June 16, 2025 • 21 mins
In this episode of The Ageless and Awesome Podcast, I’m diving into one of the most powerful, natural tools for hormonal health: sleep.
If you’ve ever found yourself lying awake at 3am, exhausted but unable to switch off, you’re not alone—and you’re not doing anything wrong. Sleep can be one of the first things to go off track during perimenopause, and in this episode, I’ll share why that happens—and more importantly, what you can do to reclaim deep, restorative sleep.
You’ll learn:
💤 Why sleep is foundational to hormone balance
📉 How cortisol, melatonin, and your circadian rhythm all play a role
🔥 The surprising ways perimenopause disrupts your sleep (it’s not just hot flushes!)
🌿 My go-to strategies for helping clients sleep better naturally—including nutrition, lifestyle, supplements, and more
✨ How to create your own “sleep sanctuary” for deeper rest and recovery
If you’re ready to get out of that tired-but-wired cycle and wake up feeling refreshed, this episode is for you.
If you loved this episode, please consider leaving a review or sharing it with a friend—it means the world and helps more women find the support they deserve.
Stay ageless. Stay awesome. And sleep well, beautiful.
Are you a woman feeling stressed, flat and experiencing the challenges of perimenopause?
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
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Awesome podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and aging so that
you can be ageless and awesomein your 40s, 50s and beyond.
The Ageless and Awesome podcastis dedicated to helping women
(00:24):
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset and outrageousconfidence.
Hit, subscribe or follow nowand let's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, andwelcome to this week's episode
of the Ageless and Awesomepodcast.
I'm Susie Garden, your host, andI'm so happy to be with you
(00:46):
this week talking about one ofmy favorite topics.
It's a topic that is reallyclose to my heart and that is
all about sleep.
So many women struggle withsleep when they get over 40 and
sometimes younger, and I have.
If you've followed me for awhile, you know that this has
(01:07):
been a love-hate relationshipfor me.
It's something that I'mconsistently having to work on.
Sometimes I just think I'venailed it and then I need to
start from scratch again.
So today we're diving into thistopic.
It's not only foundational tohormone balance, but also
because it's just one that somany women struggle with.
(01:28):
So if you've ever foundyourself wide awake,
particularly between one andthree or one and four, with hot
flushes, maybe mind racing orjust restless or just lying
there going why can't I sleep?
That's me most of the time, notmost of the time.
Most of the time when I can'tsleep, that's me.
(01:49):
I'm not stressing aboutanything, I'm not worrying, it's
just I'm like why can't I sleep?
So we're going to explore whysleep is so essential to hormone
health, how our circadianrhythm and cortisol levels
influence everything from moodto metabolism and, most
importantly, how to finally geta better night's sleep during
(02:09):
perimenopause and postmenopause.
So let's dive in.
So, firstly, why is sleep anon-negotiable for hormone
balance?
Well, let's get this out of theway first.
Sleep is not optional.
It's not a nice to have, it isa must have, especially during
(02:32):
peri and post menopause.
A lot of people and I used tobe this person I'd go, I can
survive.
Not, I can survive.
I only need six hours sleep andI'm fine, because that's how I
used to operate when I was in mycorporate job.
If I got six hours, even if itwas a broken six hours, I would
consider that a reallysuccessful night.
So you know, that is somethingthat it's just not on, it's just
(02:59):
not what we need to have anactual functioning brain and
functioning hormonal system.
You see, sleep is when the bodyruns all of its most important
repairs.
It's when hormones are actuallymade, our detox pathways are
(03:21):
activated, your brain clears outwaste through the glymphatic
system that's glymphatic with aG and your nervous system gets
to reset.
So skipping or skimping onsleep is like trying to operate
your phone without ever chargingit.
Eventually it's just going tostop working right.
(03:43):
So what makes sleep especiallyvital during perimenopause is
how deeply connected it is toour hormonal ecosystem, and here
is what I mean.
Sleep directly influencescortisol levels.
Cortisol is your primary stresshormone and it should follow a
(04:04):
natural rhythm, a bit like acircadian rhythm.
So it's a little higher in themorning to wake you up, get your
blood pressure going, get youwaking up, feeling energized,
not sluggish and low at night,so you can fall asleep.
Poor sleep flips this rhythm,leading to that tired but wired
feeling that so many womenexperience.
(04:27):
Melatonin, which is your sleephormone, is also a powerful
antioxidant that supportshormone health and immune
function.
So if that is not working wellfor you, we're going to have a
problem.
Lack of sleep disrupts insulinsensitivity and raises blood
(04:47):
sugar, making it harder to loseweight or maintain it, because
when we are asleep, we naturallyhave a little bit of a lower
blood sugar, and that's so thatwe don't have to wake during the
night and eat right.
So you know, we know that thereis a link between being
overweight or obese and notsleeping, and I think it used to
(05:10):
be thought that this wasbecause you'd wake up and I I
definitely did this.
You'd wake up in the night andgo to the fridge, right, have
something to eat and then goback to sleep, and so I think,
for a while, before they reallydid some good research on this,
they thought it's just peopleeating more, but in fact it's
way more complex than that.
(05:31):
We are supposed to have a littlebit of a lower blood sugar at
night, and that will.
Our body can operate perfectlyokay, and I'm talking about
someone that doesn't have anyblood sugar regulation issues
such as diabetes and this lowerblood sugar allows the body to
do all the things it needs to do, because, let's face it, you
don't need loads of energy whenyou're sleeping.
And that nice low bloodpressure during the night, sorry
(05:51):
, low sugar during the night.
And that nice then lowerinsulin being produced during
the night means that your systemis working really well and
you're not having any blockersto weight loss.
When we are awake, our bloodsugar will come up because the
(06:13):
body's saying, okay, we're goingto do something.
We're awake, blood sugar comesup, insulin will come up and
this can create hunger, it cancreate cravings and can block
weight loss.
If your insulin's a bit highand we know that, just naturally
through perimenopause andpostmenopause we develop a
little bit more of what we callinsulin resistance, where the
(06:33):
body is on the cells and notresponding to insulin in the way
that we need it to to get thesugar from the blood or the
glucose from the blood into thecells.
So maintaining our bloodglucose at an optimal level, and
our insulin at an optimal levelas well, really helps to put
(06:53):
you in the fat burning zone.
Okay, and this is where a lotof the fasting type of regimes
are based on.
It's managing blood sugar likethat.
So when you are awake, even ifyou're not going to the fridge
and eating, it's just going tomake it harder to lose weight or
maintain it, because your bloodsugar is going to be all over
the shop and the thing ischronic.
(07:15):
Sleep deprivation affectsestrogen, progesterone, thyroid
function and many more of ourbody systems and that lymphatic
system I mentioned earlier.
This is kind of like theequivalent to a lymphatic system
for your brain and it mainlyoperates when you're asleep.
It removes waste products, itremoves fluid, et cetera, from
(07:39):
your brain and it's crucial formaintaining brain health and
preventing neurodegenerativediseases, so super important for
our long-term cognitivefunction.
It's also a major contributorto brain fog if it's not
operating every night.
And again, so many of the womenthat I'm talking to aren't
(08:02):
sleeping very well and are veryfoggy in the brain.
So if you're trying to balanceyour hormones, address hot
flushes, reduce anxiety, loseweight or feel more emotionally
stable, sleep has to be part ofthe equation in order to resolve
these things.
So, okay, you might be thinkingthat's great, but I want to
(08:26):
sleep and I just can't.
Like I mentioned before, ithappens to me a lot and I hear
you, perry, throws a lot ofcurve balls at your sleep.
And here's why.
Progesterone is very calming toour nervous system and it starts
to decline in our 30s and weget a really rapid drop in our
40s.
And progesterone has a calmingeffect, helps regulate a
(08:50):
neurotransmitter called GABA,which actually helps to promote
deep sleep.
And with less progesterone,many women notice more
restlessness, anxiety andinsomnia, and at the same time,
our estrogen can also drop.
It fluctuates, it surges and itdrops, but this all affects our
(09:10):
serotonin, which is theprecursor to melatonin.
If you don't have goodserotonin, then your melatonin
is not going to be good either,because we use serotonin to make
melatonin.
So they're very importantneurotransmitters or brain
chemicals for mood and for sleep.
Hot flushes and night sweatsreally common symptoms of
(09:33):
estrogen imbalance can literallywake you from a deep sleep,
leaving you soaking but tired,foggy, frustrated the next day
and plus just the constantstress of life juggling work, if
you're a parent, if you'relooking after aging parents, all
of the other things keepscortisol high at night when it
(09:56):
should be low and when you don'thave that calming effect of the
progesterone, it just reallyreduces your resilience and your
ability to manage and juggleall of these things.
So when you say I'm doingeverything right and I still
can't sleep, you are not makingit up, it is real and your
hormones are a big part of thisstory.
(10:17):
So I mentioned circadian rhythmbefore.
Let's talk about that.
You've probably heard of that.
Right, this is your body'sinternal clock and it governs
your sleep-wake cycles.
It also governs you may notknow this, it governs your
hormone production, yourdigestion and even your immune
function.
You may have heard me talkabout rest and digest.
(10:39):
That's the parasympatheticnervous system and it's kind of
part of this circadian rhythm.
Overnight we rest and digest.
During the day we're more inthat fight or flight or that
stress response, and that stressresponse isn't a bad thing.
It's there for a reason.
But we need that balance right.
So we need that circadianrhythm to be balanced.
(11:01):
When it's in sync, you feelenergized during the day, you
feel sleepy at night, and that'sgreat.
When it's out of whack, you'refoggy, you're irritable, you're
anxious and, yes, your hormonesgo haywire.
Light exposure is probably oneof the biggest influences and
regulators of your circadianrhythm.
(11:22):
You've probably heard that,particularly in relation to jet
lag.
Right, you always get told ifyou're jet lagged, get up in the
morning when the sun is rising,and that will help reset your
circadian rhythm.
So morning light helps raisecortisol and boosts alertness,
while darkness at night signalsthe melatonin to be produced so
(11:43):
that we feel sleepy.
And it goes right back to whenwe lived in caves and we didn't
have the luxury of being able tocontrol our light.
So modern life actually messeswith this balance.
So many of us wake up in thedark.
You know five, six o'clock inthe morning, particularly this
week when I'm recording it,we're just in the lead up to
winter solstice, so very longnights the first thing we do we
(12:06):
might look at our phone, sothat's a bright artificial light
.
We might turn on the houselights a bright artificial light
.
We spend most of the dayindoors.
I'm lucky I have a window, butwhen I'm working on Zoom with
clients, my window is covered,so I've got a screen down so I'm
not getting a lot of light then.
And those working offices maynot be near a window, may not
(12:27):
get a lot of natural light.
We stare often and trick ourbrains.
This, all this behavior tricksour brains into thinking it's
still daytime, so our melatonindoesn't rise the way it's
supposed to, so our internalclocks are confused and guess
what Means it's going to impactyour sleep.
(12:48):
The other thing actually Ihaven't mentioned is the impact
of alcohol.
Alcohol absolutely will impactyour sleep.
So many people go oh, alcoholhelps me get to sleep.
And yes, it can actually helpyou get to sleep, but it will
wake you up, so it will disruptyour sleep during the night and
that's why you might be gettingthose wake ups between often
it's one and three or one andfour, it doesn't really matter
(13:10):
what the time is and yeah, ifyou've been having alcohol, you
may be absolutely amazed at thedifference when you stop.
So what can you do to sleepbetter tonight other than not
drinking?
Let's get into some tactics foryou, because knowledge is great
, but transformation happensthrough action.
(13:31):
So here are my top tips forgetting deeper, more restorative
sleep in perimenopause.
So number one get sunlight inthe morning.
Go outside within 30 to 60minutes of waking up, even if
it's cloudy.
This helps set your circadianrhythm, lowers melatonin and
supports healthy cortisol levels, even if you can't get outside.
(13:55):
Even just opening a window, ifyou can, or standing near a
window looking out at the sun.
It's the, it's the eyes, it'slooking out at the sun.
That is gonna do the reset foryou.
Cut your screen at night.
Cut your screens at night.
Turn off your devices at leastan hour preferably more, but at
least an hour or get blue lightblocking glasses.
(14:18):
They don't have to beprescription, uh, very easy to
buy online.
I have blue light in myprescription glasses.
It does make a difference.
It's the blue light that's atthat's getting emitted from your
screen actually does suppressmelatonin and you need obviously
melatonin to fall asleep.
So either use some blue lightglasses, but honestly you will
be far better off reducing alsothe stimulation to your mind
(14:42):
that comes from screens separateto blue light, and that's try
reading from a book, journaling,listening to music, doing some
deep breathing, some things thatdon't require looking at a
screen, and I think a lot of ushave lost the ability of keeping
ourselves occupied without ascreen.
I know I borderline on itsometimes.
(15:04):
I've actually just done atwo-day training course all on
Zoom and, man, my brain wasfried, even though it was an
amazing training course that mybrain was absolutely fried after
spending two days just lookingat a screen.
Number three that I want to talkabout is magnesium.
Magnesium is magic and the onesthat I recommend magnesium
(15:28):
citrate or citrate and magnesiumglycinate are pretty good for
sleep and they're pretty easy toget hold of.
These particular types ofmagnesium support the nervous
system, they relax your muscles,which help you get to sleep
more easily, and they promotedeep sleep, and I often
recommend this to my clients inclinic and this can be a game
(15:49):
changer for many clients.
It can also help if you'rehaving trouble with constipation
.
Magnesium is very good as anatural laxative that's very
gentle, balancing your bloodsugar.
That might even be my numberone.
I haven't done these in order,but there's probably one that
(16:11):
I've really noticed for mepersonally that I really need to
stay away from food generally,most definitely sugar from
dinner onwards.
There's a huge difference in mysleep when I eat later at night
, Because the thing is spikesand crashes in blood sugar can
wake you up because this is adangerous situation for your
body to be in.
So avoid refined carbs atdinner.
(16:31):
So that's all your white foods,white pasta, white rice, all
that sort of stuff, white sugar.
Instead, focus on protein,fiber, healthy fats, complex
carbohydrates to stabilize yourglucose and prevent those early
morning wake-ups Calming yournervous system.
(16:52):
Now I've talked about bedtimerituals before.
They don't need to becomplicated.
Could just be having a herbaltea or just a couple of slices
of ginger can be very nice inhot water, a warm bath or a
shower.
Essential oils, particularlylavender there's some very good
research on lavender or maybe ashort meditation or some
(17:14):
breathing or some yoga nidra.
There's so many things you cando to help train your mind to
realize ah, we're going to go tobed now, I need to go to sleep.
Your body thrives on routinesand cues that it's time to wind
down.
You can also support yourhormone balance.
(17:34):
So herbal support for sleep.
There's some great herbs thatare fairly easy to get.
Passionflower is one of myfavorites.
It helps to stop rumination aswell during the night.
Valerian I've probably heard ofthat.
It's pretty common.
Adaptogens like ashwagandha,also known as withania, that may
(17:54):
help.
I always as I say every podwhen I'm talking about herbs
probably best to getrecommendations from a
practitioner like a naturopathor a herbalist, because if
you're on prescriptionmedications, some of these
options will not be good for you.
But if you're not on any medsand you don't have any kind of
(18:14):
medical conditions, these sortsof herbal medicines can really
help soothe anxiety, balancecortisol and improve your
ability to get to sleep.
The last thing I'm going to talkabout is just creating a really
beautiful sleeping environment,and I'm not talking about what
you know your sheets look like.
I'm talking about having a cool, dark and quiet room.
(18:38):
If you have a lot of noise thatyou can't sort of do much about
.
Get some ear plugs that arecomfortable and that work.
If you can't make your bedroomthat dark, then wear an eye mask
.
I wear a silk eye mask everynight.
It's beautiful, it's padded,they're really easy to get and
the one I've got is adjustable,which I find really important,
(19:00):
because I find a lot of thoseelastic sleep masks are really
tight and I don't like them.
So an adjustable silky kind ofeye mask is a game change of
sleep.
And, yeah, reserve we'veprobably heard this before.
Reserve the bed for sleep andsex.
Only.
Make your space a place yourbody associates with rest.
(19:22):
So, finally, let's recap alittle.
Sleep is not just about feelingrested right.
It is a vital part of yourhormonal health, your emotional
resilience, your metabolism andeven your brain function and
your future brain function.
If you've been struggling withsleep, like I do a lot know this
(19:46):
it's not your fault.
You're not alone.
Your body is going through ahuge transition, but with the
right tools, strategies andsupport, you can get there.
It does take discipline, though, so start small.
Don't be overwhelmed witheverything I've spoken about
today.
Choose maybe just one, maybejust two of the strategies from
today's episode and build fromthere.
(20:08):
Your body is always working foryou.
It just needs the rightenvironment to thrive.
Now, if you want personalizedsupport, I'd love to help.
You can reach out through myInstagram at the perimenopause
path, or book a peri-weight lossassessment, which is free, just
(20:30):
20 to 30 minutes, with me bythe link in the show notes.
That is one thing I do need totell you that the results for
sleep in my clients very fastand game changing because and
that's mainly through foodactually mainly through food and
reducing inflammation.
If you want to learn more aboutinflammation, food, go back to
(20:51):
last week's podcast.
So thank you for joining metoday on the pod.
If you found this episodehelpful, I would love it if you
would share it with a friend.
Maybe take a little screenshotof the pod and pop it in your
stories.
Tag me, I love to see that, orleave me a review.
I would love to see that.
Um, it does help more peoplefind the show and feel empowered
(21:13):
in their peri andpost-menopause journey.
Until next time, take care, bewell, and I will see you next
week.
Thanks so much for joining meon the Ageless and Awesome
podcast.
If you liked this episode.
Please make sure you click thelittle plus button if you're on
Apple Podcasts, or the followbutton if you're on Spotify, so
(21:36):
that you get each new episodedelivered to you every single
week.
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 attheperimenopausepath.
I would love to connect withyou.
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Awesome podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and aging so that
you can be ageless and awesomein your 40s, 50s and beyond.
The Ageless and Awesome podcastis dedicated to helping women
(00:24):
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset and outrageousconfidence.
Hit, subscribe or follow nowand let's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, andwelcome to this week's episode
of the Ageless and Awesomepodcast.
I'm Susie Garden, your host, andI'm so happy to be with you
(00:46):
this week talking about one ofmy favorite topics.
It's a topic that is reallyclose to my heart and that is
all about sleep.
So many women struggle withsleep when they get over 40 and
sometimes younger, and I have.
If you've followed me for awhile, you know that this has
(01:07):
been a love-hate relationshipfor me.
It's something that I'mconsistently having to work on.
Sometimes I just think I'venailed it and then I need to
start from scratch again.
So today we're diving into thistopic.
It's not only foundational tohormone balance, but also
because it's just one that somany women struggle with.
(01:28):
So if you've ever foundyourself wide awake,
particularly between one andthree or one and four, with hot
flushes, maybe mind racing orjust restless or just lying
there going why can't I sleep?
That's me most of the time, notmost of the time.
Most of the time when I can'tsleep, that's me.
(01:49):
I'm not stressing aboutanything, I'm not worrying, it's
just I'm like why can't I sleep?
So we're going to explore whysleep is so essential to hormone
health, how our circadianrhythm and cortisol levels
influence everything from moodto metabolism and, most
importantly, how to finally geta better night's sleep during
(02:09):
perimenopause and postmenopause.
So let's dive in.
So, firstly, why is sleep anon-negotiable for hormone
balance?
Well, let's get this out of theway first.
Sleep is not optional.
It's not a nice to have, it isa must have, especially during
(02:32):
peri and post menopause.
A lot of people and I used tobe this person I'd go, I can
survive.
Not, I can survive.
I only need six hours sleep andI'm fine, because that's how I
used to operate when I was in mycorporate job.
If I got six hours, even if itwas a broken six hours, I would
consider that a reallysuccessful night.
So you know, that is somethingthat it's just not on, it's just
(02:59):
not what we need to have anactual functioning brain and
functioning hormonal system.
You see, sleep is when the bodyruns all of its most important
repairs.
It's when hormones are actuallymade, our detox pathways are
(03:21):
activated, your brain clears outwaste through the glymphatic
system that's glymphatic with aG and your nervous system gets
to reset.
So skipping or skimping onsleep is like trying to operate
your phone without ever chargingit.
Eventually it's just going tostop working right.
(03:43):
So what makes sleep especiallyvital during perimenopause is
how deeply connected it is toour hormonal ecosystem, and here
is what I mean.
Sleep directly influencescortisol levels.
Cortisol is your primary stresshormone and it should follow a
(04:04):
natural rhythm, a bit like acircadian rhythm.
So it's a little higher in themorning to wake you up, get your
blood pressure going, get youwaking up, feeling energized,
not sluggish and low at night,so you can fall asleep.
Poor sleep flips this rhythm,leading to that tired but wired
feeling that so many womenexperience.
(04:27):
Melatonin, which is your sleephormone, is also a powerful
antioxidant that supportshormone health and immune
function.
So if that is not working wellfor you, we're going to have a
problem.
Lack of sleep disrupts insulinsensitivity and raises blood
(04:47):
sugar, making it harder to loseweight or maintain it, because
when we are asleep, we naturallyhave a little bit of a lower
blood sugar, and that's so thatwe don't have to wake during the
night and eat right.
So you know, we know that thereis a link between being
overweight or obese and notsleeping, and I think it used to
(05:10):
be thought that this wasbecause you'd wake up and I I
definitely did this.
You'd wake up in the night andgo to the fridge, right, have
something to eat and then goback to sleep, and so I think,
for a while, before they reallydid some good research on this,
they thought it's just peopleeating more, but in fact it's
way more complex than that.
(05:31):
We are supposed to have a littlebit of a lower blood sugar at
night, and that will.
Our body can operate perfectlyokay, and I'm talking about
someone that doesn't have anyblood sugar regulation issues
such as diabetes and this lowerblood sugar allows the body to
do all the things it needs to do, because, let's face it, you
don't need loads of energy whenyou're sleeping.
And that nice low bloodpressure during the night, sorry
(05:51):
, low sugar during the night.
And that nice then lowerinsulin being produced during
the night means that your systemis working really well and
you're not having any blockersto weight loss.
When we are awake, our bloodsugar will come up because the
(06:13):
body's saying, okay, we're goingto do something.
We're awake, blood sugar comesup, insulin will come up and
this can create hunger, it cancreate cravings and can block
weight loss.
If your insulin's a bit highand we know that, just naturally
through perimenopause andpostmenopause we develop a
little bit more of what we callinsulin resistance, where the
(06:33):
body is on the cells and notresponding to insulin in the way
that we need it to to get thesugar from the blood or the
glucose from the blood into thecells.
So maintaining our bloodglucose at an optimal level, and
our insulin at an optimal levelas well, really helps to put
(06:53):
you in the fat burning zone.
Okay, and this is where a lotof the fasting type of regimes
are based on.
It's managing blood sugar likethat.
So when you are awake, even ifyou're not going to the fridge
and eating, it's just going tomake it harder to lose weight or
maintain it, because your bloodsugar is going to be all over
the shop and the thing ischronic.
(07:15):
Sleep deprivation affectsestrogen, progesterone, thyroid
function and many more of ourbody systems and that lymphatic
system I mentioned earlier.
This is kind of like theequivalent to a lymphatic system
for your brain and it mainlyoperates when you're asleep.
It removes waste products, itremoves fluid, et cetera, from
(07:39):
your brain and it's crucial formaintaining brain health and
preventing neurodegenerativediseases, so super important for
our long-term cognitivefunction.
It's also a major contributorto brain fog if it's not
operating every night.
And again, so many of the womenthat I'm talking to aren't
(08:02):
sleeping very well and are veryfoggy in the brain.
So if you're trying to balanceyour hormones, address hot
flushes, reduce anxiety, loseweight or feel more emotionally
stable, sleep has to be part ofthe equation in order to resolve
these things.
So, okay, you might be thinkingthat's great, but I want to
(08:26):
sleep and I just can't.
Like I mentioned before, ithappens to me a lot and I hear
you, perry, throws a lot ofcurve balls at your sleep.
And here's why.
Progesterone is very calming toour nervous system and it starts
to decline in our 30s and weget a really rapid drop in our
40s.
And progesterone has a calmingeffect, helps regulate a
(08:50):
neurotransmitter called GABA,which actually helps to promote
deep sleep.
And with less progesterone,many women notice more
restlessness, anxiety andinsomnia, and at the same time,
our estrogen can also drop.
It fluctuates, it surges and itdrops, but this all affects our
(09:10):
serotonin, which is theprecursor to melatonin.
If you don't have goodserotonin, then your melatonin
is not going to be good either,because we use serotonin to make
melatonin.
So they're very importantneurotransmitters or brain
chemicals for mood and for sleep.
Hot flushes and night sweatsreally common symptoms of
(09:33):
estrogen imbalance can literallywake you from a deep sleep,
leaving you soaking but tired,foggy, frustrated the next day
and plus just the constantstress of life juggling work, if
you're a parent, if you'relooking after aging parents, all
of the other things keepscortisol high at night when it
(09:56):
should be low and when you don'thave that calming effect of the
progesterone, it just reallyreduces your resilience and your
ability to manage and juggleall of these things.
So when you say I'm doingeverything right and I still
can't sleep, you are not makingit up, it is real and your
hormones are a big part of thisstory.
(10:17):
So I mentioned circadian rhythmbefore.
Let's talk about that.
You've probably heard of that.
Right, this is your body'sinternal clock and it governs
your sleep-wake cycles.
It also governs you may notknow this, it governs your
hormone production, yourdigestion and even your immune
function.
You may have heard me talkabout rest and digest.
(10:39):
That's the parasympatheticnervous system and it's kind of
part of this circadian rhythm.
Overnight we rest and digest.
During the day we're more inthat fight or flight or that
stress response, and that stressresponse isn't a bad thing.
It's there for a reason.
But we need that balance right.
So we need that circadianrhythm to be balanced.
(11:01):
When it's in sync, you feelenergized during the day, you
feel sleepy at night, and that'sgreat.
When it's out of whack, you'refoggy, you're irritable, you're
anxious and, yes, your hormonesgo haywire.
Light exposure is probably oneof the biggest influences and
regulators of your circadianrhythm.
(11:22):
You've probably heard that,particularly in relation to jet
lag.
Right, you always get told ifyou're jet lagged, get up in the
morning when the sun is rising,and that will help reset your
circadian rhythm.
So morning light helps raisecortisol and boosts alertness,
while darkness at night signalsthe melatonin to be produced so
(11:43):
that we feel sleepy.
And it goes right back to whenwe lived in caves and we didn't
have the luxury of being able tocontrol our light.
So modern life actually messeswith this balance.
So many of us wake up in thedark.
You know five, six o'clock inthe morning, particularly this
week when I'm recording it,we're just in the lead up to
winter solstice, so very longnights the first thing we do we
(12:06):
might look at our phone, sothat's a bright artificial light
.
We might turn on the houselights a bright artificial light
.
We spend most of the dayindoors.
I'm lucky I have a window, butwhen I'm working on Zoom with
clients, my window is covered,so I've got a screen down so I'm
not getting a lot of light then.
And those working offices maynot be near a window, may not
(12:27):
get a lot of natural light.
We stare often and trick ourbrains.
This, all this behavior tricksour brains into thinking it's
still daytime, so our melatonindoesn't rise the way it's
supposed to, so our internalclocks are confused and guess
what Means it's going to impactyour sleep.
(12:48):
The other thing actually Ihaven't mentioned is the impact
of alcohol.
Alcohol absolutely will impactyour sleep.
So many people go oh, alcoholhelps me get to sleep.
And yes, it can actually helpyou get to sleep, but it will
wake you up, so it will disruptyour sleep during the night and
that's why you might be gettingthose wake ups between often
it's one and three or one andfour, it doesn't really matter
(13:10):
what the time is and yeah, ifyou've been having alcohol, you
may be absolutely amazed at thedifference when you stop.
So what can you do to sleepbetter tonight other than not
drinking?
Let's get into some tactics foryou, because knowledge is great
, but transformation happensthrough action.
(13:31):
So here are my top tips forgetting deeper, more restorative
sleep in perimenopause.
So number one get sunlight inthe morning.
Go outside within 30 to 60minutes of waking up, even if
it's cloudy.
This helps set your circadianrhythm, lowers melatonin and
supports healthy cortisol levels, even if you can't get outside.
(13:55):
Even just opening a window, ifyou can, or standing near a
window looking out at the sun.
It's the, it's the eyes, it'slooking out at the sun.
That is gonna do the reset foryou.
Cut your screen at night.
Cut your screens at night.
Turn off your devices at leastan hour preferably more, but at
least an hour or get blue lightblocking glasses.
(14:18):
They don't have to beprescription, uh, very easy to
buy online.
I have blue light in myprescription glasses.
It does make a difference.
It's the blue light that's atthat's getting emitted from your
screen actually does suppressmelatonin and you need obviously
melatonin to fall asleep.
So either use some blue lightglasses, but honestly you will
be far better off reducing alsothe stimulation to your mind
(14:42):
that comes from screens separateto blue light, and that's try
reading from a book, journaling,listening to music, doing some
deep breathing, some things thatdon't require looking at a
screen, and I think a lot of ushave lost the ability of keeping
ourselves occupied without ascreen.
I know I borderline on itsometimes.
(15:04):
I've actually just done atwo-day training course all on
Zoom and, man, my brain wasfried, even though it was an
amazing training course that mybrain was absolutely fried after
spending two days just lookingat a screen.
Number three that I want to talkabout is magnesium.
Magnesium is magic and the onesthat I recommend magnesium
(15:28):
citrate or citrate and magnesiumglycinate are pretty good for
sleep and they're pretty easy toget hold of.
These particular types ofmagnesium support the nervous
system, they relax your muscles,which help you get to sleep
more easily, and they promotedeep sleep, and I often
recommend this to my clients inclinic and this can be a game
(15:49):
changer for many clients.
It can also help if you'rehaving trouble with constipation
.
Magnesium is very good as anatural laxative that's very
gentle, balancing your bloodsugar.
That might even be my numberone.
I haven't done these in order,but there's probably one that
(16:11):
I've really noticed for mepersonally that I really need to
stay away from food generally,most definitely sugar from
dinner onwards.
There's a huge difference in mysleep when I eat later at night
, Because the thing is spikesand crashes in blood sugar can
wake you up because this is adangerous situation for your
body to be in.
So avoid refined carbs atdinner.
(16:31):
So that's all your white foods,white pasta, white rice, all
that sort of stuff, white sugar.
Instead, focus on protein,fiber, healthy fats, complex
carbohydrates to stabilize yourglucose and prevent those early
morning wake-ups Calming yournervous system.
(16:52):
Now I've talked about bedtimerituals before.
They don't need to becomplicated.
Could just be having a herbaltea or just a couple of slices
of ginger can be very nice inhot water, a warm bath or a
shower.
Essential oils, particularlylavender there's some very good
research on lavender or maybe ashort meditation or some
(17:14):
breathing or some yoga nidra.
There's so many things you cando to help train your mind to
realize ah, we're going to go tobed now, I need to go to sleep.
Your body thrives on routinesand cues that it's time to wind
down.
You can also support yourhormone balance.
(17:34):
So herbal support for sleep.
There's some great herbs thatare fairly easy to get.
Passionflower is one of myfavorites.
It helps to stop rumination aswell during the night.
Valerian I've probably heard ofthat.
It's pretty common.
Adaptogens like ashwagandha,also known as withania, that may
(17:54):
help.
I always as I say every podwhen I'm talking about herbs
probably best to getrecommendations from a
practitioner like a naturopathor a herbalist, because if
you're on prescriptionmedications, some of these
options will not be good for you.
But if you're not on any medsand you don't have any kind of
(18:14):
medical conditions, these sortsof herbal medicines can really
help soothe anxiety, balancecortisol and improve your
ability to get to sleep.
The last thing I'm going to talkabout is just creating a really
beautiful sleeping environment,and I'm not talking about what
you know your sheets look like.
I'm talking about having a cool, dark and quiet room.
(18:38):
If you have a lot of noise thatyou can't sort of do much about
.
Get some ear plugs that arecomfortable and that work.
If you can't make your bedroomthat dark, then wear an eye mask
.
I wear a silk eye mask everynight.
It's beautiful, it's padded,they're really easy to get and
the one I've got is adjustable,which I find really important,
(19:00):
because I find a lot of thoseelastic sleep masks are really
tight and I don't like them.
So an adjustable silky kind ofeye mask is a game change of
sleep.
And, yeah, reserve we'veprobably heard this before.
Reserve the bed for sleep andsex.
Only.
Make your space a place yourbody associates with rest.
(19:22):
So, finally, let's recap alittle.
Sleep is not just about feelingrested right.
It is a vital part of yourhormonal health, your emotional
resilience, your metabolism andeven your brain function and
your future brain function.
If you've been struggling withsleep, like I do a lot know this
(19:46):
it's not your fault.
You're not alone.
Your body is going through ahuge transition, but with the
right tools, strategies andsupport, you can get there.
It does take discipline, though, so start small.
Don't be overwhelmed witheverything I've spoken about
today.
Choose maybe just one, maybejust two of the strategies from
today's episode and build fromthere.
(20:08):
Your body is always working foryou.
It just needs the rightenvironment to thrive.
Now, if you want personalizedsupport, I'd love to help.
You can reach out through myInstagram at the perimenopause
path, or book a peri-weight lossassessment, which is free, just
(20:30):
20 to 30 minutes, with me bythe link in the show notes.
That is one thing I do need totell you that the results for
sleep in my clients very fastand game changing because and
that's mainly through foodactually mainly through food and
reducing inflammation.
If you want to learn more aboutinflammation, food, go back to
(20:51):
last week's podcast.
So thank you for joining metoday on the pod.
If you found this episodehelpful, I would love it if you
would share it with a friend.
Maybe take a little screenshotof the pod and pop it in your
stories.
Tag me, I love to see that, orleave me a review.
I would love to see that.
Um, it does help more peoplefind the show and feel empowered
(21:13):
in their peri andpost-menopause journey.
Until next time, take care, bewell, and I will see you next
week.
Thanks so much for joining meon the Ageless and Awesome
podcast.
If you liked this episode.
Please make sure you click thelittle plus button if you're on
Apple Podcasts, or the followbutton if you're on Spotify, so
(21:36):
that you get each new episodedelivered to you every single
week.
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 attheperimenopausepath.
I would love to connect withyou.
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