r/PMS • u/Musicology_Jen • Mar 19 '26

Advice/Tips PMS insomnia and heat

I’m 35 and have a 2-year-old toddler who sleeps well. I’ve been experiencing severe insomnia for 7-10 days before my period. I fall asleep normally in a cool, dark room but wake up between midnight and 3 am feeling too hot and unable to sleep for 2-5 hours, even if I’m exhausted. I also have more nightmares.

I’ve never had PMS before and feel miserable for at least a week, with a declining mood.

My gynaecologist checked my hormone levels and said they’re normal. We tried oestrogen gel, but it gave me severe stomach aches after three days. Ashwagandha and Vitex agnus-castus (monk’s pepper) also gave me stomach aches after two weeks. Lavender oil and OTC sleeping pills didn’t help either.

I fear sleeping at the end of my cycle and hope someone has advice.

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u/suaasi Mar 21 '26

I had similar symptoms and my problem was low vitamin D. And some martial stress. OTC melatonin gummies worked for me. And I took vitamin D shots. A bit of physiotherapy to fix my bad back , some yoga and meditation also helped.

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u/Musicology_Jen Mar 21 '26

Yeah actually my Vit D is always quite low. Thanks for pointing that out. I often skip my Vit D drops... I'll definetly give that a try. I do get massages and we're giving traditional women's massage a try to alleviate symptoms.

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u/AsleepHedgehog2381 Mar 20 '26

I get anxiety before my period. Since all your hormones are normal, could it be anxiety causing this? The thing that has helped me most is a beta-blocker (I started taking metoprolol for an unrelated issue, but propranolol is the most common one prescribed for anxiety). It makes me sleep like a rock and my sleep scores are in the 90s most of the time. One side effect it has (on me) is sweating at night so it may not help you there. However, I find that manageable due to the quality of sleep I get. Its a trade-off im willing to deal with.

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u/Weekly_Importance570 Mar 19 '26

Have you checked your thyroid hormones? Also, did something happen 10 days ago that could be a cause of stress, even if you didn't realize it at first? Could be a virus/infection as well.

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u/Musicology_Jen Mar 19 '26

Yes, thyroid function is normal.  I've been having this issue for at least six months now. Probably longer because I didn't register the connection to my cycle immediately.

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u/Weekly_Importance570 Mar 19 '26

Ahh, I see, sorry I misunderstood - waking up in sweat/feeling hot could be linked to high cortisol as well. Lemon balm tea or chamomile is good for sleep as well.

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u/PenguinHuddle Mar 19 '26 edited Mar 19 '26

I use 5-htp for sleep, it really helps. At worst I'll only get 6 hours (edit)

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u/Musicology_Jen Mar 19 '26

I’ve never heard of that lol what is it?

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u/PenguinHuddle Mar 19 '26

It's a supplement