How TRT changed the way I sleep

msyntakz

msyntakz

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My Apple Watch tracking says that before TRT I averaged 9-9.5 hours a night, and it was remarkably consistent. Getting to sleep was the hard part, but once I was out I stayed out, and on waking I felt like I could drop straight back off. This week I've been sitting around 6.5-6.75 hours. Falling asleep comes easier, but if I wake at, say, 6:30-7 am, that's it — I'm up. Usually I'd glance at the clock, roll over, and sleep till 9 or later. Not this week.

Also, I could ALWAYS take a nap any day I wanted. Same story — not this week. My energy feels better and steadier across the day overall, a kind of baseline energy, like a coffee buzz that simply keeps going. Still, seeing sleeping hours under 7 consistently worries me.

What's your experience been with sleep on this stuff? Is it mostly a lower quantity needed thanks to better quality, or is there an early stimulant effect from the sudden shift that settles down?

As of today I've got two weeks' worth of dosing behind me. Those are the main changes, and all of them just this week.
 
Sleep hasn't changed for me at all.

I forget your age, but 9 hours is a lot — nothing wrong with it, just a lot. I've needed ~7 for years and this year's Oura' data backs that up.

If you feel fine, I don't see a problem.

Me, I'm actively working on my sleep — it's not bad, just short of optimal.
 
Welcome to the TRT honeymoon. Mine was the same, and I started at only 70mg/week. The kick hit in month one and was strongest over the first two weeks. Everyone differs, but I can't imagine how the men running 200mg T right out of the gate handle the honeymoon (I.e. your body is still making T while you're layering exogenous on top). Dropping off fast and waking up early was — and still is — my experience, except now I have energy, motivation and libido like I'm back in my early 30s.
 
woundcarping said:

Sleep hasn't changed for me at all.

I forget your age, but 9 hours is a lot — nothing wrong with it, just a lot. I've needed ~7 for years and this year's Oura' data backs that up.

If you feel fine, I don't see a problem.

Me, I'm actively working on my sleep — it's not bad, just short of optimal.
Click to expand...
37, and yeah, I figured I was previously at the top of what counts as healthy sleep for a night. I'm mainly trying not to drift the other way into unhealthy. Undersleeping (under 6 hours) has always been my tendency rather than oversleeping. The longer nights are only a recent thing, last couple of years.

There's probably some excess fear in the mix as well, since I had manic episodes in the past (10 years back) that kept me awake for just shy of a week at a stretch. The hallucinations and the general dread left a mark haha
 
Sleep has improved enormously for me, but I suspect the real cause is dropping 70 pounds and my sleep apnea going away.

Ive been tracking with my Samsung watch for a few years, before and after trt.

7.5 to 8 hours a night, and I wake up rested and ready to go.

Right now that's 180mg of test c weekly.
 
msyntakz said:

woundcarping said:

Sleep hasn't changed for me at all.

I forget your age, but 9 hours is a lot — nothing wrong with it, just a lot. I've needed ~7 for years and this year's Oura' data backs that up.

If you feel fine, I don't see a problem.

Me, I'm actively working on my sleep — it's not bad, just short of optimal.
Click to expand...
37, and yeah, I figured I was previously at the top of what counts as healthy sleep for a night. I'm mainly trying not to drift the other way into unhealthy. Undersleeping (under 6 hours) has always been my tendency rather than oversleeping. The longer nights are only a recent thing, last couple of years.

There's probably some excess fear in the mix as well, since I had manic episodes in the past (10 years back) that kept me awake for just shy of a week at a stretch. The hallucinations and the general dread left a mark haha
Click to expand...
Sounds like you came out of those days with some healthy insight. Sleep is one of the best buffers against mania slipping out of your grip.

Bipolar disorder and the mood conditions around it are generally treated as chronic, and the potential for episodes to come back never fully goes away (especially when stress, medication changes, sleep disruption or other things set them off). The risk can shrink over time once things are stable, but that isn't the same as it being gone for good.

Take it carefully with your TRT dosing, and keep watching yourself for the other symptoms you know can signal an episode starting up. Good on you for keeping such a close eye out!

Is there a friend, a prescriber or a family member you could bring in to help monitor you for mood changes and flag anything different?
 
Vriende said:

msyntakz said:

woundcarping said:

Sleep hasn't changed for me at all.

I forget your age, but 9 hours is a lot — nothing wrong with it, just a lot. I've needed ~7 for years and this year's Oura' data backs that up.

If you feel fine, I don't see a problem.

Me, I'm actively working on my sleep — it's not bad, just short of optimal.
Click to expand...
37, and yeah, I figured I was previously at the top of what counts as healthy sleep for a night. I'm mainly trying not to drift the other way into unhealthy. Undersleeping (under 6 hours) has always been my tendency rather than oversleeping. The longer nights are only a recent thing, last couple of years.

There's probably some excess fear in the mix as well, since I had manic episodes in the past (10 years back) that kept me awake for just shy of a week at a stretch. The hallucinations and the general dread left a mark haha
Click to expand...
Sounds like you came out of those days with some healthy insight. Sleep is one of the best buffers against mania slipping out of your grip.

Bipolar disorder and the mood conditions around it are generally treated as chronic, and the potential for episodes to come back never fully goes away (especially when stress, medication changes, sleep disruption or other things set them off). The risk can shrink over time once things are stable, but that isn't the same as it being gone for good.

Take it carefully with your TRT dosing, and keep watching yourself for the other symptoms you know can signal an episode starting up. Good on you for keeping such a close eye out!

Is there a friend, a prescriber or a family member you could bring in to help monitor you for mood changes and flag anything different?
Click to expand...
I do have family members who are good at spotting when my behavior seems off. The frustrating part is that your own frame of reference gets distorted — mania especially — and it's hard to gauge properly. So I really have learned not to trust how things feel internally, and instead to monitor things like sleep... a metric that can actually be tracked. Which is why I'm so sensitive to the recent changes, and wanted a sanity check against other people's experiences.
 
If you want to line your experience up against other people on TRT, the ExcelMale forum is the place. Anyone weighing up TRT, or already on it for physical and/or mental health, ought to put real time into reading and posting there.
 
JimGainz said:

If you want to line your experience up against other people on TRT, the ExcelMale forum is the place. Anyone weighing up TRT, or already on it for physical and/or mental health, ought to put real time into reading and posting there.
Click to expand...
Ok cool, I wasn't sure where the best place to go for that was, and I've come to really enjoy and trust the crew here. I'll take a look over there and diversify a bit. Appreciate the recommendation.
 
PTSD and severe sleep apnea here. Years of sleeping like sh*t — 4-5 hours a night, fighting that d*mn CPAP mask and hose, dragging through every day exhausted. About 7 weeks ago I started TRT and it's the best sleep I've had in years. Now I'm getting 6-7 hours a night, and how rested I feel each morning is a night-and-day difference.
 
Pretty sure I got up 30mins ago...yawn... since site went down... Downed 2 of the Hypnos capsules last night... First time in ages I've gone past 6 hours of sleep.😴🥱😴🥱
 
Bastogne22 said:

PTSD and severe sleep apnea here. Years of sleeping like sh*t — 4-5 hours a night, fighting that d*mn CPAP mask and hose, dragging through every day exhausted. About 7 weeks ago I started TRT and it's the best sleep I've had in years. Now I'm getting 6-7 hours a night, and how rested I feel each morning is a night-and-day difference.
Click to expand...
I did answer this before, but I'm guessing the site maintenance ate it.

Great to hear your sleep jumped up like that! Going from bad sleep to good sleep can change your life. 7 hours seems to be my new normal as well — and I feel more rested at it than I was at 9. I'll take that.

Happy for you!
 
Man, I wish 9 hours were on the table for me!

Same thing happened when I started TRT — the first few weeks I was wired. Ipa/Tesa is in the mix too and it has me sleeping like a baby. My average is still only 4-6 hours tho. I'm trying to push it up to 6-7.
 
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