Does Progesterone Help You Sleep in Perimenopause? | PYHP 139

In this episode, we discuss a listener’s question about perimenopause. ‘Maggie’ is in
her 40’s and experiencing severe insomnia with anxiety. She has tried supplements and
different doses of progesterone with minimal results. She is having so many ups and
downs with her insomnia, anxiety, and hormones. She is wondering how long this is
going to last and whether will it ever end.

Let’s read Maggie’s question:
Help, I am about to turn 44 and entered peri menopause 1.5 years ago. I suffered,
almost overnight it seemed, from severe anxiety/panic attacks which led to severe
insomnia. My integrative doc started me on 100mg bioidentical oral progesterone and
then it had to get increased to 200mg because my anxiety was so severe and that’s
what I’ve been on for about a year now.
It has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, nothing consistent but it generally helped
the anxiety. Recently though I’ve been experiencing pretty severe insomnia where I
can’t even fall asleep! I get maybe 0-2 hours a night. I haven’t changed anything in my
routine or diet and nothing stressful has happened in my life.
I take things to help like magnesium, glycine, melatonin, ashwagandha, gaba, drink
calming teas and more as advised by my doctor to help with sleep and anxiety. I also
have a strict routine of daily exercise, getting sunshine, not sleeping in past 7, and not
watching tv or on my phone late at night, eating hormone balancing foods and even
taking Epsom salt baths to help relax my body before bed.
Like I said it’s been a roller coaster but two months ago I started sleeping like I was 20
years old again getting 8-9 hours of sleep for the first time since entering perimenopause
however it just stopped few weeks ago and now I can’t sleep at all! My eyes seem wide awake
though my body is exhausted and.
I have Xanax and Trazedone as a last resort as prescribed by my regular MD but I really
hate using them for lots of reasons. Will this phase pass quickly, just another ride on this
crazy hormone roller coaster or will I not be sleeping for awhile? Is it other hormones
now off that need addressing? I don’t see my doctor until June and it’s April. I know how
much sleep is crucial for balancing hormones so I feel like my body is working against
me and everything I’ve been doing to balance those hormones. I’m a stay at home mom
of four and would love even a few hours at this point! Any advise would be greatly
appreciated. Thank you!
There are so many relevant points pertaining to perimenopause in Maggie’s question.
And Maggie is not alone. Insomnia and anxiety are hallmarks of perimenopause.

In this episode, we talk about:
● Perimenopause symptoms.
● Perimenopause and insomnia.
● Perimenopause and anxiety.
● Supplements for perimenopausal insomnia and anxiety.
● Stress and perimenopause.
If you have a question, please visit our website and click  Ask the Doctor a question.