I have been going through menopause the past couple of years. The symptoms are very unpleasant. I’ve struggled with weight gain and headaches. I suffer frequent hot flashes that leave me drenched in sweat. I also have issues with insomnia. I dread going to bed at night, because I know that I’m going to spend hours trying to fall asleep. When I finally manage to fall asleep, I will most likely wake up an hour later and repeat the whole process. I get very frustrated and bored. I sometimes force myself to stay in bed and at least rest. At other times, I decide that I would prefer to accomplish something. I am fortunate that I have a home gym in the basement. I can workout at any time of the day or night without disturbing the rest of the family. The basement is nice and cool, and there is plenty of space. I have outfitted my home gym with a treadmill, stationary bike, incline bench, free weights, yoga mat, jump rope and resistance bands. I usually get in really great workouts at three or four o’clock in the morning. Although I’m tired, I am also extremely aggravated by the insomnia. I crank my music up extra loud and jump around. I make sure to elevate my heart rate, work up a good sweat and get breathing hard. I know that a high intensity training session isn’t the best way to battle insomnia. I’ve read up on all the ways to more easily fall asleep, and they don’t work for me. I workout, take a shower and crawl back in bed. At least I can let myself sleep in a little later in the morning because I’ve already completed my workout.