Sleeping with Perimenopause

Today's Blog is coming straight from Mycrodrops.com 's  Founder, Andrea Shuman (thats me).

TL;DR:
Perimenopause wrecked my sleep after decades of being a rock-solid sleeper. Amanita and Blue Lotus helped a lot, but they also taught me something important: plant medicines can support sleep, but they can’t replace the basics: Sleep hygiene and minerals needed in Peri time...earlier bedtimes, and less nighttime phone scrolling matter just as much. Below are the 5 non-herbal things that made the biggest difference for me, plus how I rotate plant supports, such as Amanita and Blue Lotus, and - for me - completely avoid the OTC or Rx Sleep Medications.

Since attention spans are what they are these days, the TLDR is above. Come back and read the full piece when you have a minute. In the meantime, check out our Sleep Collection sale in honor of International Women’s Day for 20% off until March 15th. USE CODE SLEEPWELL20 at checkout

Sleeping with Perimenopause

When I was a child and all the way into my 20s and even early 30s, you could have run a train through my home as I slept, and nothing would wake me. In fact, my family had a story from the time that my brother fell off the top bunk and landed with a crying THUNK next to me, putting his teeth through his lip and going to the hospital, where I did not wake up at all. Not with the lights or the crying or the medical care. 

At 46 years old, those days are long gone. Motherhood, as it does for many of us, is the first slap to the sleep. (Kids or not, peri has its sleep trials. More on that in a sec) Hypervigilance becomes the name of the game as our sensitized systems prepare for any change in our child's breathing as they sleep, or bad dreams as they get older. By the time my kids were sleeping well through the night, my vigilance was no longer needed, my body had already shifted into "lady in her 40's mode".

Enter - Amanita - the red and white "Mario" mushroom. The famous emoji that the unenlightened think is entirely "poisonous". It was strange. I was sleeping lighter but my dreams were starting to poke me. In my dreams, I would be chopping Amanita, picking it in the forest, or otherwise going about the rest of my dream when Amanita would interject itself. At this point, I ALSO thought they were poisonous, so I started to research. I stumbled upon some colleagues in the psychedelics space who had worked with this mushroom for years. Slowly, they revealed their secrets. I was fixated. I think it took me 6 months of thinking about working with the mushrooms before getting the guts to try it. 

Once I did, it was a revelation. My sleep data: REM and DEEP sleep, and my overall sleep score increased. The Amanita didn't "knock me out" like other herbs had, leaving me groggy in the morning... in fact, it seemed to make me more refreshed in the morning. My dreams were also brighter, clearer, and had more guidance and meaning than they had before. This lovely relationship continued for about 6 months before my Amanita dreams told me we were coming to an end for now. All of a sudden, it stopped working for me. Amanita had done so much beyond sleep and had given me greater confidence and helped me in multiple areas of life, but all of a sudden, the experience was different. I listened. Blue lotus stepped in to fill the void and also worked amazingly for months before stopping. What was happening?

The medicines were telling me that they could help but not do EVERYTHING for me. In fact, classical psychedelics and all entheogens often stop helping when you create dependence on them. When you get the message, but don't ever "hang up the phone" as Ram Dass once said.

"Did it mean the medicines were ineffective? Certainly not. They were giving me information. I had taken the medicines, but not changed my sleep routines or my sleep hygiene. I was still going to bed at 11 when I had to be up at 6:30 am."

Just like treating depression or anxiety with herbs and microdosing, you need to do MORE than that. We need to stop relying entirely on pill-culture. The medicines are helpers, not replacements for good choices. You need to exercise, look at your life setup, support with daily adaptogens, and take into account ALL the things, physically, historically, and currently, that are leading you to that state, and bring in the medicines to assist. Medicine cannot overcome the choice not to get into bed before 11 pm. YOU have to choose that. 

In addition, here are some other scaffolds that women in Perimenopause might need to support their sleep, including things we don't sell here and are NOT making money on, but you need to know about (this is not medical advice; discuss with your doc to prevent drug interactions for your other meds):

5 NON-HERBAL THINGS YOU NEED TO CONSIDER TO SLEEP LIKE A BABY IN PERIMENOPAUSE, and a little straight talk. 

1. Magnesium Balance - Magnesium GLYCINATE (be specific, all the MAGS work differently) use in the correct amounts 100-300mg per day, depending on tolerance, about an hour before bed. Too much can have the opposite effect
2. GLYCINE powder - (it tastes like sugar, so this is VERY easy to take in powder form - skip the capsule.) 2-3g, at the same time as the glycinate. 
3. GO TO BED EARLIER - I am NOT kidding about this one. Consistency is KEY. If you think you HAVE TO stay up until 11, but you also have to get going exactly 8 hours later, you are likely to be messing with yourself. Plan 9 hours in bed so you get closer to 8. You are not falling asleep the second you get into bed and not getting up to pee at all, right? So be realistic and give yourself some space on either side of 8 hours. If you are screaming NO at this, you need to check in with your actions vs your goals. 
4. Consider tracking sleep with an Oura Ring or a reliable watch. I think the ring is easier since I don't notice it in my sleep, whereas I dislike sleeping with a watch. Once you discover your chronotype, try your best to honor it. - If you don't have to be up until 10 am, going to sleep at 11 pm or even midnight might not be the worst thing, but in perimenopause, many of us have early morning responsibilities. If that is YOU, be realistic. Amanita, Valerian, or even AMBIAN are not going to solve the issue of you not being in bed long enough
5. Your Phone - I KNOW you already know this, but blue screen scrolling is affecting your sleep quality and quantity. Perhaps you got away with it in your younger years, but Perimenopause is having none of it. If you can't make yourself stay away from your phone an hour before bed, DO consider being more careful with the content. News, socials where you SEE news, and other things that draw your consciousness away from your own peace should be avoided in the 1-2 hours before bed. Trust me, you will have time to watch the world fall down tomorrow and you will be better prepared to "be the change you wish to see" if you follow these steps and have less sleep debt and more energy to get involved. 

So, last here is what I do:

I do ALL of the above tips - I also use Amanita, Blue Lotus, and Dreamland alternatively about 3 days a week to support dream quality (associated with REM) and restful sleep, which deeply rejuvenates the mind. I don't stay up too late anymore because when I do, I don't have energy to exercise, combat inflammation, and stay clear, so I can slay in all the other ways. I am not offering you a magic pill; we are offering PROFOUND sleep supports that work best when we zoom out and do the work needed to unlock their magic. 

Most of our clients successfully using Amanita (if you choose to use it - we love it)  use it for up to 3 days per week, alternating with Blue Lotus or another option, and following the sleep tips above.

Disclaimer:

All of our sleep collection needs to be checked for drug interactions if you are on other sleep meds or psychiatric medications. Be sure to check with your doctor. Nothing in this post is meant to treat or diagnose any condition. As always, you are in the driver's seat. Make good choices. Set good Boundaries and make YOURSELF the priority this International womens day.