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🥱 Did you know that over 70% of UK adults struggle with sleep?

😞 And it gets if even trickier for women, as we enter pre- and perimenopause…

Why? 🤔

Your oestrogen going up and down, causing hot flushes and night sweats, is one of the reasons…

But there are 2 other hormones regulating your sleep – melatonin and cortisol.

Melatonin is produced in response to 🌞 daylight, so getting outside in the first part of the day is essential, especially now that the days are shorter. Even on a cloudy day! ☁️

Cortisol is the stress hormone and is an enemy of you melatonin (😱running away from tiger? Sleep is not your body’s priority…).

So, what you do first thing in the morning (remember the morning routine I talked about?) is important to keep yout stress levels down throughout the day.

 

We should aim for 7-9hrs of sleep and here are tested tips to improve it:

☀️Daylight (min 30min) to increase your natural melatonin. Can you have a short walk at lunch time, when at work?

 🌡️Cool temperature in the room will reduce your hot flushes/sweats.

🍷Reduce alcohol – although it’s a sedative, alcohol is actually a sleep disruptor, plus it messes up your body temperature control, making those night sweats/hot flushes even worse…

📺 💻📱Blue light screens (TV and other personal devices) – ideally stop at 2 hr before bedtime or use blue light blocking glasses or special night settings on your devices.

☕️ Reduce caffeine – it’s a stimulant with a half life of 5-7hrs, which means that if you had it after lunch, half of it still in your body. Remember, decaf is 30% caffeine.

🏃🏻‍♀️Avoid high intensity exercise right before bedtime – it spikes your cortisol levels and therefore, shuts down your melatonin.

🥗 Eat your dinner earlier – having it too close to you bed time increases insulin resistance (makes you gain weight☹️) AND…shuts down that much needed melatonin…

 

And what about melatonin supplements? Yes, they help in certain circumstances (changing time zones after long haul flights) but they will also shut down your body’s natural melatonin production. You decide.😉

Which one of those tips will you try today?