December 1, 2025 • 25 mins
Ever bolt awake between 2-3 am with your mind racing and your heart doing drum solos? There’s a reason it happens at the same time, and no, you didn’t forget how to sleep. We dive into the real mechanics behind this annoying wake-up call so many women face in perimenopause and post-menopause: oestrogen swings that destabilise blood sugar, the steady drop in progesterone that removes a calming brake, a jumpier cortisol response, and a liver that’s busiest just as adrenaline naturally peaks.
I share how these pieces create a predictable pattern—an overnight glucose dip that your brain flags as a threat, triggering adrenaline to rescue blood sugar and snapping you awake. From there, we get practical. You’ll learn why daytime stability equals nighttime stability, how to set protein targets that match this life stage, and why three regular meals often beat intermittent fasting for women over 40. We talk slow carbs at dinner to drip-feed energy overnight, caffeine cut-offs to protect your rhythm, and smart swaps for alcohol so party season doesn’t wreck your sleep.
We also map out simple, science-backed ways to calm your nervous system: evening screen boundaries, breath work you can actually stick to, magnesium glycinate, journaling, and mini moments of mindfulness that nudge your body back into safety. Finally, we flag the subtle signs of insulin resistance and why addressing it is central to steady hormones and deep, unbroken sleep. If you’re tired of feeling wired, there’s a clear route back to calm: balance blood sugar, guide cortisol, support the liver, and personalise your nutrition.
Ready to sleep through and wake clear? Hit follow, share this with a friend who’s up at 2 a.m., and leave a quick review so more women can find these tools. Want tailored help? Book a free peri weight loss assessment via the link in the show notes and get your plan in place before January lands.
Are you a woman feeling stressed, flat and experiencing the challenges of perimenopause or menopause?
It’s time to reclaim your youthful energy, radiance and self-assurance (and your ideal weight).
I’m here to help with my proven method.
Here's how I can support you -
1. Hit your health and wellbeing goals this year, balance your hormones and lose weight with your own personalised protocol, based on your body's biochemistry. Sounds awesome right!! Book a free 30 minute Peri Weight Loss Assessment with me so we can discuss your health and wellbeing goals and also see how I might be able to support you. Book your call here.
2. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook - @the.perimenopause.path
3. Join the waitlist for my innovative NEW 8 week group program, In Your Skin™️, for women in perimenopause and post-menopause who want effective solutions to manage skin changes at this time of life.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Autumn Podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and ageing so
that you can be ageless andawesome in your 40s, 50s, and
beyond.
(00:20):
The Ageless and Awesome Podcastis dedicated to helping women
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset, and outrageousconfidence.
Hit subscribe or follow now andlet's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, and welcomeback to another episode of the
Ageless and Awesome Podcast.
(00:42):
I'm your host, Susie Garden,perimenopause, naturopath,
weight loss nutritionist, andfellow woman navigating this
wonderfully chaotic phase oflife with you.
Maybe not always feelingwonderful.
And today we're talking aboutsomething I know so many of you
experience, and that's thedreaded 2 to 3 a.m.
(01:02):
wake up.
If you've listened to thepodcast for a while, you know
that I've had a massive strugglewith sleep over the years.
So I really wanted to recordanother episode about it.
I was even speaking to one of myclients last week about this,
and I thought, gosh, I've reallygot to put out another episode.
So, you know, this dreaded 2 to3 a.m.
(01:24):
wake up, you know it.
One minute you're deep asleep,the next you're wide awake.
Sometimes your heart might beracing, sometimes your brain is
just switched on like you've hada long black.
Um, and often there's just nochance of drifting back off to
sleep quickly.
And you might be lying therethinking about the day you've
(01:47):
had the day before, worryingabout decisions you've made,
worrying over decisions you needto make, worrying about what's
going to happen the followingday.
And or sometimes it's just lyingthere thinking, why is this
happening?
You know, what's going on?
Why can't I sleep?
Why does it always happen atthis exact time?
Well, you know what?
It's not you.
(02:08):
It is your hormones and yourstress chemistry doing a very
predictable dance.
And today I'm going to breakdown exactly what's happening
inside your body between 2 and 3a.m., why this is so incredibly
common for women inperimenopause and often
post-menopause as well, and whatyou can do starting tonight to
(02:29):
reclaim your sleep.
And at the end of this episode,I'll share how I support women
in my programs to fix thesesleep disruptions, to balance
hormones, to get your energyback, and if it's your goal to
hit your ideal weight as well.
So stay with me because this isgoing to answer so many of your
(02:50):
why is this happening to me?
questions.
All right, so let's start withthe basics of why this happens.
Almost every woman inperi-menopause will experience
some version of sleepdisruption.
And one of the most commonpatterns is waking up in that
kind of 2 to 3 a.m.
(03:11):
Maybe a slight variation there,but that's kind of roughly the
time period.
And here's what most womenaren't told.
This isn't random.
Okay.
Your body is not malfunctioning,you didn't forget how to sleep.
This wake up is part of ahormonal chain reaction that
goes a little something likethis.
(03:34):
So, firstly, there's thesecortisol changes that can happen
in perimenopause.
So, as the estrogen isfluctuating and eventually
declines when you get intomenopause, your cortisol becomes
more sensitive.
You produce more of it, you stayin a stress state for longer.
Think of it like your stressthermostat has become faulty and
(03:57):
so it fires too easily.
And cortisol and estrogen sharesome pathways together.
And when cortisol is elevated,your estrogen can swing up and
down more rapidly ordramatically.
And this is why you can feelperfectly normal one week and
then overwhelmed and emotionalthe next.
And that can happen day to day,hour to hour sometimes, or so it
(04:20):
feels like.
So cortisol dysregulation driveshormonal volatility.
And also with the drop inprogesterone, because remember
in peri, estrogen isfluctuating, but progesterone
tends to just drop and staydropped, stay low.
And progesterone is verybeautifully calming to our
(04:42):
brain.
And that loss of progesteronereally can uh destabilize our uh
stress response.
And so, again, this um cortisoland adrenaline can get released
when prior to this hormonal kindof dysregulation we experience
(05:02):
happened, it wasn't happeninglike that.
We were way more able to manageit.
Um, another factor that'sinvolved is our blood sugar.
Okay, oestrogen plays a big rolein keeping blood sugar stable.
And when oestrogen is low or isfluctuating, which is basically
(05:24):
the definition of perimenopause,your blood sugar becomes far
more likely to crash.
And this, my friend, is the keyto the 2 a.m.
wake up.
Your overnight blood sugar canjust drop too low.
So here's what happens (05:38):
you go to sleep, your blood sugar falls
as it should, because when we'resleeping, our blood sugar does
get held at a slightly lowerlevel because we're sleeping,
we're not needing to use a lotof uh glucose.
So in perimenopause, this bloodsugar drop can actually drop too
(06:01):
low, and your brain willperceive this as a threat, even
though you're asleep.
I've still got all these littlemonitoring systems going on in
your body.
So you start slipping into thislow energy state, which the
brain perceives as a threat.
So your body does what it'sdesigned to do, it's to keep you
safe.
It fires a surge of adrenalineto bring your blood sugar back
(06:22):
up quickly.
It's part of your stressresponse.
And it's this adrenaline thatcan startle you awake.
So you get the heart might beracing, it might not.
Mind switched on, feeling wiredbut tired.
And this is why, or one of thereasons why it's almost always
at the same kind of time.
This adrenaline rhythms peakbetween 2 and 4 a.m.
(06:43):
And this is not anxiety, it'snot your mind being restless,
this is your blood sugardropping caused by a cortisol
estrogen imbalance.
Okay, so once you understandthat, it kind of makes sense.
And if we look at, you know, whydoes this happen more in
perimenopause?
(07:03):
There are four big reasons thatperimenopause sets the perfect
stage for this pattern.
One is estrogen becomes a rollercoaster.
So when estrogen drops, bloodsugar becomes less stable,
cortisol rises, and adrenalinesurges and it becomes this loop.
Number two, your stress responseis heightened.
(07:25):
So your nervous system is morereactive in perimenopause
because we've lost that calmingeffect of the progesterone, and
estrogen also has a calming roletoo in the brain.
So your nervous system is morereactive, and a mild stressor
now triggers a much biggerresponse.
And this can be work stress, itcan be emotional stress, it can
(07:47):
be if you haven't been eatingenough, it can be if you're over
exercising, uh, alcohol intake,uh, even just your natural
nighttime blood sugar shiftsbecause your stress response is
heightened, and we know we knowthis, um, then you can get this
trigger of um adrenaline thatwakes you up.
(08:09):
And let's just address thisunder eating.
Sometimes you're under-eatingwithout realizing it because so
many women over 40unintentionally skip meals, eat
light dinners, avoid carbsbecause they're trying to manage
their weight, uh fast, um, tryto be good inadverted commas
(08:29):
with food, and sometimes it'shaving a bit of sugar before you
go to bed as well.
All of this can set you up foran overnight blood sugar crash.
And you're not imagining it, youmay have been able to get away
with it for a while, uh, but youcan't get away with it anymore
when you hit peri.
Your metabolism changes, yourliver is changing, it's under a
(08:50):
bit more load, your cortisolrhythm just change.
So let's I'll just mentionliver, let's talk about that.
So there can be, you know, somechanges in liver detox because
your liver actually workshardest between 1 and 3 a.m.
We know that a lot of thosedetox processes happen when
you're asleep.
And if it's overburdened, so ifyour alcohol intake is a little
(09:14):
higher than it should be, likeeven at the moment, it's party
season.
A lot of people are drinkingmore than they should be, or
they're having ultra-processedfoods.
Um, you know, if you're onmedications, if you have poor
sleep, if you're stressed, or itcould be just your perimenopause
(09:34):
biology, that all contributes tothat wake-up because your liver
is overburdened.
And you know, so many women aresaying, I used to sleep like a
rock, now I'm awake every night.
And your biology has shifted,your strategy needs to shift
with it.
So let's get practical now.
(09:56):
Let's talk about how do we fixthis.
So here are the most effectivestrategies I use with my clients
in the GLO protocol, the onesthat consistently help women
sleep through the night again.
And I start to see improvementsin sleep on this protocol.
Honestly, on can be betweenwithin what a week sometimes.
(10:17):
Um so one of the big gamechanges is to balance your blood
sugar throughout the day.
This is the biggest gamechanger, I reckon, actually.
To prevent an overnight crash,you need stable blood sugar all
night, sorry, all day long.
And this means you're eatingenough protein.
(10:38):
And a simple guide to this canbe, and again, everyone is
different, and the the evidenceand the research is changing
with regard to this.
It used to be certainly when Idid my qualifications, was one
gram, one gram of protein perkilo of body weight, and that
was it.
(10:58):
And I think for people thataren't trying to build muscle,
for people that are, you know,not having anything particularly
going on in their bodies, it'sprobably still stands.
For people in perimenopause andpostmenopause, the data is sort
of saying between 1.2 and 1.6grams of protein per kilo of
(11:19):
body weight.
I've even read up to two grams,starting to get up there, right?
Um so eating enough protein isimportant.
And in my program, I can throughum using your blood
biochemistry, using your weight,your way you distribute your
weight, a whole bunch of things.
(11:40):
I can work out how much proteinis the right amount for you.
Um, eating regular meals, okay,not skipping meals, not skipping
out on lunch and just workingthrough, not skipping breakfast.
These meals are really importantfor managing blood sugar.
And this is why I say to a lotof people, I have a lot of women
that have tried intermittentfasting, and they're still
(12:01):
coming to me because they'rejust they've hit a plateau in
their weight loss or they'rejust not feeling great.
And we know that women reallyneed to be fed.
A lot of the research onintermittent fasting has been
done in men.
It's not necessarily the rightstrategy for every woman,
particularly in peri andpost-menopause.
Some people have great resultswith it, uh, but it's not for
(12:24):
everybody.
And I find women generally doway better eating three meals a
day at regular times.
Uh, they can do way better withthat than with fasting from an
energy point of view, from youknow how they feel in their
bodies from continuing theweight loss, if that's the goal.
Um, another thing to prevent anovernight blood sugar crash is
(12:48):
including slow carbs at dinner.
So, you know, this you can dothis with your veggies, you can
have quality bread like ryebread is a really good one.
There's just stuff that's goingto slowly release energy so that
you you're getting that energyduring the night when you're
sleeping.
And also reducing your caffeineafter midday.
(13:11):
I mean, I think that's a fairlyobvious one, but um, at least
six hours before you plan to goto bed should be when you're
avoiding caffeine like theplague.
Um, because if your daytimeblood sugar is unstable, an
example of that is if you'regetting that afternoon crash or
afternoon slump in energy.
If your daytime blood sugar isunstable, your nighttime blood
(13:32):
sugar will be two.
(17:29):
So if that's you, if you'regetting an afternoon slump every
day, reaching for a coffee atabout three or a snack, um, and
you're finding your sleep isalso disrupted, it's uh highly
likely it's a blood sugar-drivensituation.
All right, another tip is to ummanage cortisol before bed.
(17:51):
Big one.
Can be super simple, it can beavoiding screens, so not opening
your work email just beforeyou're about to jump into bed.
Um, I've got a fairly strictrule occasionally, I think I've
been a bit soft on it lately.
I need to reinstitute it, isfrom six o'clock onwards, no
screen at all.
Um, so managing cortisol beforebed can be as simple as some
(18:14):
breath work, and that's justdeep breathing.
Or if you have some breath worktechniques that you like, I
absolutely encourage that.
It is good to have specifictechniques, but even just simply
deep breathing is going to behelpful.
Having a really good qualitymagnesium, a magnesium glycinate
in particular, can be reallygood for sleep.
(18:36):
Um, having a warm shower cansometimes be helpful, or a nice
relaxing bath if you have abath, some stretching, maybe
even like some gratitudepractice.
So that can be a journal, or youcould just be saying it.
Just saying three things thatyou're grateful for that's
happened that day can be justreally there's actually research
(18:59):
that supports this for reducingcortisol.
Um, sometimes having a relaxingherbal tea blend can be lovely,
or or journaling, journalingout, any sort of stressors, any
sort of issues that are going onfor you, just getting them out
of your head and onto a page andthen shutting that book down,
get it out of the way, that canbe really helpful.
(19:20):
So anything that's going tolower your stress response
before bed will reduce thatadrenaline surge at 2 a.m.
This is actually prettyimportant.
Next one is alcohol.
Yes, limit alcohol to one to twonights a week if if at all.
There are, you know, alcohol isone of the biggest triggers of
(19:40):
the 2 to 3 a.m.
wake up because it alters liverdetoxification, it destabilizes
blood sugar.
Uh, there are so many fantasticalternatives to alcohol.
I went to uh my gym Christmasparty on the weekend and I took
some uh non-alcoholic GTs andthey were fantastic and I felt
(20:03):
great, like I felt really good.
I still felt like I was, youknow, um enjoying myself and not
just sipping water.
Um, these are really, you know,low calorie, good options to
have when you're in a situationwhere everyone around you is
drinking.
So and I felt it was so pleasedwith myself.
(20:25):
It's the first time I'veactually done that.
Normally I would just drinkwater, but I've just discovered
this new thing and I wanted totry them out.
And I felt really good.
Um, so yeah, limiting alcohol toone to two nights per week at
the most.
And I know it's hard,particularly in we're in party
season right now.
So really think aboutprioritizing which events am I
going to drink at?
(20:45):
Which events am I not gonnadrink at?
And honestly, these days thereseems to be a much better
acceptance of not drinking andrespect for people that are
saying, like, now I'm not I'mhaving an alcohol-free day
today.
You know, I think your your bodyand your mind will absolutely
thank you, thank you for it.
Um, also protein at breakfast.
(21:05):
Starting the day with proteinkeeps your cortisol curve
stable.
And if you can keep that stableduring the day, that will carry
into the night.
And so I, you know, I think alot of people realize now that
just having breakfast cereal orhaving toast is not enough at
this stage of life, probably notat any stage of life, really.
(21:27):
Um, stay away from the orangejuice, stay away from the cereal
and the low-fat dairy, startingthe day with, you know, a
protein sauce.
That could be, you know, gosh,it could be anything.
You could even, I've got clientsthat on their programs they're
having like leftover roastchicken for breakfast with some
veggies and toast, and that canbe a really good option, or
(21:52):
having some um rye toast withsome mozzarella cheese and some,
I don't know, tomato and babyspinach or something like that.
Um, having a protein smoothie,having eggs, you know, starting
the day with protein is key.
It really sets you up for a goodday, uh, or not a good day if
(22:13):
you don't start with protein.
Um, and working on nervoussystem regulation is another
one.
So not just at night, I alreadytalked about at night, but
working on nervous systemregulation is huge in Perry.
Even five minutes a day of deepbreathing, of slow walking, of
(22:34):
grounding, of just beingmindful.
Like if you're walking down somestairs, feel your feet on the
stairs, feel the surfaceunderneath the feet, feel your
hand on the handrail, notice themuscles in your legs that are
propelling you down.
That kind of level ofmindfulness doesn't take much,
doesn't cost anything, and ithelps to ground you and regulate
(22:58):
your nervous system.
There are so many things youcould do to do this, and
obviously, if you can do it formore than five minutes, it's
great.
Um, but even five minutes willhelp and can transform your
sleep.
And finally, fixing underlyinginsulin resistance.
So, so many women don't realizethey may have a degree of
(23:20):
insulin resistance.
Sometimes your blood tests canlook normal, um, but often
insulin's not really tested, tobe honest.
Um, some of the signs can bebelly fat.
Having a waste measurement of100 centimeters or more
guarantees you have a degree ofinsulin resistance.
So that's one thing you can testeasily at home.
(23:43):
Um, if you have afternoon energydips, if you have sugar
cravings, if you feel shaky orsweaty when you're hungry, if
you have poor sleep, all ofthose things can be signs of
early insulin resistance.
And honestly, once you're over50, you're gonna have a degree
of it, um, unless you're verygood with managing your food
(24:04):
intake and your body weight.
And balancing insulin is key forhormone balance and deep sleep.
Super, super important.
So, how do we fix this?
And how do I help women fixthis?
So, if you're listening to thisand thinking, yes, this is me,
this is exactly what'shappening.
You're not alone and you don'thave to figure it out by
(24:25):
yourself.
This is exactly the kind ofissue I help women solve inside
my GLOW protocol.
You know, women come to mesaying, I haven't slept through
the night in years.
For some women, it's since theyhad kids.
Uh, I feel wired but tired.
I'm doing everything right, I'mstill exhausted.
Within weeks, as I mentionedbefore, not months, just weeks,
(24:47):
their sleep starts to stabilizebecause when you balance blood
sugar, when you regulatecortisol, when you personalize
your nutrition and support yourhormones, your body finally
feels safe enough to stay asleepand you don't get those
adrenaline spikes anymore.
So inside the Globe Protocol,which is a one-to-one program,
(25:10):
we create a structuredpersonalized plan to fix this at
the root cause.
It is not about a temporaryhack, it's about teaching your
body how to feel safe again,metabolically, hormonally, and
emotionally.
So, you know, if you're ready toget support, and I mean real
personalized support, so you cansleep deeply, you can wake with
(25:33):
energy, you can lose weightsustainably and feel calm in
your body again, then I wouldlove to invite you to book in a
free peri weight lossassessment.
And I'll look at exactly what'sgoing on with your hormones,
your metabolism, your mood, yoursleep, whatever it is that's
going on for you, and I'll helpyou map out your next steps.
The links in the show notes.
(25:54):
I'm doing these all the way upuntil the Christmas break.
If you're thinking, oh, I mightstart, you know, a New Year's
resolution, start something inJanuary, then you need to kind
of plan it now so that you'vegot your plan ready to go for
first of January or for earlyJanuary.
Um, so that's it for this week.
Thank you so much for beinghere, for listening.
(26:16):
I hope this episode helped youunderstand your body a little
more and feel a little lessalone.
Your sleep is not broken, youare not broken.
You're just in a new hormonalchapter, and you deserve support
that meets you where you're at.
If you loved this episode,please follow the podcast, leave
a quick review, I'd love that,or share it with a friend who's
(26:38):
been waking up at 2 a.m.
every night.
Uh, she'll thank you.
So until next time, take care.
I will see you next Tuesday fora brand new episode.
Thanks so much for joining me onthe Ageless and Awesome podcast.
If you would like this episode,please make sure you click the
little plus button if you're onApple Podcasts, or the follow
(27:01):
button if you're on Spotify, sothat you get each new episode
delivered to you every singleweek.
If you feel like writing me afive-star review, you would
absolutely make my day.
If you found this episoderesonated with you, head over to
my Instagram and DM me at thePerry Menopause Park.
I would love to connect withyou.
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Autumn Podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and ageing so
that you can be ageless andawesome in your 40s, 50s, and
beyond.
(00:20):
The Ageless and Awesome Podcastis dedicated to helping women
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset, and outrageousconfidence.
Hit subscribe or follow now andlet's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, and welcomeback to another episode of the
Ageless and Awesome Podcast.
(00:42):
I'm your host, Susie Garden,perimenopause, naturopath,
weight loss nutritionist, andfellow woman navigating this
wonderfully chaotic phase oflife with you.
Maybe not always feelingwonderful.
And today we're talking aboutsomething I know so many of you
experience, and that's thedreaded 2 to 3 a.m.
(01:02):
wake up.
If you've listened to thepodcast for a while, you know
that I've had a massive strugglewith sleep over the years.
So I really wanted to recordanother episode about it.
I was even speaking to one of myclients last week about this,
and I thought, gosh, I've reallygot to put out another episode.
So, you know, this dreaded 2 to3 a.m.
(01:24):
wake up, you know it.
One minute you're deep asleep,the next you're wide awake.
Sometimes your heart might beracing, sometimes your brain is
just switched on like you've hada long black.
Um, and often there's just nochance of drifting back off to
sleep quickly.
And you might be lying therethinking about the day you've
(01:47):
had the day before, worryingabout decisions you've made,
worrying over decisions you needto make, worrying about what's
going to happen the followingday.
And or sometimes it's just lyingthere thinking, why is this
happening?
You know, what's going on?
Why can't I sleep?
Why does it always happen atthis exact time?
Well, you know what?
It's not you.
(02:08):
It is your hormones and yourstress chemistry doing a very
predictable dance.
And today I'm going to breakdown exactly what's happening
inside your body between 2 and 3a.m., why this is so incredibly
common for women inperimenopause and often
post-menopause as well, and whatyou can do starting tonight to
(02:29):
reclaim your sleep.
And at the end of this episode,I'll share how I support women
in my programs to fix thesesleep disruptions, to balance
hormones, to get your energyback, and if it's your goal to
hit your ideal weight as well.
So stay with me because this isgoing to answer so many of your
(02:50):
why is this happening to me?
questions.
All right, so let's start withthe basics of why this happens.
Almost every woman inperi-menopause will experience
some version of sleepdisruption.
And one of the most commonpatterns is waking up in that
kind of 2 to 3 a.m.
(03:11):
Maybe a slight variation there,but that's kind of roughly the
time period.
And here's what most womenaren't told.
This isn't random.
Okay.
Your body is not malfunctioning,you didn't forget how to sleep.
This wake up is part of ahormonal chain reaction that
goes a little something likethis.
(03:34):
So, firstly, there's thesecortisol changes that can happen
in perimenopause.
So, as the estrogen isfluctuating and eventually
declines when you get intomenopause, your cortisol becomes
more sensitive.
You produce more of it, you stayin a stress state for longer.
Think of it like your stressthermostat has become faulty and
(03:57):
so it fires too easily.
And cortisol and estrogen sharesome pathways together.
And when cortisol is elevated,your estrogen can swing up and
down more rapidly ordramatically.
And this is why you can feelperfectly normal one week and
then overwhelmed and emotionalthe next.
And that can happen day to day,hour to hour sometimes, or so it
(04:20):
feels like.
So cortisol dysregulation driveshormonal volatility.
And also with the drop inprogesterone, because remember
in peri, estrogen isfluctuating, but progesterone
tends to just drop and staydropped, stay low.
And progesterone is verybeautifully calming to our
(04:42):
brain.
And that loss of progesteronereally can uh destabilize our uh
stress response.
And so, again, this um cortisoland adrenaline can get released
when prior to this hormonal kindof dysregulation we experience
(05:02):
happened, it wasn't happeninglike that.
We were way more able to manageit.
Um, another factor that'sinvolved is our blood sugar.
Okay, oestrogen plays a big rolein keeping blood sugar stable.
And when oestrogen is low or isfluctuating, which is basically
(05:24):
the definition of perimenopause,your blood sugar becomes far
more likely to crash.
And this, my friend, is the keyto the 2 a.m.
wake up.
Your overnight blood sugar canjust drop too low.
So here's what happens (05:38):
you go to sleep, your blood sugar falls
as it should, because when we'resleeping, our blood sugar does
get held at a slightly lowerlevel because we're sleeping,
we're not needing to use a lotof uh glucose.
So in perimenopause, this bloodsugar drop can actually drop too
(06:01):
low, and your brain willperceive this as a threat, even
though you're asleep.
I've still got all these littlemonitoring systems going on in
your body.
So you start slipping into thislow energy state, which the
brain perceives as a threat.
So your body does what it'sdesigned to do, it's to keep you
safe.
It fires a surge of adrenalineto bring your blood sugar back
(06:22):
up quickly.
It's part of your stressresponse.
And it's this adrenaline thatcan startle you awake.
So you get the heart might beracing, it might not.
Mind switched on, feeling wiredbut tired.
And this is why, or one of thereasons why it's almost always
at the same kind of time.
This adrenaline rhythms peakbetween 2 and 4 a.m.
(06:43):
And this is not anxiety, it'snot your mind being restless,
this is your blood sugardropping caused by a cortisol
estrogen imbalance.
Okay, so once you understandthat, it kind of makes sense.
And if we look at, you know, whydoes this happen more in
perimenopause?
(07:03):
There are four big reasons thatperimenopause sets the perfect
stage for this pattern.
One is estrogen becomes a rollercoaster.
So when estrogen drops, bloodsugar becomes less stable,
cortisol rises, and adrenalinesurges and it becomes this loop.
Number two, your stress responseis heightened.
(07:25):
So your nervous system is morereactive in perimenopause
because we've lost that calmingeffect of the progesterone, and
estrogen also has a calming roletoo in the brain.
So your nervous system is morereactive, and a mild stressor
now triggers a much biggerresponse.
And this can be work stress, itcan be emotional stress, it can
(07:47):
be if you haven't been eatingenough, it can be if you're over
exercising, uh, alcohol intake,uh, even just your natural
nighttime blood sugar shiftsbecause your stress response is
heightened, and we know we knowthis, um, then you can get this
trigger of um adrenaline thatwakes you up.
(08:09):
And let's just address thisunder eating.
Sometimes you're under-eatingwithout realizing it because so
many women over 40unintentionally skip meals, eat
light dinners, avoid carbsbecause they're trying to manage
their weight, uh fast, um, tryto be good inadverted commas
(08:29):
with food, and sometimes it'shaving a bit of sugar before you
go to bed as well.
All of this can set you up foran overnight blood sugar crash.
And you're not imagining it, youmay have been able to get away
with it for a while, uh, but youcan't get away with it anymore
when you hit peri.
Your metabolism changes, yourliver is changing, it's under a
(08:50):
bit more load, your cortisolrhythm just change.
So let's I'll just mentionliver, let's talk about that.
So there can be, you know, somechanges in liver detox because
your liver actually workshardest between 1 and 3 a.m.
We know that a lot of thosedetox processes happen when
you're asleep.
And if it's overburdened, so ifyour alcohol intake is a little
(09:14):
higher than it should be, likeeven at the moment, it's party
season.
A lot of people are drinkingmore than they should be, or
they're having ultra-processedfoods.
Um, you know, if you're onmedications, if you have poor
sleep, if you're stressed, or itcould be just your perimenopause
(09:34):
biology, that all contributes tothat wake-up because your liver
is overburdened.
And you know, so many women aresaying, I used to sleep like a
rock, now I'm awake every night.
And your biology has shifted,your strategy needs to shift
with it.
So let's get practical now.
(09:56):
Let's talk about how do we fixthis.
So here are the most effectivestrategies I use with my clients
in the GLO protocol, the onesthat consistently help women
sleep through the night again.
And I start to see improvementsin sleep on this protocol.
Honestly, on can be betweenwithin what a week sometimes.
(10:17):
Um so one of the big gamechanges is to balance your blood
sugar throughout the day.
This is the biggest gamechanger, I reckon, actually.
To prevent an overnight crash,you need stable blood sugar all
night, sorry, all day long.
And this means you're eatingenough protein.
(10:38):
And a simple guide to this canbe, and again, everyone is
different, and the the evidenceand the research is changing
with regard to this.
It used to be certainly when Idid my qualifications, was one
gram, one gram of protein perkilo of body weight, and that
was it.
(10:58):
And I think for people thataren't trying to build muscle,
for people that are, you know,not having anything particularly
going on in their bodies, it'sprobably still stands.
For people in perimenopause andpostmenopause, the data is sort
of saying between 1.2 and 1.6grams of protein per kilo of
(11:19):
body weight.
I've even read up to two grams,starting to get up there, right?
Um so eating enough protein isimportant.
And in my program, I can throughum using your blood
biochemistry, using your weight,your way you distribute your
weight, a whole bunch of things.
(11:40):
I can work out how much proteinis the right amount for you.
Um, eating regular meals, okay,not skipping meals, not skipping
out on lunch and just workingthrough, not skipping breakfast.
These meals are really importantfor managing blood sugar.
And this is why I say to a lotof people, I have a lot of women
that have tried intermittentfasting, and they're still
(12:01):
coming to me because they'rejust they've hit a plateau in
their weight loss or they'rejust not feeling great.
And we know that women reallyneed to be fed.
A lot of the research onintermittent fasting has been
done in men.
It's not necessarily the rightstrategy for every woman,
particularly in peri andpost-menopause.
Some people have great resultswith it, uh, but it's not for
(12:24):
everybody.
And I find women generally doway better eating three meals a
day at regular times.
Uh, they can do way better withthat than with fasting from an
energy point of view, from youknow how they feel in their
bodies from continuing theweight loss, if that's the goal.
Um, another thing to prevent anovernight blood sugar crash is
(12:48):
including slow carbs at dinner.
So, you know, this you can dothis with your veggies, you can
have quality bread like ryebread is a really good one.
There's just stuff that's goingto slowly release energy so that
you you're getting that energyduring the night when you're
sleeping.
And also reducing your caffeineafter midday.
(13:11):
I mean, I think that's a fairlyobvious one, but um, at least
six hours before you plan to goto bed should be when you're
avoiding caffeine like theplague.
Um, because if your daytimeblood sugar is unstable, an
example of that is if you'regetting that afternoon crash or
afternoon slump in energy.
If your daytime blood sugar isunstable, your nighttime blood
(13:32):
sugar will be two.
(17:29):
So if that's you, if you'regetting an afternoon slump every
day, reaching for a coffee atabout three or a snack, um, and
you're finding your sleep isalso disrupted, it's uh highly
likely it's a blood sugar-drivensituation.
All right, another tip is to ummanage cortisol before bed.
(17:51):
Big one.
Can be super simple, it can beavoiding screens, so not opening
your work email just beforeyou're about to jump into bed.
Um, I've got a fairly strictrule occasionally, I think I've
been a bit soft on it lately.
I need to reinstitute it, isfrom six o'clock onwards, no
screen at all.
Um, so managing cortisol beforebed can be as simple as some
(18:14):
breath work, and that's justdeep breathing.
Or if you have some breath worktechniques that you like, I
absolutely encourage that.
It is good to have specifictechniques, but even just simply
deep breathing is going to behelpful.
Having a really good qualitymagnesium, a magnesium glycinate
in particular, can be reallygood for sleep.
(18:36):
Um, having a warm shower cansometimes be helpful, or a nice
relaxing bath if you have abath, some stretching, maybe
even like some gratitudepractice.
So that can be a journal, or youcould just be saying it.
Just saying three things thatyou're grateful for that's
happened that day can be justreally there's actually research
(18:59):
that supports this for reducingcortisol.
Um, sometimes having a relaxingherbal tea blend can be lovely,
or or journaling, journalingout, any sort of stressors, any
sort of issues that are going onfor you, just getting them out
of your head and onto a page andthen shutting that book down,
get it out of the way, that canbe really helpful.
(19:20):
So anything that's going tolower your stress response
before bed will reduce thatadrenaline surge at 2 a.m.
This is actually prettyimportant.
Next one is alcohol.
Yes, limit alcohol to one to twonights a week if if at all.
There are, you know, alcohol isone of the biggest triggers of
(19:40):
the 2 to 3 a.m.
wake up because it alters liverdetoxification, it destabilizes
blood sugar.
Uh, there are so many fantasticalternatives to alcohol.
I went to uh my gym Christmasparty on the weekend and I took
some uh non-alcoholic GTs andthey were fantastic and I felt
(20:03):
great, like I felt really good.
I still felt like I was, youknow, um enjoying myself and not
just sipping water.
Um, these are really, you know,low calorie, good options to
have when you're in a situationwhere everyone around you is
drinking.
So and I felt it was so pleasedwith myself.
(20:25):
It's the first time I'veactually done that.
Normally I would just drinkwater, but I've just discovered
this new thing and I wanted totry them out.
And I felt really good.
Um, so yeah, limiting alcohol toone to two nights per week at
the most.
And I know it's hard,particularly in we're in party
season right now.
So really think aboutprioritizing which events am I
going to drink at?
(20:45):
Which events am I not gonnadrink at?
And honestly, these days thereseems to be a much better
acceptance of not drinking andrespect for people that are
saying, like, now I'm not I'mhaving an alcohol-free day
today.
You know, I think your your bodyand your mind will absolutely
thank you, thank you for it.
Um, also protein at breakfast.
(21:05):
Starting the day with proteinkeeps your cortisol curve
stable.
And if you can keep that stableduring the day, that will carry
into the night.
And so I, you know, I think alot of people realize now that
just having breakfast cereal orhaving toast is not enough at
this stage of life, probably notat any stage of life, really.
(21:27):
Um, stay away from the orangejuice, stay away from the cereal
and the low-fat dairy, startingthe day with, you know, a
protein sauce.
That could be, you know, gosh,it could be anything.
You could even, I've got clientsthat on their programs they're
having like leftover roastchicken for breakfast with some
veggies and toast, and that canbe a really good option, or
(21:52):
having some um rye toast withsome mozzarella cheese and some,
I don't know, tomato and babyspinach or something like that.
Um, having a protein smoothie,having eggs, you know, starting
the day with protein is key.
It really sets you up for a goodday, uh, or not a good day if
(22:13):
you don't start with protein.
Um, and working on nervoussystem regulation is another
one.
So not just at night, I alreadytalked about at night, but
working on nervous systemregulation is huge in Perry.
Even five minutes a day of deepbreathing, of slow walking, of
(22:34):
grounding, of just beingmindful.
Like if you're walking down somestairs, feel your feet on the
stairs, feel the surfaceunderneath the feet, feel your
hand on the handrail, notice themuscles in your legs that are
propelling you down.
That kind of level ofmindfulness doesn't take much,
doesn't cost anything, and ithelps to ground you and regulate
(22:58):
your nervous system.
There are so many things youcould do to do this, and
obviously, if you can do it formore than five minutes, it's
great.
Um, but even five minutes willhelp and can transform your
sleep.
And finally, fixing underlyinginsulin resistance.
So, so many women don't realizethey may have a degree of
(23:20):
insulin resistance.
Sometimes your blood tests canlook normal, um, but often
insulin's not really tested, tobe honest.
Um, some of the signs can bebelly fat.
Having a waste measurement of100 centimeters or more
guarantees you have a degree ofinsulin resistance.
So that's one thing you can testeasily at home.
(23:43):
Um, if you have afternoon energydips, if you have sugar
cravings, if you feel shaky orsweaty when you're hungry, if
you have poor sleep, all ofthose things can be signs of
early insulin resistance.
And honestly, once you're over50, you're gonna have a degree
of it, um, unless you're verygood with managing your food
(24:04):
intake and your body weight.
And balancing insulin is key forhormone balance and deep sleep.
Super, super important.
So, how do we fix this?
And how do I help women fixthis?
So, if you're listening to thisand thinking, yes, this is me,
this is exactly what'shappening.
You're not alone and you don'thave to figure it out by
(24:25):
yourself.
This is exactly the kind ofissue I help women solve inside
my GLOW protocol.
You know, women come to mesaying, I haven't slept through
the night in years.
For some women, it's since theyhad kids.
Uh, I feel wired but tired.
I'm doing everything right, I'mstill exhausted.
Within weeks, as I mentionedbefore, not months, just weeks,
(24:47):
their sleep starts to stabilizebecause when you balance blood
sugar, when you regulatecortisol, when you personalize
your nutrition and support yourhormones, your body finally
feels safe enough to stay asleepand you don't get those
adrenaline spikes anymore.
So inside the Globe Protocol,which is a one-to-one program,
(25:10):
we create a structuredpersonalized plan to fix this at
the root cause.
It is not about a temporaryhack, it's about teaching your
body how to feel safe again,metabolically, hormonally, and
emotionally.
So, you know, if you're ready toget support, and I mean real
personalized support, so you cansleep deeply, you can wake with
(25:33):
energy, you can lose weightsustainably and feel calm in
your body again, then I wouldlove to invite you to book in a
free peri weight lossassessment.
And I'll look at exactly what'sgoing on with your hormones,
your metabolism, your mood, yoursleep, whatever it is that's
going on for you, and I'll helpyou map out your next steps.
The links in the show notes.
(25:54):
I'm doing these all the way upuntil the Christmas break.
If you're thinking, oh, I mightstart, you know, a New Year's
resolution, start something inJanuary, then you need to kind
of plan it now so that you'vegot your plan ready to go for
first of January or for earlyJanuary.
Um, so that's it for this week.
Thank you so much for beinghere, for listening.
(26:16):
I hope this episode helped youunderstand your body a little
more and feel a little lessalone.
Your sleep is not broken, youare not broken.
You're just in a new hormonalchapter, and you deserve support
that meets you where you're at.
If you loved this episode,please follow the podcast, leave
a quick review, I'd love that,or share it with a friend who's
(26:38):
been waking up at 2 a.m.
every night.
Uh, she'll thank you.
So until next time, take care.
I will see you next Tuesday fora brand new episode.
Thanks so much for joining me onthe Ageless and Awesome podcast.
If you would like this episode,please make sure you click the
little plus button if you're onApple Podcasts, or the follow
(27:01):
button if you're on Spotify, sothat you get each new episode
delivered to you every singleweek.
If you feel like writing me afive-star review, you would
absolutely make my day.
If you found this episoderesonated with you, head over to
my Instagram and DM me at thePerry Menopause Park.
I would love to connect withyou.
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