Sleep & Stress
The Reset that Changes Everything
If you’re wired at night and foggy by day, remember you’re not the only one. During perimenopause and menopause, shifting oestrogen can trigger night sweats, 3 a.m. wake-ups and perimenopause insomnia, while rising day-to-day stress nudges cortisol up. Short, broken sleep doesn’t just feel awful—it drives cravings, amplifies blood-sugar swings and blunts fat loss, which is why “trying harder” rarely works when you’re exhausted. The good news is that your sleep system is trainable. With a few simple levers, you can calm the nervous system, lower evening cortisol and get more restoring hours—even if life is busy.
Let me break it down for you to really understand - oestrogen helps your regulate your temperature, mood and sleep architecture, so when levels fluctuate, your thermostat and body clock can wobble. Add late eating, alcohol, screens and stress and you cue the body to stay alert just when you want it to power down. The fix isn’t complicated: re-anchor your circadian rhythm, remove the late-night “wake” signals and give your nervous system a reliable wind-down.
Try these helpful tips today:
3–2–1 wind-down: 3hr no heavy meals/alcohol, 2hr stop work, 1hr screens off.
Physiological sigh ×5 in bed (inhale → top-up inhale → long exhale).
Caffeine cut-off: ~8 hours before bedtime.
Morning light: 5–10 minutes outdoors before noon to anchor your body clock.
Evening routine: warm shower, low lights, paper book or light stretching.
Anchor your mornings with light, protect your evenings with routine, and treat sleep like a training plan you practise
Are you ready to learn more lifechanging tips you can action today? Register for my FREE LIVE Masterclass this Friday, 17th October at 1pm BST on Midlife Weight Loss, Simplified for a simple, supportive approach to reframe your weight loss journey, for lasting results.
Want more helpful advice? For daily motivation, tools, and a bit of fun, follow me on Instagram - your journey just got easier. See you there!
Ciao for now! Ex