Sleep

It was the first thing I began working on in my health transformation.

And actually… it started out of desperation.

Wow. How we can take simple things for granted, like sleep.

I used to be a great sleeper. But then everything changed. Getting to sleep wasn’t the problem…

staying asleep was.

I would wake up in the middle of the night—wide awake—and not be able to fall back asleep for hours.

Then I’d finally fall asleep…

only to wake up an hour later to start my day.

I was living in a constant state of exhaustion. And it was affecting everything. My health was struggling. The stubborn menopause weight kept creeping up. And I could feel it mentally and emotionally too. Because when you’re exhausted…

it’s next to impossible to show up as your best self.

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What I Started to Realize

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Sleep doesn’t just affect you physically.

It impacts you psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually too. And I kept hearing the same thing over and over:

If your sleep isn’t in order, everything else is harder.

Nutrition.
Exercise.
Mindset.
All of it.

In fact, many experts said this was the non-negotiable. If you don’t nail this, nothing else matters.

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My Approach (Description, Not Prescription)

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I want to share what I did—not as a prescription for you… but as a description of my journey. Because the methods may vary…

but the principles hold.

Sleep Is Both a Science and an Art

The more I learned, the more I realized: Sleep is a science ― There is real, measurable impact on your body, hormones, brain, and energy.

Sleep is also an art ― Because no two people are the same. What works for one person may not work for another…

and what works in one season may need to change in another. You have to learn how to test and tailor it to yourself.

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What I Slowly Started Changing

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Not perfectly. Not all at once. And to be real, my wins were scattered, not straight-line.

But over time, they added up.

I set a consistent bedtime (And let go of feeling like I needed to stay up just because my kids were still awake)
I reduced screens at night
I kept my room cool. (Amazing how dropping the temperature can take you from wide awake to drowsy. Not always—but often. )
I started taking magnesium (after learning and with guidance—always wise to talk to your practitioner before adding anything)
I addressed hormones (interestingly I’ve had multiple women recently tell me how much progesterone has improved their sleep)
I started tracking my sleep

And that alone was powerful.

Because as Peter Drucker said:
“What gets measured gets managed.”

When I started paying attention… I started making better decisions.

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Letting Go of Perfection

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One of the biggest shifts?

Letting go of the pressure to get “perfect” sleep. For a while, I stressed about not hitting 8 hours.

Now?

I usually get around 7. Sometimes less. And I don’t panic about it anymore because I know I’ve done my part.

That alone reduced so much stress—which ironically helped my sleep.

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A Few Other Pieces That Helped

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As my health improved overall… my sleep improved too.

Same with stress. Because addressing stress matters. (For me, that even included getting some support to work through things.)

Because sleep isn’t just physical. It’s deeply connected to what’s going on beneath the surface.

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Where I Am Now

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Am I perfect? Not even close.

Do I still wake up sometimes? Yes. But I sleep well. Especially compared to where I started. And I’m no longer living in that constant state of exhaustion.

And that has changed everything.

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Encouragement If You’re in It

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If you’re in that season right now—especially in menopause—I just want you to know:

This is real
Hormones are no joke (sigh)
You’re not imagining it
There’s a solution—you just have to find what works for your body

But it may take time. For me, this wasn’t a quick fix. It was a few years of learning, adjusting, and refining.

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Final Thought

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Instead of looking for a one-size-fits-all solution…

Build your own custom-designed sleep system

Learn the science:

Understand what actually impacts sleep—light, temperature, hormones, timing, and environment.
Listen to experts and mentors.

Practice the art:

Test what works for you.
Adjust as needed.
Pay attention to patterns.

Little by little.

Because good sleep isn’t just a luxury—

It’s foundational to everything.