Quote:
my body is putting my eggs in the quick sale bin
I just have to start by saying this gave me a wonderful laugh.
Honey, I'm the expert on perimenopause & insomnia. I'm 46 now and I think they're on the "everything must go, positively last chance" rack cause I'm getting periods twice a month at this point. (Still getting them though  )
As to sleep issues, here are some suggestions.
The thing with valerian is, about 20% of people have what's called a "paradoxical reaction" to it, meaning they react in just the opposite way. This may be what you're experiencing, in which case, it's gonna be just plain useless to you.
Foods with tryptophan- turkey is the best-known food like this; here is a link with lots of others. I do find having a little turkey snack before bed to be helpful in getting to sleep.
Other herbs with relaxing (if not actually soporific) qualities are lavender and chamomile- there are lots of good teas out there containing these.
Also, be very careful about cutting off caffeine & sugar intake after noon or so (yes, that means chocolate too). I have observed that this makes a BIG difference.
If you're like me, a significant portion of sleep difficulty has to do with "shutting the brain off"- I find guided relaxation recordings to be useful in this regard. I also play little brain games like reciting song lyrics in my head, or the ever-popular ABC game: pick a topic like movies, book titles, countries, fruits & vegs, etc; go through the alphabet and name one beginning with each letter. Sounds kooky, but it does serve the purpose of preventing "thinking"...just the same as counting sheep. This in particular heads off the cycle of thinking and worrying that starts up when you wake up at 3 am. I'm sure you've been there, done that.
Ancient lore says that women are awakened by their bodies more frequently as they age out of child-bearing years so that they may have time to contemplate and acquire the wisdom they will need to function as the wise elders that they are becoming. Me, I'd rather get the sleep.
Hope this is helpful.
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