Taking T and sleep disturbance?

[AnxietyDisord3r]

Has anyone else experience sleep disturbance upon starting T? I'm having classic insomnia symptoms of trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and it seems to be getting worse. I used to be able to sleep all day on the weekend to catch up but now I'm 'up' all the time.

I am taking anti-depressants (not SSRIs--last time I had insomnia I was on an SSRI) but my dose hasn't changed.

If I don't get enough sleep I will eventually get massive migraines and miss work. Help?

I googled this issue and couldn't really find any connection so it may be due to unrelated issues. I have eaten more healthy and exercised more in anticipation of my top surgery but I thought that was supposed to help you sleep better!

[Elis]

Not sure why this would be. I used to have a really hard time going to sleep due to depression but after being on an SSRI antidepressant I can now sleep quite early and get 11-12 hrs a night (took 3 months of taking the pills for that to happen and to alleviate depression). I've also been on T for 5 months and have heard that T causes tiredness for some trans guys; so not sure if that's playing a part in my tiredness levels or not. I haven't heard of T causing insomnia.
If I were you I'd switch to an SSRI antidepressant. Maybe the type you were on before simply didn't work for you. If you still have high levels of depression after taking the antidepressants for a few months it's a good idea to switch anyway as they're likely not working for you.
What could also be causing the insomnia is not having a regular bedtime routine. I always try to go to bed at the same time everyday; watch some tv on my phone which relaxes me and then go to sleep at the same time every night.

[cheryl reeves]

I'm mtf and I've had insomnia since I can remember,I told the Dr and she put me on triazidone,I believe that is how you spell it,it's a anti depressant plus a sleeping pill been taking them for 3 yrs now and can sleep at least 7 hrs now.

[Kylo]

I find that if I'm extremely anxious or excited about something it's very hard to rest (the other night I was nearly awake the whole 8hrs lying in bed when I figured out another way to make money in my job, a new avenue in it perhaps, and I was thinking madly about how to implement it and wanted to do it right there and then... and my brain wouldn't shut the hell up. So... no sleep there). The other reason is temperature. If I'm warm enough I can sleep much easier but ambient temperatures tend to keep me awake thinking. I have to control my temperature before/while sleeping and get it just right - too much heat and I'll probably have a bunch of nightmares and wake up feeling lousy too.

It may not be the T but things like these interfering with your ability to slow thoughts down enough to sleep? Are you especially excited or disturbed about something these days?

P.S. I took Zoloft, Citalopram and bunch of other ADs in the past and a couple of them destroyed my ability to sleep (mainly the Zoloft). Main reason I never take ADs anymore.

[Tysilio]

When I started T, one of the first things I noticed was that I needed less sleep. I used to need a minimum of eight hours, and preferably nine -- suddenly I was doing fine with six or seven.

You might try changing your expectations about how much sleep you "should" be getting -- I think sometimes we get anxious about not being able to sleep, which creates a vicious cycle: the more anxious we are, the harder it is to fall asleep, so we get more tired, and so more anxious, etc. Try going to bed later and/or getting up earlier for a bit -- give your body some room to tell you what it actually needs.

Also, if you drink alcohol at all, you might want to stop for a bit -- that can also mess up a person's sleep cycle, especially if it's already disturbed.   

[FTMax]

Nope. The only change to my sleep since I started T has occurred like clockwork when allergy season starts. It takes about a week for my allergy meds to kick in, and I don't sleep very well in the mean time. But aside from that, I've been completely normal.

Are you injecting or using gels? My doctor did warn me while I was on gel that it may make me more awake and to only apply it in the morning, but she specifically said it didn't matter with injectables.

[AnxietyDisord3r]

I'm mtf and I've had insomnia since I can remember,I told the Dr and she put me on triazidone,I believe that is how you spell it,it's a anti depressant plus a sleeping pill been taking them for 3 yrs now and can sleep at least 7 hrs now.

Can't take sleeping pills b/c of my job.

I'm noticing my muscles are tight all the time and stretching doesn't help so maybe I have electrolyte imbalance? What do I do?

[AnxietyDisord3r]

When I started T, one of the first things I noticed was that I needed less sleep. I used to need a minimum of eight hours, and preferably nine -- suddenly I was doing fine with six or seven.

I wonder if this is the case. My need for sleep has always been ... excessive. However, when I get migraines I definitely know I am in sleep deficit again.

I think there was a link between the female hormones and my depression that the meds weren't really helping me with (they bring my baseline up), and that has all ground to a halt. Being depressed used to make me stay up at night and snooze all day.

Maybe T is blowing my "baseline" out of the water and I'm having to readjust, because when I'm depressed sleeping seems like the easiest, safest thing to do in the world and right now I feel like needing to sleep is stopping me from doing things.

[FtMitch]

I wonder if this is the case. My need for sleep has always been ... excessive. However, when I get migraines I definitely know I am in sleep deficit again.

I think there was a link between the female hormones and my depression that the meds weren't really helping me with (they bring my baseline up), and that has all ground to a halt. Being depressed used to make me stay up at night and snooze all day.

Maybe T is blowing my "baseline" out of the water and I'm having to readjust, because when I'm depressed sleeping seems like the easiest, safest thing to do in the world and right now I feel like needing to sleep is stopping me from doing things.

I had the same problem and, like Tysilio, less of a need for sleep was one of the first effects T had on me.  I used to need 10-12 hours a night.  Now I am good with 7.  Also, my clinical depression went away when I started T as well, so it can effect that, too.