January:

This dampness was weird.  From middle of the night nowhere.

“I’m all sweaty,” I said to Cliff.

(We have the rule that if the other person seems to be awake, it’s okay to talk, even if it’s two a.m.)

“You’re using way too many covers,” he answered.  “You always have.”

(I have heard this is a common complaint of husbands.)

“But,” I said, “I used the same blanket and quilts last winter, and I didn’t have night sweats.  I bet this is it!  Menopause.”

August:

“I’m all sweaty,” I said to Cliff.

“It’s just hot in here.  Kick off that blanket.  It’s summer!”

“But,” I said, “I slept with this blanket last year, and I didn’t have night sweats.”

(I have to have a certain amount of cover weight on me, even in summer or otherwise, I feel like Middle of the Night Monsters could snatch me up.)

The Next Year:

The same conversations!   (Many times.)   Maybe husbands feel some sadness when menopause approaches (or they’ve heard enough about it to get a little sweaty with worry).

Now:

I’m two years into The Great Pause, and Cliff still won’t admit those were real night sweats.  (They’ve gone, BTW.)

But I knew it was menopause, and it was.

Sweet things can happen in the middle of the night.  A cat can purr near your pillow.  Rain can drum a lullaby.  An idea can arrive for a new blog post.  And husbands can think of you as forever twenty-one.

More about Night Sweats:  Everyday Health explains the biology of night sweats.

Photo:  I often wonder about our menopausal sisters of yesteryear and wish I could hear their stories.  Too bad these vintage nightgowns can’t talk.  They might have some night sweaty tales to tell.

Read more blog posts by Barbara at Friend for the Ride:  Encouraging Words for the Menopause Roller Coaster.

 

  

Barbara Younger

Barbara Younger blogs from her home in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Along with Friend for the Ride: Encouraging Words for the Menopause Roller Coaster (http://friendfortheride.com), she writes books for children and adults. She lives in an old house with her husband Cliff. and collections of everything from dolls to buttons to bookmarks. She's the mother of two grown daughters and the grandmother to one adorable baby boy!

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