Episode 4: Sleep Solutions for Perimenopause

In this episode, we cover: * The importance of sleep for weight loss, appetite control, blood sugar balance, immunity, energy and balanced mood* The impact that a poor night’s sleep has on your hormones* How to maximize your natural melatonin production* Which teas, tools and bedtime practices can enhance a good night’s sleep* How alcohol and caffeine impair sleep; how you can still enjoy these with minimal effects on sleep* What our sleep routines look like While it can be a challenge, sleep is crucial for mood and hormone balance. There is a reason that sleep deprivation is a torture technique! In perimenopause, common sleep issues include: * Problems falling asleep* Problems staying asleep* Not getting a deep, restorative sleep When you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you produce more stress hormones that has you: * Get sick more often* Gain weight and hold on to fat around your middle (creating the dreaded muffin top!)* Experience more sugar cravings* Make unhealthy food choices* Reach for more refined carbs and comfort foods* Eat more food than you need throughout the day Hormones related to your weight and metabolism: Leptin is a hormone released in your body that tells your brain that you’re full. Levels of leptin decrease in your body when you get a poor night’s sleep. Ghrelin is a hormone released in your body that tells your brain that you need to eat more food. Levels of ghrelin go up when you don’t get enough sleep If you’re consistently not getting more than 6 hours of sleep, research shows that you can eat around 200-300 extra calories every day. As a result, those extra calories can mean a weight gain of 10-15 pounds over a year! Also, a night of interrupted sleep can result in high, pre-diabetic blood sugar levels. Physical activity can help to reset these hormones, blood sugar, mood and energy levels..  As a perimenopausal mama, Dr. Toni gets sleep whenever she can. She depends on naps to aim for a total of 8 hours when sleep is inconsistent. For a long time, she tried to follow the rule “mama sleeps when baby sleeps”. She wasn’t always successful, finding that poor sleep hygiene habits of checking Facebook and working on her computer before bed impacted the quality of sleep. She often found that she needed to listen to a guided meditation track or podcast to quiet her racing mind and shut down her brain enough to fall asleep. Dr. Lisa’s sleep patterns have been ever-changing. She found that she was waking up in the middle of the night and unable to fall back asleep, especially 2 weeks before her period. Sometimes she needed to read and make a relaxing tulsi, lemon balm, chamomile or lavender tea to calm her overactive mind.  Journaling before bed can help you to process your day and act as a brain dump. Using a journal can help to take thoughts out of your head and put them on paper so that they don’t roll around in your head and interfere with your sleep Are you too hot at night? As a perimenopausal mama, you might be dealing with hot flashes and night sweats. They can impact sleep significantly. Research shows that your body needs to cool down in order to make enough of your sleep hormone, melatonin. Therefore, using less sleep clothing, thinner blankets on your bed, and lower thermostat setting in your home can help your sleep.  Blood sugar balance is also important. Eating too much before bed can increase your body temperature and interfere with your sleep patterns. Going to bed hungry isn’t always a good idea. Sometimes a small snack with some protein is n...