14/05/2022
Sleep is a key skill for your health.
Most of us know that, but you cannot will yourself to sleep better. It’s a daily practice.
Early morning awakenings are common in perimenopause and menopause—I advise my patients to follow the 7 tips below.
Deep sleep is when you file away important memories and cement them, when an anxious brain gets rewired toward calm, and when repair occurs that maintains physical and mental health. I like 90-120 minutes of deep sleep every night—it allows the gut to repair.
How to improve deep sleep?
1- If you can’t sleep 7-8.5 hours, avoid alcohol, THC, and caffeine. THC and alcohol can suppress REM sleep though you may fall asleep more easily. Nonnegotiable.
2- Be regular. Just like I want you to p**p every morning to detox your body, be consistent about when you go to bed and when you get up, even on the weekends. In fact, think of sleep as regular detox of the brain—don’t play with the timing.
3-Stay cool. Your body must drop its core temperature by about 2-3 degrees F to initiate sleep and stay asleep. Bath or sauna before bed can help.
4-Stabilize blood sugar. Blood sugar excursions disrupt sleep in my patients. Get a continuous glucose monitor, especially if you have early morning awakenings.
5-Pink noise. These are random noises with a lower frequency than white noise. Google it.
6-Get help. Perform N-of-1 experiments. Try magnesium. Valerian extract. Women after 35: try progesterone. Add estradiol if you’re a good candidate. See what works for you because one size doesn’t fit all.
7-Meditate before bed. Like putting a baby to bed, get the set and setting right.
