Who knew that overwhelming -I need a nap now- tiredness was yet another thing I discovered is a symptom of the peri-menopause.
I’m not sure this one twigged with me straight away. I just thought I’d over done it, or maybe it was the wine, or lack of sleep etc. But this kind of tired is different to anything else you have felt before … except maybe when you were a toddler and nap time was acceptable.
I don’t know how anyone else experiences Crashing Fatigue(the official term so I am told) but for me it comes as a tsunami of sleepiness I have no control over, for no apparent reason, and that’s it … sleep now or be doomed.
I can’t think, can’t focus on my computer screen and just want to go to bed. It has to be bed too. Not just a quick close of the eyes anywhere random, bed or nothing. Once I’m snuggled under the covers sleep is instant.
This was when I knew it was a different kind of tired. Under normal circumstances not only can I not nap for toffee, I also take forever to go off to sleep. I’m a proper fidget. Plus I need to know that I have enough time to sleep.
It’s basically the hormonal imbalance associated with this time of life that is responsible (no surprise there then)
The biological tech goes like this –
Hormonal changes occurring in a woman’s body during perimenopause and menopause are a major reason for this debilitating fatigue. Estrogen is key in controlling cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland released in response to stress which increases blood pressure and blood sugar levels. When estrogen levels dip in perimenopause and menopause cortisol is left uncontrolled, thus causing more intense stress levels and, as a result, increased fatigue. Sometimes the fatigue is caused not by a drop of estrogen but by a decrease in testosterone (a male hormone) in a woman’s body. Furthermore, estrogen can have a calming, drowsy effect, which is weakened when hormone levels drop, thus causing less restful sleep and increased daytime fatigue
Now, assuming all other things are equal such as diet, exercise and general wear & tear, then if you too are experiencing an intense sleepiness when you least expect it if you haven’t considered it until now, you could be in the peri-menopause.