'T, and I'm concious of the the fact I disturb him as I blunder around in the dead of night, wringing out wet towels, finding dry ones, wrapping my pillow in a fresh towel etc etc. We tried separate duvets but that made changing the bed even harder work for my hands and shoulders. We have compromised on the window. We have the top one open and the curtains left ajar, but of course he's now waking up at sparrow**** 'cos it's daylight! My snoring does annoy him so have taken to staying awake and deliberately snoring so I can scamper off the cool, fridge-like bedroom upstairs, where I spread myself naked under a wide open Velux. Heaven. Apparently HRT is out of the question 'cos of rheum drugs, but I think that only delays things anyway. I want to get it over and done with but HOW? My nurse told me that black cohosh etc is not suitable because of possible interation with the hospital's stuff. I have tried not eating spicy food, not drinking alcohol, not having cheese, etc etc, but to no avail. Anyone else in this hellish boat? Dreamdaisy.

sharmaine

Hi

I am menopausal and hot flushes are a nuisance. OH now sleeps in the spare room because I'm too hot. I have found my medication has helped with the hot flushes at night - I think it's the amytriptiline. Like yourself I cannot be prescribed HRT. I find wearing cotton/linen helps. Being a woman with arthur and menopausal is a terrible combo. It's not fair.

I hope you feel better soon. Have you asked to see your GP they are the experts and should e able to help. I've heard taking a soya supplement can help. I can't recall the name ... sorry.

Sharmaine

dreamdaisy wrote:

I just read Hileena111's post on lack of sleep and boy, do I sympathise! For the past 4 years I have woken up at least six times a night, drenched, and at least three times a night with pain. Can cope with the latter, but the former?! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! The double whammy of the aging arthritic woman. Oh to be a bloke. Would love to sleep apart from The Husband because he is too hot (temperature wise I mean!), wants the warmer duvet at the moment because it gets cold at night - huh, NO, IT DOESN'T, and I'm concious of the the fact I disturb him as I blunder around in the dead of night, wringing out wet towels, finding dry ones, wrapping my pillow in a fresh towel etc etc. We tried separate duvets but that made changing the bed even harder work for my hands and shoulders. We have compromised on the window. We have the top one open and the curtains left ajar, but of course he's now waking up at sparrow**** 'cos it's daylight! My snoring does annoy him so have taken to staying awake and deliberately snoring so I can scamper off the cool, fridge-like bedroom upstairs, where I spread myself naked under a wide open Velux. Heaven. Apparently HRT is out of the question 'cos of rheum drugs, but I think that only delays things anyway. I want to get it over and done with but HOW? My nurse told me that black cohosh etc is not suitable because of possible interation with the hospital's stuff. I have tried not eating spicy food, not drinking alcohol, not having cheese, etc etc, but to no avail. Anyone else in this hellish boat? Dreamdaisy.

frogmorton

Oh no!!!

This is......gulp......


my......


FUTURE!!!!!!

jaspercat

Hi, I have also reached menopause and also a female, the hot flushes are terrible, at night I kick the bed clothes off if I get a hot flush, hubby keeps saying it is chilly, not me though, sometimes I wish I was a man, I don't know how men would cope with this problem love Jaspercatxx

dreamdaisy

Easy, Jaspercat. They wouldn't OR it would become a competition down the pub, 'Yeah, well mate, I had twenty last night, so there.' I suppose it's quite sweet that The Husband doesn't want me to leave his side but God, it's exasperating! I know that Asian women tend not to have anything like the symptoms of us westerners, and scientists think this is due to the lack of dairy products in their diets - the Japanese think we smell odd due to dairy consumption. I have read that soya products are meant to help, but I find them truly awful. Oh well, I guess it will end sometime. I have a lovely fan on my desk - my clients find it really strange that I switch it on and off, but as they're children I don't explain! Another soggy evening and night beckons - they are always worse at night. Our bodies KNOW how to torment us! Regards, Dreamdaisy.

ironic

Oh my heart goes out to you on this one. I had years of it too. Still get the night ones. The washer is never off is it? HO tiled the bathroom floor so I would just stand on it while the steam rose from my body! Pity we cannot harness it, could solve the energy crisis Lots of sympathy, Ix

dreamdaisy

Thank you Ironic! It is an utterly bizarre thing isn't it? You have to admire the way the human body can torment one. I know they can last for years, but surely, surely they must end? I suppose that every day is one day closer to the finish. Does arthritis make them worse, or is it the other way round? God knows, and He, apparently, is a bloke. No wonder us girls have them! Dreamdaisy.