Sleep Like a Queen: 7 Hacks for Deeper, More Restful Sleep Every Night.
- Alison Aldred
- Mar 19
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 20
Perimenopause and beyond brings a host of changes, some we welcome, like waving goodbye to monthly periods, the cost of towels & tampons and the risk of flooding in a public place. And some changes we don't welcome, such as sleep disturbances: hot flashes, night sweats, and hormonal shifts that can make it really difficult to get a restful sleep. However, by making a few adjustments, we can create the right conditions for better sleep.
1. Maintain a Consistent Bedtime
Whether you are naturally a night owl, or early bird, your body thrives on routine. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even at weekends, helps regulate your circadian rhythm. You may allow a 20-minute wiggle room, but aim to keep your schedule consistent. Over time, this trains your body to expect rest at the right time, making it easier to fall and stay asleep.
2. Get Morning Light Exposure
Our eyes are not just a camera, they also function as a master clock, and natural light plays a crucial role in setting our internal clock. Try to spend 10–15 minutes outside within the first 1–2 hours of waking. If you live in a place where natural sunlight is scarce, a light box can be a great alternative. Morning light exposure helps stop melatonin production, signalling to your body that it’s time to be awake and alert. It also initiates cortisol release, which plays a key role in wakefulness, energy levels, and overall alertness. Keeping cortisol levels properly regulated throughout the day can prevent evening spikes, which often contribute to difficulty falling asleep. For best results, avoid wearing sunglasses and aim for direct sunlight on the skin and eyes. By that I mean face East, but without looking directly at the sun. I'll add a link at the bottom to a good circadian phone app.
3. Create a Sleep-Friendly Environment
Our bedrooms should be a sanctuary for rest.
Keep it cool: A lower room temperature (around 15-19c) can help prevent night sweats and improve sleep quality.
Dim the lights: In the last few hours before bed, reduce light exposure to signal to your brain that it’s time to sleep (you can also switch the lights off and use non scented beeswax candles, or swap blue light emitting bulbs & LEDs to red light bulbs).
Minimize noise: Difficult when a partner is snoring, but you can use earplugs or a white noise machine if necessary to block out disruptions.
4. Check Your Internal Environment
By that, I mean check-in with your body. Managing stress and anxiety is crucial for quality sleep. When your mind races at night, there are a number of techniques to try:
Breathwork: Slow, deep breathing can help activate your relaxation response. For example box breathing:
1. inhale deeply through your nose for 4 seconds.
2. Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
3. Exhale slowly through your mouth for 4 seconds.
4. Hold your breath again for 4 seconds.
5. Repeat the cycle for a few minutes.
Meditation: A few minutes of mindfulness or guided meditation can lower stress levels.
Journaling: Write down your worries before bed, to prepare the mind. At the end, it is helpful to then list 3-5 positive thoughts to shift the focus to gratitude and calmness.
5. If You Wake Up Worrying, Try a Hyper-Vivid Walk
Sometimes, we are not in the right headspace for meditation. If you regularly wake with anxious thoughts, take a mental walk through nature, on the beach, or up a mountain. Go anywhere that you really love! The key thing to remember with this, is to picture every single minute detail, from the rustling leaves, to the warmth of the sun on your skin, from the cold sea spray, to the wind in your hair. Use all your senses: what can you smell, taste, see and feel? This technique can redirect your mind and help you drift back to sleep.
6. Avoid Doom Scrolling
Either avoid using your phone 2-hours before bed, or invest in some good quality blue light blocking glasses (link at the bottom - for evening you want the red glasses. Also, quality matters!). Not only can spending excessive time on your phone, scrolling through negative news, or social media heighten anxiety and overstimulate your brain, making it harder to relax. The blue light emitted from screens also disrupts melatonin production and sleep. So many people reach for their phone when they wake in the night, and scroll, or post on Facebook that they can't sleep....well, hellooo?!
It really is one of the worst things you can do. Ideally keep your phone out of your bedroom totally, and then you are not tempted to pick it up.
7. Tape Your Mouth
No. I'm not joking. And just for the record, sleep tape looks nothing like this photo. That was just me being dramatic! Sleep tape really is a thing though, and I know a number of people who absolutely swear by it as the missing piece of the puzzle for a great nights sleep. It's not any old tape though, so don't get the duck tape out of the garage! It is specially designed to be breathable and not irritate the skin. I have to be honest and say that I haven't tried it myself, but I'll add a link at the bottom, in case you are ready to give it a go. What have you got to lose, apart from a couple of quid?
What to Avoid Before Bed
I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that caffeine, alcohol and cannabis, sabotage your sleep? What I will add, is the following:
Avoid eating late: Try to bring your dinner forward a few hours, or have your main meal at lunchtime. Aim to finish eating about 4-hours before bed, so that your body can be focussed on the renewing and rebuilding properties of sleep, rather than having to digest a meal.
Avoid sugar and excessive carbohydrates (all carbs breakdown into sugar):
a. Eating sugar causes a rapid spike in blood glucose, followed by a sharp drop. This fluctuation triggers a stress response, which in turn leads to hot flashes.
b. As it is only safe for your blood stream to contain the equivalent of 1 tsp glucose at any one time, eating sugar forces your body to produce more insulin to get it out of the blood and into the cells. This worsens hormonal imbalances and increases hot flashes and fat storage.
c. Sugar stimulates cortisol and adrenaline (stress hormones), which overstimulates your nervous system, increasing your body temperature and triggering more hot flashes, more insulin and more fat storage.
d. Sugar promotes inflammation which interferes with oestrogen metabolism. Oestrogen plays a key role in thermoregulation, so can make hot flashes worse.
e. Sugar only temporarily boosts serotonin (the feel good hormone), so once levels drop, it disrupts your brains ability to regulate temperature, again leading to more hot flashes.
On a personal level I will add that I had a pretty damn miserable menopause, until I cut out sugar. It was an absolute game changer for me!
And Finally - Life is Not A To-Do List!
Try not to use these suggestions as another 'to-do' list to be achieved. That will just create more stress. Changes take practice. They don't happen over-night and it can be easy to get disheartened, but little by little, consistency may be achieved and gradually they will become a way of life, especially when you start feeling the benefit with rejuvenating, deep sleep. It is within your reach!
Sweet dreams, Queen!
Till next time,
Ali xxx
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