Are you feeling like walking around in a fog all day? Like no matter how much sleep you get, your body never truly recovers and you still feel exhausted? You’re not alone. For women over 40, quality of sleep can be the first thing to go awry as our bodies constantly fight to keep up with age-related hormonal shifts. But if you’re ready to take back control and restore balance within your body by way of deep, restorative slumber – then don’t give up just yet! In this post, I’m going to break down some tips and tricks for restoring proper quality sleep so that it doesn’t have to become an elusive fairytale anymore…
A Symphony of Symptoms
As a woman, I know there are so many things that come up for us. I mean, let’s face it, it doesn’t necessarily just happen at that magic number 40 and beyond. It could be happening earlier as well. I have had symptoms of hormone imbalance since I got my period. This can happen when you are in your twenties or thirties, but it can also get worse as you get older.
One of the symptoms, I know comes up for me, and it’s been obvious over the last few weeks, is lack of sleep. In my case, what happened was, I had a musculoskeletal injury as I hurt myself when I was out doing a sport. And because of that injury, I was not sleeping well for about three weeks. This went on long enough for me to have “the whole apple cart get tipped upside down”.
I am going to have my period soon, but before that, I had a tough time. I couldn’t sleep well or exercise regularly. Although I kept up with my usual vitamin and food regimen, the fundamental things that I do every day like getting enough sleep and exercise didn’t happen as they should have.
So I had a terrible cycle coming. I had PMS (pre menstrual syndrome) which meant more brain fog, more bloating, and even more digestion issues. I had a headache start to come on a couple days before my period. I wasn’t feeling like my best self.
How are you sleeping lately?
Typically, I don’t face this issue anymore because I’ve identified the root cause of my hormone imbalance. But with my mid-40s approaching, it’s crucial that I remain vigilant and stick to my lifestyle strategies that help maintain my balance every month, cycle after cycle. After all, my health and well-being depend on it.
You may be noticing that too.
- Do you notice your sleep gets more disrupted at certain points in the month?
- Is it worse to sleep than up to your period?
- Do you end up having lighter periods of sleep?
- Do you find yourself waking up more often?
- Do you wake up with all the temperature fluctuations and sweat?
- Are you not sleeping because you’re under stress and can’t relax?
If you find yourself struggling to fall asleep at night, even if it started fine, it might be because your brain is buzzing with thoughts. Women often experience this during some points of their cycle—even if they wake up in the middle of the night, they just can’t seem to get back to bed no matter how hard they try.
Does this sound like you? We are familiar with what it can lead to – an unfavorable cycle. This is when you find yourself to be more moody and have a generalized feeling of unwell. In some cases, this may lead up to affecting people in your household and those around you. Most of all, it affects you too, and a lot.
Get the Balance Back with Sleep
You, and so many others, want to feel like your best self, throughout the month and not have these big peaks and valleys. And I mean, who really wants to feel like in a roller coaster ride of uncertain feelings, month after month?
Lack of sleep can be one of the biggest contributing factors here.
I want to let you know there is a way to help you get the balance back with sleep. You don’t necessarily have to just put up with it and just “grip and brace and hope for the best”. There is more that can be done.
Here is a couple of quick tips for you around sleep.
Get the light in.
If you’re having trouble going to sleep, it’s most likely related to something that’s happened during your day. I always tell people how you set up your night starts from the first minute you get out of bed in the morning. If you have trouble sleeping, try opening the blinds when you wake up in the morning. This will help since it is getting lighter earlier now, depending on where you live.
It is important to do things when it is supposed to be done. During the day, it should be bright outside so we can stay awake. At night, it should get dark so we can go to sleep. This helps us have good sleeping patterns.
We need to be mindful that what we do in our morning and throughout our day impacts our night.
Water up
The other important thing is to make sure that you’re well hydrated during the day. Many women tell me they’re just not keeping up with their water intake, not even close.
If you’re often thirsty by 6 to 7 PM and tend to drink a lot of water to make up for it, also known as “backloading,” it could significantly affect your sleep.
An obvious reason would be that you have to get up and go to the washroom more often. Also, you’re probably still not caught up. You’re dehydrated. If you’re dehydrated, it could cause inflammation in your body at night, preventing your systems from relaxing and resetting. This can severely impact your quality of sleep and even prevent you from getting a full night’s rest, especially if you’re chronically dehydrated.
Dive Deep into the Root Cause
Often we need to dive in deeper and understand the root cause of where your sleep imbalances could be coming from and also what impacts it has on your body.
Consistently not getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep for six to seven nights a week, for months or even years, can have severe consequences on your body. It’s important to pay attention to your body’s systems if you’ve been chronically sleep-deprived for extended periods.
This is where a functional medicine practitioner, like myself, comes in.
Why suffer from poor sleep when we can help you get to the root of the problem with proper lab testing? We can examine your cortisol levels, circadian rhythms, and the rise and fall of cortisol throughout the day, all of which can significantly impact your sleep quality. Moreover, we can also evaluate your brain’s chemical messengers, neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which influence sleep. These tests help us determine if any imbalances exist within your body, giving us the information we need to customize a course of treatment tailored to your specific needs.
There are ways for us to help you refine a customized plan for you to help you get better sleep. We can even look at your genetics, believe it or not, and some people have certain genetic predispositions to not producing a lot of those chemicals, that not only help us sleep, but they help us feel mentally well and balanced.
There’s a lot of information we can get from doing this type of testing, including genetic testing.
Have a Goal and Work On Yourself
If you’ve tried every sleep supplement, medication, hormone therapy, and relaxation technique on the market, but still struggle with sleep after many years, it’s time for a more customized plan. It’s time to make a change and take control of your sleep health. We can help create a plan that’s unique to your needs and get you the restorative sleep you deserve. Don’t settle for feeling tired and restless any longer. Decide to put yourself first and get the restful sleep that you need to lead a healthy and happy life.
Don’t wait or feel more and more exhausted over time because it just depletes not only you but several other systems in your body. The fact is, it can become a risk factor for you.
The science is clear—chronic lack of sleep can reduce your lifespan and increase your risk of heart attacks and other diseases. It’s a terrifying thought, and the statistics are sobering. It’s why we’re here to help you take proactive steps to prioritize your sleep health. We believe that you deserve to lead a long, full life, free from the dangers of sleep deprivation. Don’t leave it to chance – let us help you create a customized plan to get the restful sleep that you need to live a happy and healthy life.
We’ve got to get a handle on our sleep, not only to balance our hormones, but to be preventative of cardiac events, and disease processes from developing.
It’s important to recognize what symptoms we may be feeling and piece together the puzzle of why we’re feeling this way. Many times, things such as sleeping issues, are a result of underlying physical ailments and can manifest in depressing worry or out-of-body fatigue. Be sure to pay attention when your body speaks, so that you have the opportunity to get back on track towards balance and health. That being said, make small steps towards healing yourself – both physically and mentally. Perhaps try establishing relaxing routines to invite more restful evening slumber or schedule a discovery call where you can work through your issues with a trained professional. No matter how tough things seem, never forget that the journey of self-care always begins within ourselves before it radiates outwards in our lives.
Are you feeling the impact of sleepless nights and ready to break the domino effect? Well, look no further because we’re here to help! We would love to set up a free discovery call with you, dive into your specific symptoms, and create a plan personalized just for you.
And while you’re at it, why not join our friendly community in our Private Facebook Group? It’s a great place to connect with others and get helpful tips for a better night’s sleep. Don’t hesitate, you deserve a restful and rejuvenating slumber!
DISCLAIMER: The information in this email is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content is for general informational purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional
