best,
Melissa

I know my doc has said that balancing that triad of hormones, which all interact and are affected by stress and aging is very difficult. I’m an interesting “case” hormonally. Perimenopausal, on continuous bc pills, which makes the estrogen-related testing iffy, but all those (last test anyway) showed normal. I can tell when my hormones shift (PMS-type mood swings). Adrenally, my cortisol was fine but DHEA was very low which can indicate long-term stress and be an early warning sign. Doc said I could supplement w/DHEA, took once & felt so energized it scared me – isn’t that sad, I felt so good it scared me – haven’t taken since. (due to a number of health conditions and risks I try to take as little stuff as I need esp things that could affect estrogen like DHEA – there’s a lot I already have to take, and it all interacts) Thyroid – long story, but make sure they check for antithyroid antibodies, free T4 and free T3 as well as TSH, and look for a good range of 0.3-3.0 of TSH (most places say 0.5-5.0 or 5.5 but I think a clinical endo society came out w/ tighter range years ago). There is a school of thought of treating if antibodies are present even if TSH is “normal”, would definitely suggest considering. Doc suggested I could supplement w/ Phosphatidyl Serine 100 mg (evening) to help sleep (supposedly helps w/ stress, anxiety, cortisol). I did for a while but things seemed to get better. I haven’t had any of them (except thyroid) retested. One weird thing I noted – for years I used to take one of those nasal allergy sprays (like Flonase, Nasonex) and decided to stop. Well, they’re in the steroid family, and when you stop a med like that, you can go into withdrawal, which causes adrenal problems/symptoms for a while. For several months I was sure I had hypoadrenal issues (symptoms were unpleasant), but eventually it resolved as my body adjusted.

Due to other conditions/sensitivities/risks, I’m on a fair number of dietary restrictions, which may help me some also. If you have food allergies or sensitivities they can show up in all sorts of ways so you may want to check yourself out in these areas. I’m gluten-free (gluten-intolerant if not celiac), almost dairy-free (whey protein and very rare cheese), GERD diet (no coffee, chocolate, citrus/citric acid, tomatoes, spicy foods). I am not full on Paleo, but eat only a little in non-gluten grains (rice, corn), rare potatoes (tho eat sweet potatoes daily), avoid most legumes. If you have autoimmune issues, some folks suggest no nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant) and no eggs. Haven’t gone quite that far tho maybe I should. Cook most veggies and fruits I do eat at least a little.

That was probably WAY more than you wanted/needed to know, but if it helps you or anyone reading, I’d be pleased to have been of help.

My best to all.

I assume docs are checking your calcium/magnesium levels, those matter for sleep.

For waking, I use a Phillips wake light that starts a light coming on dimly a while before the alarm goes off (mine is 30 min). If I’m getting good sleep, I’ll wake with the light. Knowing how I react to computer light, when I want to wake myself up, I grab my ipod and start checking email and twitter (fun at 4am!).

I want to try acupuncture for injury prevention/treatment, haven’t gotten to it yet. Good to know it might help with sleep, maybe DH could get help that way.

Wishing you all the best, and answers and relief soon.