The hormone-smart guide to deeper, healing sleep naturally for women 30+
If you’ve found yourself wide-eyed at 2am (again), scrolling your phone or lying in bed wondering why your brain won’t switch off you’re not alone. Sleep struggles are incredibly common for women in their 30s, 40s and beyond, especially during perimenopause and menopause.
Let’s dive into why sleep becomes harder as we get older, especially for women, and what you can start doing tonight to finally get the deep, healing rest your body craves.
Why You’re Waking Up at 2am
1. Hormonal Fluctuations
As oestrogen and progesterone begin to decline, especially during perimenopause and menopause, sleep becomes more disrupted. You might notice:
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Trouble falling asleep
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Night sweats
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Restless legs
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Waking at 3am with your mind racing
These hormonal shifts mess with your melatonin production, your core body temperature, and your ability to stay asleep through the night.
2. Cortisol at the Wrong Time
Cortisol (your stress hormone) is meant to be highest in the morning and lowest at night. But if your body is constantly under stress, mental, physical, emotional, or nutritional, it can spike at night and keep your brain buzzing when you should be winding down.
3. Blood Sugar Dips
If your blood sugar crashes overnight (often from not eating enough at dinner or eating a high-carb meal before bed), it triggers a stress response that literally wakes you up – hello, 3am hunger and heart palpitations.
4. You Might Be Low in Magnesium
Magnesium is essential for relaxing your muscles and calming the nervous system. Without it, your body may stay tense, your mind can’t unwind, and your sleep cycles suffer.
Sleep Hacks That Actually Work
Here are some lesser-known strategies to help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake feeling like yourself again.
1. Start winding down 90 minutes before bed
Turn off bright lights, grab yourself a pair of blue light blocking glasses (I love these ones) put your phone on charge, and create a calming evening ritual (I do this between 8-9pm) whether it’s a magnesium bath, stretching, or chamomile tea. You’re training your nervous system to shift gears.
2. Add a pinch of sea salt to your herbal tea
Yes, really. This supports adrenal health and helps balance your cortisol levels through the night. Especially important if you’re waking up between 2–4am.
3. Eat a protein-rich bedtime snack (if you need one)
Try yogurt, a boiled egg, or some almond butter on a rice cake. This keeps your blood sugar steady through the night, which means fewer wake-ups.
4. Try glycine or magnesium glycinate
Both of these are gentle, natural ways to support deeper sleep. Glycine in particular helps lower your core body temperature (which is key for falling and staying asleep).
5. Use a good quality mouthtape (if you are a mouth breather or wake up with a dry mouth/sore throat)
I didn’t realise I was a mouth breather until I tracked my sleep and noticed I wasn’t dropping into deep sleep long enough each night. I was also waking up with a dry mouth and throat and never truly feeling rested. I could write pages on the negative effects of mouth breathing (especially for children) but for the purposes of this article, just know that nose breathing calms your parasympathetic nervous system (aka your “rest + digest” mode) and wearing mouth tape has been a game changer for my sleep, oral health and quality of life when I’m awake (I currently use this one).
6. Get sunlight first thing in the morning
This one’s for tomorrow, but its an important piece of the sleep puzzle. Morning light helps reset your circadian rhythm, improves your sleep hormone production (melatonin), and reduces nighttime wakefulness. Aim for 10 minutes outdoors within 30–60 minutes of waking.
Sleep Is Where Your Healing Begins
If you’ve been feeling tired but wired, moody, foggy, or inflamed, poor sleep could be the root of it all, but you don’t have to accept it as your “new normal.”
Sleep is where your hormones rebalance, your gut heals, and your energy is restored and with just a few small changes: like supporting your minerals, blood sugar, and nervous system, you can start to get that deep, delicious sleep your body is craving.
Your 8 hours of sleep are waiting… go claim them tonight. 💤💛
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