Aunt Flo arrived. And with her, she brought a thought. Could my sleeplessness be related to my cycle? I immediately took out my planner (yes, I'm one of those who can usually accurately pinpoint the day of each visit, sometimes it's off by a day or two) and looked back through the past coupla months. Cross referencing that with the times I've had trouble sleeping and that's when thought became realization.
Of course, right after, I took to google and started searching for the connection between PMS and sleep deprivation. Prior to this, I've never associated trouble sleeping with my menses because, well, it's just never been chronic enough until this year. In fact, I don't recall facing this particular PMS symptom before this year. I've gotten the usuals; cramps, soreness, zit but not being able to sleep wasn't an issue I recall facing during those times.
So, I was really surprised to find that it is a major symptom for women and most likely to occur to those in their twenties to thirties. The following paragraph was taken from an article titled 'Sleeping Disorders and the Progesterone Link: An Overview of the Hormonal Basis for Sleep Disturbance' from the Associated Content website:
"Following ovulation, as progesterone levels drop, women begin to experience an increase in energy levels, gradually and slowly. It is during this period, usually the week right before menstruation that women may have more energy but, oftentimes, experience episodes of disturbed sleep patterns which, unfortunately, may further exacerbate complications associated with Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). For this reason, in the weeks following ovulation, women prepare for the sudden change in sleep cycle from hibernation styled, excessive sleepiness to a sudden change in energy leading through disturbed sleep patterns in the week before menstruation and then, ultimately, episodes of full blown insomnia associated with menstruation.
It is during menstruation that women most often express concerns with bloating, menstrual cramping and even headache pain. These, coupled with a decline in progesterone, lead to temporary sleeping disorders such as insomnia. While this level of insomnia generally remedies in the days following menstruation, as hormone levels begin to balance again, women often feel fatigued, even lethargic, during menstrual cycles and, simply, due to lack of sleep."
Lightbulb moment. I can't begin to express how relieved I was to find out that this was PMS-related. It was the not knowing what was wrong that really got to me. The article goes on to describe some steps that can be taken to alleviate the condition:
"As a woman, therefore, when suffering from a sleep disorder, monitoring patterns of sleep complications is important. With a daily log of sleep patterns, over a 60 day period, many women find the sleep complications are, indeed, a direct result of the progesterone fluctuations associated with hormonal and menstrual cycles. When confirmed through diary logs, a healthcare professional should be consulted regarding possible treatments available. Depending on the degree to which the hormones play a role in the sleep disorder, a woman may require hormone therapy, including The Pill, and sleep aides to use, intermittently during periods of insomnia.
As an alternative approach to prescription medications, women experiencing hormonal based sleep disorders may consider utilizing natural remedies including green or chamomile tea, heating pads to relax muscles and even massage or acupuncture. In the best scenario, following a diary or log can prepare a woman for fluctuations in hormones and, therefore, anticipate changes in sleep cycles and make the necessary adjustments to lifestyle to comply with the female body's natural requirements to comply with the progesterone fluctuations.
When all fails, and sleep disorders persist, consultation with an endocrinologist, to address hormone levels within the body, and consultation with a sleep study center, to address sleep disorders, may be indicated."
Besides the above, I also found a video series on the site empowher: Women's Health Online where this lady named Gwen shares her PMS/Premenstrual Syndrome story. The way she describes her sleeplessness is EXACTLY what I'm going through. The part that really resonated was when she said:
"Well, really the thing I would say is a big factor is that I have a very difficult time sleeping when I have PMS, and sometimes I’ve thought that I had a sleep disorder. I have pretty much been able to link it to PMS and that when I have PMS I have a difficult time sleeping. So I have tried sleep medications for that which do help, but maybe they are not addressing the real issue. I think the sleep deprivation that comes from having a really difficult time sleeping and mostly because I cannot seem to turn my brain off and it is an agitation issue again. I feel agitated, and even if I am happy about something, I cannot turn my brain off, talking about it or thinking it. So that contributes to the other problems of PMS, having decreased mental focus and having more cravings because my brain is so tired because I have not slept. So it is a little bit of a vicious cycle between the two things."
I can totally relate to not being able to turn the brain off. I've been lying in bed for the past 4 days unsuccessfully willing myself to go to sleep and, when you're trying to force yourself like that, you rarely succeed and that just agitates you further, making you more stressed and tensed, and definitely, least likely to relax. And like she mentions, sometimes, I'm not even thinking depressed thoughts. It's not like I'm being kept awake by, say my issues with my sister's engagement (though I may have thought about it on one of the nights). No, the one night where I barely got any sleep at all, I was kept awake thinking about what frickin bag I wanted to buy when I'm in Europe this November. I was doing mental currency conversion from Euro to USD and trying to figure out how much of a price difference between buying it from a US online retailer or from the boutique in Europe itself. I lay awake for an hour contemplating whether I should just splurge on the LV Speedy 30 in epi leather or just buy the monogrammed Speedy 35 and save a lil cash for my trip to Bicester Village. For a bag. I'm not kidding. This isn't my attempt at being funny or a way to spice up a post. I didn't want to think about it but it kept pushing itself to the forefront of my thoughts and I just couldn't make it go away so I could rest. Sometimes I believe I have a real problem - the shopping I mean, it really occupies my waking thoughts a bit too much.
Anyways, I'll try out some of the solutions. I guess I can do the chamomile tea. And there's the valerian root herb which is a natural remedy for encouraging sleep. According to most sites I viewed, it's non-addictive which is a major plus. This site has some good info on the herb. I dunno if this is readily available here though. Worse comes to worse, I could try taking the Yaz BCP which I've read alleviates PMS symptoms.
I'm just glad I made that connection. I mean, this is the most likely reason for the insomnia but it could also mean something else. The only way to know for sure is to try any of the suggestions made and see if it helps any on that front. Will be scouring the supermarket for some chamomile tea tomorrow.
Of course, right after, I took to google and started searching for the connection between PMS and sleep deprivation. Prior to this, I've never associated trouble sleeping with my menses because, well, it's just never been chronic enough until this year. In fact, I don't recall facing this particular PMS symptom before this year. I've gotten the usuals; cramps, soreness, zit but not being able to sleep wasn't an issue I recall facing during those times.
So, I was really surprised to find that it is a major symptom for women and most likely to occur to those in their twenties to thirties. The following paragraph was taken from an article titled 'Sleeping Disorders and the Progesterone Link: An Overview of the Hormonal Basis for Sleep Disturbance' from the Associated Content website:
"Following ovulation, as progesterone levels drop, women begin to experience an increase in energy levels, gradually and slowly. It is during this period, usually the week right before menstruation that women may have more energy but, oftentimes, experience episodes of disturbed sleep patterns which, unfortunately, may further exacerbate complications associated with Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). For this reason, in the weeks following ovulation, women prepare for the sudden change in sleep cycle from hibernation styled, excessive sleepiness to a sudden change in energy leading through disturbed sleep patterns in the week before menstruation and then, ultimately, episodes of full blown insomnia associated with menstruation.
It is during menstruation that women most often express concerns with bloating, menstrual cramping and even headache pain. These, coupled with a decline in progesterone, lead to temporary sleeping disorders such as insomnia. While this level of insomnia generally remedies in the days following menstruation, as hormone levels begin to balance again, women often feel fatigued, even lethargic, during menstrual cycles and, simply, due to lack of sleep."
Lightbulb moment. I can't begin to express how relieved I was to find out that this was PMS-related. It was the not knowing what was wrong that really got to me. The article goes on to describe some steps that can be taken to alleviate the condition:
"As a woman, therefore, when suffering from a sleep disorder, monitoring patterns of sleep complications is important. With a daily log of sleep patterns, over a 60 day period, many women find the sleep complications are, indeed, a direct result of the progesterone fluctuations associated with hormonal and menstrual cycles. When confirmed through diary logs, a healthcare professional should be consulted regarding possible treatments available. Depending on the degree to which the hormones play a role in the sleep disorder, a woman may require hormone therapy, including The Pill, and sleep aides to use, intermittently during periods of insomnia.
As an alternative approach to prescription medications, women experiencing hormonal based sleep disorders may consider utilizing natural remedies including green or chamomile tea, heating pads to relax muscles and even massage or acupuncture. In the best scenario, following a diary or log can prepare a woman for fluctuations in hormones and, therefore, anticipate changes in sleep cycles and make the necessary adjustments to lifestyle to comply with the female body's natural requirements to comply with the progesterone fluctuations.
When all fails, and sleep disorders persist, consultation with an endocrinologist, to address hormone levels within the body, and consultation with a sleep study center, to address sleep disorders, may be indicated."
Besides the above, I also found a video series on the site empowher: Women's Health Online where this lady named Gwen shares her PMS/Premenstrual Syndrome story. The way she describes her sleeplessness is EXACTLY what I'm going through. The part that really resonated was when she said:
"Well, really the thing I would say is a big factor is that I have a very difficult time sleeping when I have PMS, and sometimes I’ve thought that I had a sleep disorder. I have pretty much been able to link it to PMS and that when I have PMS I have a difficult time sleeping. So I have tried sleep medications for that which do help, but maybe they are not addressing the real issue. I think the sleep deprivation that comes from having a really difficult time sleeping and mostly because I cannot seem to turn my brain off and it is an agitation issue again. I feel agitated, and even if I am happy about something, I cannot turn my brain off, talking about it or thinking it. So that contributes to the other problems of PMS, having decreased mental focus and having more cravings because my brain is so tired because I have not slept. So it is a little bit of a vicious cycle between the two things."
I can totally relate to not being able to turn the brain off. I've been lying in bed for the past 4 days unsuccessfully willing myself to go to sleep and, when you're trying to force yourself like that, you rarely succeed and that just agitates you further, making you more stressed and tensed, and definitely, least likely to relax. And like she mentions, sometimes, I'm not even thinking depressed thoughts. It's not like I'm being kept awake by, say my issues with my sister's engagement (though I may have thought about it on one of the nights). No, the one night where I barely got any sleep at all, I was kept awake thinking about what frickin bag I wanted to buy when I'm in Europe this November. I was doing mental currency conversion from Euro to USD and trying to figure out how much of a price difference between buying it from a US online retailer or from the boutique in Europe itself. I lay awake for an hour contemplating whether I should just splurge on the LV Speedy 30 in epi leather or just buy the monogrammed Speedy 35 and save a lil cash for my trip to Bicester Village. For a bag. I'm not kidding. This isn't my attempt at being funny or a way to spice up a post. I didn't want to think about it but it kept pushing itself to the forefront of my thoughts and I just couldn't make it go away so I could rest. Sometimes I believe I have a real problem - the shopping I mean, it really occupies my waking thoughts a bit too much.
Anyways, I'll try out some of the solutions. I guess I can do the chamomile tea. And there's the valerian root herb which is a natural remedy for encouraging sleep. According to most sites I viewed, it's non-addictive which is a major plus. This site has some good info on the herb. I dunno if this is readily available here though. Worse comes to worse, I could try taking the Yaz BCP which I've read alleviates PMS symptoms.
I'm just glad I made that connection. I mean, this is the most likely reason for the insomnia but it could also mean something else. The only way to know for sure is to try any of the suggestions made and see if it helps any on that front. Will be scouring the supermarket for some chamomile tea tomorrow.
