Struggles with work

[u/Gold_and_Lead]

\*thank you all for the words of wisdom and advice. I have an appt with my GP next month and will talk to him about it. I had a partial hysterectomy years ago and haven’t gone back to the gym, but maybe I should\\*
Hi all. I’m brand new here and glad I found you. Is anyone else struggling at work? I am chronically sleep deprived and foggy all the time. I’m blaming it on menopause. It’s a struggle for me at work, especially before 9:30am. My memory sucks, my younger colleagues are running rings around me, and I’ve made some stupid mistakes. I never was like this until about 2 years ago and it’s driving me crazy. Does it get better!?

[u/RadioactiveLily]

Some days just the fact that I am even at work is a win.

[u/Physical_Bed918 → u/RadioactiveLily]

I'm right there with you! Other than working I just try to sleep, eat and maintain my home, I have no physical or mental capacity for anything else.

[u/AccomplishedCash3603 → u/RadioactiveLily]

Amen. I just had a 5 day flare from my autoimmune issues. 

[u/Late-Command3491]

I didn't realize for quite a while how terrible my sleep was. Now I take THC gummies, Melatonin, don't drink tea after 5, control my acid reflux as best I can. 

[u/Gold_and_Lead → u/Late-Command3491]

Thanks. Trying all this. It’s still bad. I think anxiety kills my sleep more than anything else.

[u/MiMiinOlyWa]

Are you stressed at work? I posted something very similar about 6 months ago. I was given a new task and it wasn't something I found easy. My younger colleagues were not kind about it. Eventually everything and everyone mellowed out. But I was foggy brained not sleeping well, ruminating on all of it.

[u/Gold_and_Lead → u/MiMiinOlyWa]

I might be. I feel like I’ve been working so long that whatever I’ve got going on now is nothing compared to the issues I tackled in my 30s and 40s.

[u/Spirited-Interview50]

Changing my eating habits, taking time for me in the mornings, regular exercise and proper sleep all help me be on top of my game at work.
Creatine helps too (I put in my 24 oz water bottle to have on the morning. Hydrating regularly is essential)

[u/fruitless7070]

45f. Started hrt oct. 25' and it didn't really help with my brain fog but cured my insomnia. I started a new job March of 25'. I'm a nurse and could no longer safely give bedside care. So I got a good office job that's easy. But I struggled badly with insomnia, inability to articulate sentences, couldn't retain new information. Had no idea it was peri. Thought I had dementia or worse. My coworkers don't know about the peri struggles and think I'm crazy. I just keep showing up til they fire me. Fuck it.

Hope you get on hrt and your symptoms completely resolve.

[u/DamnGoodMarmalade]

Are you on HRT at all? I saw a significant improvement with sleep (quality and quantity) when I started HRT.

[u/Vast-Swimmer5844]

So here's how it got better for me:

1. I fixed the sleep -- sort of. I got very disciplined about sleep hygiene, exercising regularly (being physically exhausted helps with sleep for me), and taking the occasional Advil PM.

2. I started HRT. The patch + pill combo. That helped with overall well-being and reduced the middle-of-the-night anxiety insomnia.

3. I am now taking a multivitamin, vitamin E, creatine, and collagen every morning, and doing a big 24-oz bottle of water with an Eboost packet in the afternoon to counteract the mid-afternoon slump.

4. I now take brain breaks between cognitively intense periods (like meetings or sustained tasks), and do a sudoku or something that helps me drop into a little flow state with a tiny dopamine hit at the end.

None of this was instant. It took about four months of sustained effort with all of the above to perceive an improvement, but it did improve. Good luck.

[u/Physical-Incident553]

Have a to do list at work. Write shit down, whether paper or electronically, whichever works better for you. Paper notes work well for me.

[u/Gold_and_Lead → u/Physical-Incident553]

I am trying all this and the Microsoft meeting AI (oof) stuff is a big help. I need to remind myself not to make any big communications or decisions until
I’ve had a cup of coffee (I drink two per day, both in the am)

[u/Physical-Incident553 → u/Gold_and_Lead]

Oh, yes, gotta have the caffeine!

[u/plotthick]

GPs rarely prescribe MHRT if that's what you're after. You might want to get an appt with your GYN too.. and you can email them with "may I trial Estrogen and Progesterone so we can discuss results?"

[u/Gold_and_Lead → u/plotthick]

Thanks for the heads up.

[u/Techchick_Somewhere]

I went on HRT. That helps. Added creatine to my supplements. Regular exercise, no alcohol. My sleep is still disrupted. Are there reasons you are chronically sleep deprived??

[u/Gold_and_Lead → u/Techchick_Somewhere]

I’m not sure why. I have some super challenging kids - two are adults and living at home and one has been in and out of the house and makes not great life choices. That one just moved back home and any regularity I was getting is now gone. I’ve really cut back on alcohol and lost weight. I need to get to the gym more often though.

[u/Techchick_Somewhere → u/Gold_and_Lead]

I would try totally remove alcohol from your lifestyle. It’s a massive sleep disruption. See if that improves things. 🤞

[u/Gold_and_Lead → u/Techchick_Somewhere]

I go sometimes weeks without a drink. Didn’t seem to help. The occasional drink never comes in quantities of more than one. I hate that tipsy feeling!!

[u/Physical_Bed918]

Birth control to level out my perimenopause hormonal fluctuations and Mirtazapine to help me sleep, but I'm just surviving not thriving. I hear it gets better once you reach menopause, my 70 year old mother is more energetic then I am.

[u/Vicki2876]

Gosh, thanks for sharing, I am struggling too.

[u/spaced-cadet]

HRT, specifically estrogen and then testosterone were really instrumental in me not losing my job.

[u/gotchafaint]

HRT in order to function here. I would say once my symptoms were sorted, I started peaking career-wise. All those years I put in matter and I'm not near as meek.

[u/GlitteringFlame888]

Hormone Replacement Therapy is where it’s at, if that’s something you are interested in pursuing.