When I work with clients one of the complaints I always hear is that their sleep is up the whoop, through either waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat or struggling to get back to sleep, after waking up wide awake at 3am. Nightly wakes and hot flushes are common, especially during perimenopause and menopause. But a few tweaks to your nighttime routine could make a big difference in how well you rest. In this blog we are going to explore how screen time, hormones, exercise, and even what you eat at night can affect your sleep quality—and how you can turn it around.
The Impact of Screen Time and Blue Light on Your Hormones
Many of us wind down by watching TV, scrolling through social media, or catching up on emails before bed. Netflix and chill right? But did you know that this habit could be sabotaging your sleep? Our screens emit blue light, which can mess with our hormones, especially cortisol and melatonin.
Cortisol is our stress hormone, but did you know that it is also our wake-up and go hormone. It should naturally decrease at night, allowing your body to relax. At the same time, melatonin, the sleep hormone, should rise. But when you're exposed to blue light, your brain gets tricked into thinking it’s still daytime, which suppresses melatonin and keeps cortisol levels high—making it harder to fall asleep or causing those annoying middle-of-the-night wake-ups.
I know you have probably heard it a million times but the answer to this is a simple fix - it's just doing it which is the hard part. Reduce screen time at least an 1-2 hrs before bed. Try reading, relaxing, or dimming the lights to signal to your body that it’s time to wind down.
Avoid High-Intensity Exercise at Night
I am all about moving your body but doing high-intensity workouts late in the evening might be affecting your sleep. Intense exercise raises cortisol and adrenaline, which can leave you wired when you should be winding down. (something I know all too well when I have played a late-night game in netball season) If you’re working out close to bedtime, it could be the reason you're waking up in the night.
Instead, try to exercise earlier in the day when your cortisol is naturally high. If you need to move your body after work, opt for low-intensity exercises like yoga, stretching, or a light walk. These activities can help relax your body without messing with your sleep. But what if you play a late-night sport or your favourite gym class is at night - don't panic and stop doing what you love. Instead take steps to do what you can throughout the day to manage the impact on your cortisol levels and try not to work out late every day.
How Caffeine and Sugar Sabotage Your Sleep
What you consume in the evening can also impact how well you sleep. Caffeine, found in coffee, tea, chocolate, and even some medications, is a known stimulant that can stay in your system for hours. Even if you don’t feel it, it could be keeping you up at night.
Sugary snacks or high-carb foods before bed can spike your blood sugar and then cause it to crash later in the night. When this happens, your body releases cortisol to stabilize your blood sugar, which is often what wakes you up.
To avoid this, skip the caffeine in the afternoon and opt for snacks with protein and healthy fats in the evening to keep your blood sugar steady.
So what do you need to take from this blog? Making small changes can help! Starting tonight, try turning off the screens, skipping that late-night snack, and letting your body wind down naturally. Sweet dreams everyone!
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