It’s Day 35 of my cycle, and I am in the midst of some epic PMS. I feel an undercurrent of edgy hormones, but I can handle that. It’s the insomnia that’s a bitch.

My PMS insomnia is not nearly as bad as my PPD insomnia. Over a decade ago, when I had postpartum depression, I’d only get three hours sleep for two or three nights, and then I’d get about six hours sleep. Right now, I’m sleeping well every other night; on my bad night, I get at least five hours of sleep. I feel ragged and worn out, but it could be worse.

But it could also be better! In the past, my psychiatrist has suggested I take a higher dose of Zoloft toward the end of my cycle. I’ve pish-poshed that idea in the past, but I’m going to talk to her about this option during our next appointment. In the meantime, I’m going to try a few more things to hopefully reduce the PMS insomnia:

• No more Keto ice cream. I have eaten very little refined sugar since mid-July, but during this past menstrual cycle, I started eating Keto ice cream at night. Now, the Keto ice cream I buy does not have any added refined sugars, but it does have 10 grams of sugar alcohol. I probably shouldn’t be consuming that every day, especially close to bedtime. It’s great that I’ve practically eliminated refined sugar from my diet, but now I want to pay attention to other ways sugar messes with my wellness.
• I will wean off caffeine. Today I’m down to 49 ounces of Coke Zero per day. Progress! I’ve been reducing my Coke Zero intake by one ounce every couple of days (starting at 84 ounces on August 14), but I’d like to accelerate this journey and reduce by two ounces every day. Then I’ll be caffeine-free in less than a month. I’ve got to get this shit out of my system.
• I will lay off the decaf coffee. I’ve been drinking iced decaf coffee in the afternoon and even though it’s decaffeinated, there’s still a little caffeine in it. I know I’m sensitive to caffeine, so as of today, I’m switching to herbal tea, which is completely caffeine free.

As I do these things, I’ll pay attention to how I feel and see whether these changes improve my PMS insomnia. If so, great! If not, then I’ll discuss playing around with my Zoloft dosage with my psychiatrist, and I’ll also read up on other possible remedies.

Or maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll never get my period again and in a year minus 35 days, I’ll hit menopause and dismount the hormonal rollercoaster! Yes, I’m only 44 years old, but a girl can dream.