I've been just over 1 week on T and noticed a change in how I sleep, from the first day.
I used to be a very light sleeper, but now I'm ultra-light. It's almost like I'm "only just" asleep, or only just beneath the surface of sleep and it's much easier to waken quickly. I also notice it's a lot easier to fall asleep and I don't spend an hour lying awake thinking before I doze off, like I have my entire life before this.
It reminds me slightly of when I took certain anti-depressants in the past, I think it was Zoloft, that made me feel as if sleeping and waking blurred into one another. Except it's not unpleasant like that and I do wake up feeling like I got some rest at least, which didn't happen under Zoloft.
My dreams are a bit odd too - they seem to go from one scene to another much more quickly or are less focused on one thing for a long period of time (or what seems a long period of time, I'm sure it isn't in real time).
Anyone else experience changes in sleep with T?
Anyone on E can weigh in too and talk about how blocking T and taking E has changed their sleep, if at all, if they want to :)
OK, since you invited us so nicely!
I wouldn't be surprised if there's a difference between E-sleep and T-sleep, but I see some things in the way of describing just what those would be. Spironolactone wakes me every hour and a half to pee, so that's one thing. Another is probably "my brain is using the right hormone now".
I do find that I can wake rested before the alarm consistently unless I'm really short of sleep. I couldn't before.
I sleep much better with HRT. But what really makes the biggest difference is eating a good diet and exercising a lot. When I do that I sleep like a teenager, except for the spiro waking me up a few times. But even with that I can fall back asleep nearly instantly.
It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.
André Gide, Autumn Leaves
The only change I've noticed related to sleep is that I can function with less if I need to. I'd still strongly prefer to get 10 hours, but I can easily function on 6 or less whereas before it would've been a struggle.
Haven't noticed any difference in how heavily I sleep. I'm pretty much out as soon as my head hits the pillow most nights, and I don't wake up until I have to pee or my annoying alarm goes off. And that was pretty much the same as before.
In the past 6 hours was always my "optimum" sleep amount, 8 was too much and makes me sleepier and 5 not enough. At the moment I'm going to bed around 4 and getting up round 10 or 11 so I guess it's the same on T or no. I still get up without an alarm clock literally at the same minute each day.
I guess it's unique to the person. My bf will sleep for 12 hrs+ unless the alarm goes, he has no internal clock that seems to wake him up. I wondered if T would make me more like this but apparently not.