Here is the thread: cool jams and other help

Sorry you are going through this. Hopefully you will find some helpful suggestions.

There's not a lot you can do but ride it out. A wool fill mattress cover helps but a good one with no man made stuff is pricey. Also, a good quality linen sheet over the mattress cover helps but is also pricey. A type of open weave all Cotton throw is handy when you are hot cold hot cold because it has a bit of ventilation. A 6 0z glass of red wine helps with sleep but any more causes more sweats. Maybe someone else here has some better ideas. I started menopause in my forties and was done by I think 51 or close. Best of luck.

If you're not aware of it, there is a Menopause forum on GW. Lots of discussions and helpful tips.

Menopause forum

If you haven't seen a doctor in years that's definitely a good idea. There are other conditions that can cause night sweats besides menopause.

I switched to a Cool Max mattress pad. That seemed to help a little.

http://www.thecompanystore.com/coolmax-mattress-pad/mb35-ps.html#q=mattress%2Bpad&lang=en_US&start=1

If you are under 40, you should see a doctor to make sure it is hot flashes. Some other things cause night sweats too. My husband had them for over a year before being diagnosed with rectal cancer. He no longer has them now that he is NED. They can also be caused by thyroid problems, lymphoma and other serious illnesses so rule all scary stuff out before assuming it is Perimenopause.

http://himalayausa.com/products/formulas/menocare-2/

This stuff rocks! Takes six to eight weeks to start working. I started out with 2x twice daily and now I’m down to 2/day at night. Made my 15+ hot flashes per day go to almost none.

ETA I totally agree with Rorah. I had night sweats from Thyroid for years before peri menopause.

Thanks for the links! Going to research a bunch later. Thyroid was one of the things I wanted to go over with the doctor. I know it can also be caused by other horrible things so that's mainly why I'm going (and it's been a good three years probably). I'm trying not to think about it too much. Perimenapause kind of sounded better. My hair has thinned somewhat too.

Being on low dose hormones for awhile to get you through this can be very helpful. Glad you are seeing your doctor. I think microfiber sheets would not breathe well and don’t use a memory foam mattress or topper.

I didn't reach menopause until age 58. It hasn't been too bad, to be honest. I have found that fish oil and magnesium help quite a bit, as well as a good multi. I've also found that night sweats are greatly aggravated by sugar consumption. If I cut added sugar to very little (which of course means a healthy whole foods diet) I cut hot flashes and night sweats to, perhaps, once every 2 months.

I use cotton jersey (t-shirt) sheets year round: I find them cool in summer and warm in winter. Since I generally run "warmer" with menopause I sleep with a window open year round--and this is MN where it was well below zero last night.

Cindy - Does yours fit in your washing machine? Do you still use a fitted sheet over and and do you wash it every time you wash your sheets?

Ah yes, sugar. My sugar intake has been up with the holidays so I need to cut that out and pay attention to see if it helps. I also think I probably sleep with too many covers. I like to be cocooned when I sleep so that might not be helping things. We keep our room pretty cool (mid 60s) and use a van year round. DH sleeps hot and I like it for a little white noise even if it's winter.

Yes, it fits in the washing machine. I probably wash it 2 or 3 times a year. I use a 100% cotton fitted sheet.

I had "night sweats" every winter until I got rid of my heavy covers and learned to sleep in a "cooler-than-comfortable" room.

Definitely, keep that doctor's appointment!

I was early 50's when I went through it and I just found that keeping myself really healthy (exercise, lots of water, decent sleep) really helped. Oh and keeping a dry nightie right beside me on my nightstand so I didn't have to g.o to far really helped.

Good luck.

Alcohol is one of my night sweat triggers. I gave it up but sometimes in the cold of winter I fall off the wagon.

Thank goodness my hot flashes have calmed down except for this past week. It has been so cold I have put on flannel pajamas and needed to sleep with socks on. we added an extra blanket to the bed. Of course, this leads to at some time during the night being super hot. Looking forward to this cold snap to end.

I thought my sister in law was nuts when she told me use only sea salt on food and to make sure I get about 1/2 tsp a day. She said there are additives in regular table salt to help it "flow" and sea salt is pure. I started using sea salt two years ago and almost immediately stopped the flashes. I'll try to find a link to info about this. Since we try very hard to follow a low sodium diet I'm not worried about getting too much.

Worth the read: http://thechalkboardmag.com/alkalizing-101-the-truth-about-salt-for-your-health

Here is the thread from two years ago:

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/3549579/sleeping-with-menopause-or-not?n=30

100% cotton sheets and natural fibers. I don't care what they say about micro-fiber, it's freaking HOT!!

We have a memory foam mattress and I used to wake up in puddle of sweat until I put a thick cotton filled pad over it and I only use cotton sheets. Light, loose night clothes-or nude if you can do it, is best for sleeping. I tend to sleep in a tank top and cotton jersey shorts year round.

My mom and her mom went thru early meno. I had a total hysterectomy at 45, so meno was immediate for me, but I still had symptoms for about 10 years. Not so bad, however, as others, but still annoying enough that it interrupted my life. I'm completely through it now at 56. My sister started peri-meno at around 42 and is currently going thru full blown at 48. We both have thyroid issues-she had hers removed due to cancer and I have Hashimotos, and I think that the thyroid meds helped keep us from being completely miserable.

Just a side thought, bamboo fabric may be many things great, but it absorbs moisture quickly and takes a lot longer to dry again. Just an example, DH’s bamboo socks are soft, comfy . . . and a PIA to dry! By that I mean, bamboo sheets might absorb sweat and then stay uncomfortably damp for the rest of the night.

Prairiemom - Thanks for the info. about the salt. and the other links. What brand do you use? I used Redmond Real Salt sea salt for years but stopped buying it. No reason other than I just didn't make the special trip to buy more. I will try it.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and suggestions. I'm glad I'm not waking up from it. I'm saving this thread and the others. I'll see what's going on medically first before I start adding anything else.

Lynn - Thanks for the heads up! I wondered about the absorbing and then being damp. I wasn't convinced really it would be any better than cotton sheets. I think I'll be staying away from microfiber and anything synthetic.

Hi Shee, since the first post linked above was mine, I figured I’d follow up. Absolutely get to the doctor for a work up, but if it’s perimenopause or menopause the Soma cooling pajamas have been great for me. I’m wearing summery pajamas now even when it’s zero degrees outside and my heat isn’t running. I often still throw off the covers in the middle of the night. And that’s even now that I’m taking estrogen! Summer and fall I slept fine, but for whatever reason I’m sweating at night during these super cold winter nights. Sigh...I used to love flannel pajamas! I still wear flannel PJ pants around the house but they come off at bedtime.

If I were you I wouldn’t try any supplements until after your dr appt.

Good luck...

I'm on a low dose HRT that helped instantly. It helped with other issues I wasn't even sure I was having, like depression. Since going on HRT I've been able to focus on diet and exercise and lost 11 pounds. 20 more to go! The trend seems to be leaning back this way and I'm happy with my choice. I was really becoming nonfunctional. I'm 49 and been in the throws of things for 4 years. But you are SO young! Hope the doctor visit goes well.

Sheisback, a wacky thyroid can cause many of the symptoms of peri-menopause, glad you have an appointment with the doctor before you make any other changes. Blood work can help determine your ovarian hormone (FSH and estrogen) levels and your thyroid hormone levels (TSH and T3).

Shee, I use Olde Thompson Mediterranean Sea Salt in the grinder. It's available at most large grocery stores in the salt section.

Wanted to give an update. I noticed the sweating started to taper off and it has pretty much stopped. Not sure what the change was. I thought for a while it was linked to coffee. I started drinking it around the time they started. I experimented with drinking and not drinking and in the end couldn't link it together. I did go for blood work a few weeks back and my T3 (or T4 ?...only one was checked and I'd have to look at the papers) was good, but my TSH was low, meaning my thyroid is actually on the over active side right now. My D was also low at 15. My blood work from years past my were always good. I'm having my thyroid checked again in three months. She mentioned it could have been off that day. She has me taking 50000 IU of D once a week. I can absolutely tell a difference. The tired, no energy F O G left. (Which is why I started drinking coffee in the first place.) Actually I can tell when it's working and by the end of the week it has tapered off. I'm going to talk to see if I can take a daily dose. I've heard some people respond better that way. She spend a lot of my follow up visit questioning if I thought I was depressed, which I'm not. I can understand why she asked but I'm good. And the D's have made a 100% improvement on my mood and energy when they're full force. She ran some other tests checking out my WBC and others that could point to checking out other things/possible cancer and what not and all was good. She checked my testosterone levels and they were good too. If my TSH is low again she recommended a doctor's office that do more specific testing. She talked very highly of them and everyone she has recommended going there has had nothing but positive things to say. People that have had not good results over and over again going to specialists were finally able to get to the root and correct things instead of just a band aid. She gave me all the info. but I haven't checked them out yet. Hoping I don't need to go there.

Sounds like good news to me. You have a doctor who's willing to check everything out and to help you get to a specialist if you need it. What the doctor gave you in general works and that can always be tweaked. I'm so happy that there is nothing serious otherwise. Thyroid can be taken care of with medication to so it wouldn't be the worst thing. :-). I do hope along with you that it's just a vitamin D deficiency. Thanks for letting us know. I was thinking of you recently.