I want to own the bedroom.
That’s right. Own it.
Comfort. Pleasure. Sleep. Orgasm. Cuddling. Dreams. Relaxation. Mindfulness.
It’s a desire that’s been darting around in my head for a year now. The bedroom, and specifically my bed, ought to be a place for solace and refuge. Instead, as the years progress and peri menopause begins, it’s become a place for angst and torment.
Me tormenting myself.
Let’s start with falling asleep. I do all the right things they tell you as far as going to sleep. I avoid screens before bed. I don’t work in bed. I don’t eat before bed. I have a soothing cup of tea. And for the most part… I fall asleep just fine.
But at 1am, my eyes pop open as if Alexa has gone off at full blast with my alarm. I literally jump out of bed with anxiety. I force myself back under my comforter and squeeze my eyes shut… willing myself to sleep. Instead, my fears play out in my head as though they were real. I try to relax by making lists of what I need to accomplish the next day. You guessed it; not helpful. Then I get up and wander downstairs to pee and check on my teenager (asleep like a baby). I crawl back into bed to wait it out. By 5am, I finally fall back asleep for an hour before my REAL alarm goes off.
Then recently, to complicate things even further, I’ve had these terrible night sweats where I feel drowned with heat, beads of sweat flow out of my face and chest, and I’m compelled to strip off my pajamas and kick off the covers. It lasts about fifteen minutes before I’m chilly, weary, and feeling around in the darkness for my tossed clothes.
Yep… I definitely do NOT own the bedroom.
I’ve tried Xanax, hydroxyzine, St. John’s Wort, Tylenol PM, CBD… but nothing helps.
At least not until I recently tried a very special CBD tincture called Lure with the blessing of one of their medical advocates, Dr. Amanda Williams. The effects took about a week to feel and now taking the minty liquid drops about an hour before bed is helping me sleep all the way through the night for the first time in a year. It’s incredible how much of a difference just sleeping has made in my daily life! I feel more energized and more focused… and less irritable and less anxious! Another benefit is that I no longer experience the grogginess I did in the mornings when I tried other sleep aids.
I wanted to understand what makes the Lure blend so special, since I have tried alternate CBD products before for sleep without results. Here’s what I found.
- Lure uses hemp-derived CBD, which naturally produces more CBD than THC (as opposed to cannabis-derived CBD, which naturally produces more THC than CBD.)
- They have a Third-Party Certificate of Analysis (COA), meaning that you can trust the amount and quality of CBD that Lure says is in their products.
- Lure uses only organic ingredients, which are sourced in the US.
What a difference the Lure CBD Oil has made for sleep! I still get the night sweats every few evenings, but I’m able to fall back asleep more quickly and they aren’t happening as often. I asked Dr. Williams about this.
“The CBD Oil is not to treat night sweats, but it’s going to help give you deeper relaxation. That’s usually the entry point to help with sleep,” she said. “The data around stress and menopause is very compelling…. especially hot flashes and night sweats. So if you can treat the stress, the hot flashes and night sweats will subside.”
She recommended adding Black Cohosh to my daily regimen to directly address the hot flashes and night sweats in addition to continuing use of the Lure CBD Tincture. If the Black Cohosh doesn’t work and the nights sweats and hot flashes are still very bothersome, then she says hormonal therapy is an option in the future.
“I always encourage people to be more targeted and to find out what’s your specific concern and let’s try other tools in the toolkit before we take on the risks, even though they’re small, of hormonal therapy.”
So for now, my sleep and night sweats are under control! But if I really want to OWN the bedroom… I also need to get a handle on sex!
With perimenopausal onset, I have experienced a dry vagina… like most women in this phase of life. For that, Lure has their Intimacy Oil, which uses CBD and a really lovely texture of oil that moisturizes my vagina. I use it nightly, and also for foreplay. (more about the Intimacy Oil in this blog)
But how can the Lure CBD Tincture help with sex? Essentially, it allows me to relax into the moment with my partner— and with myself when I’m masturbating— so I’m not as distracted by my own thoughts. Owning the bedroom means owning my brain, I’ve found! So the combination of the Lure CBD Tincture plus the Lure Intimacy Oil is the perfect way to achieve the fulfillment I want in my bedroom. I’m more relaxed, so I’m more playful, in touch with my body, in the moment with my partner, and able to experience orgasm.
Dr. Williams agrees that the Lure combination can be amazing for anyone who wants to take back control of their life in their forties and fifties. “If someone says I’m waking up in the middle of the night--and my sex life with my partner isn’t great-- and I don’t feel like I’m able to get aroused… then those are the who people who Lure would be a good thing for,” Dr. Williams said.
Yes. I now own my bedroom. I actually look forward now to crawling into bed… whether it’s to masturbate, have sex with my partner, read a book, or sleep through the night. Such an amazing feeling!
How did I introduce Lure to my partner in the bedroom? I’m definitely not shy, but I didn’t want to just spring it on them. I’ll let you in on some tips another time soon!
