One of the most common things women say in their 40s and 50s is: “I used to sleep great. Now I wake up constantly.” Hormones certainly play a role. But sleep disruption in midlife is usually influenced by several different systems working together. Hormones and Sleep Estrogen and progesterone both support sleep in different ways. Progesterone tends to have calming effects on the brain. Estrogen helps regulate body temperature and neurotransmitters involved in sleep. As these

Most sleep advice focuses on nighttime routines. But sleep actually starts the moment you wake up. The most powerful signal your body receives each day is light . Morning light tells your brain that the day has begun. That signal sets off a cascade of biological events. What Morning Light Does Light entering the eyes sends information to the brain’s master clock. This triggers several changes: cortisol rises to help you wake up body temperature increases metabolism activates

A common comment I hear from women is this: “I still get seven hours of sleep.” The assumption is that if the total hours add up, sleep should be fine. (I know I've been guilty of this thought process before!) But sleep physiology doesn’t work that way. Not all hours of sleep are equal. The timing of sleep  matters just as much as the duration. The Deep Sleep Window Sleep cycles through different stages throughout the night. The most restorative stage is called deep sleep , s

Every March we lose an hour of sleep and gain more daylight. Most people just grumble about the time change. But biologically, this time of year is actually an opportunity. More daylight and warmer temperatures naturally push our bodies toward healthier rhythms — if we let them. Your body runs on an internal clock called the circadian rhythm. This rhythm regulates sleep, hormones, metabolism, immune repair, and even mood. For most of human history, this rhythm was simple: lig

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