Sleep issues in midlife can make tolerating all the other changes even more difficult.

In my 20s and 30s, I never gave much thought to my sleep. I went to bed. Slept through the night. Woke up to my alarm (ughh) and went on with my day.

If I woke up for some reason in the middle of the night, let's say to use the bathroom, I drfited effortlessly back to sleep, barely remembering that I had even gotten out of bed at all.

In my 40s, I started to have difficulty getting to sleep, staying asleep, and getting back to sleep. Yep...thank you hormones and old habits.

Sleep is a complex thing that I am in no way pretending I understand. Here's my reminder that I am not a medical professional (disclaimer below).

Then who am I to talk about improving your midlife sleep?

I am a fellow midlifer who understands the struggles that women over 40 can face with sleep. I have faced them (still do, at times) and have coached other women in habit formation to improve their sleep.

So, what do I do when I struggle with something?

I find people who know more than I do about it and I see if their advice will help me. You can too, if you are into reading and researching stuff. If not, well, my friend let me share.

In addition to help from your medical provider (please rule out a medical condition), there are evidently a lot of lifestyle changes that might positively affect sleep.

Each one of us is different of course, so what works for me, may not work for you.

Now, well into my 50s, I have discovered the following tips for my own midlife sleep.

Daytime activities matter

It's not only what I do the hour or so before bed that affects my sleep. What I do (or don't do) in the day matters. When I watch what, when, and how much I eat, this helps. Avoiding caffeine late in the day helps. Taking breaks in the day to stop and breathe and relax seems to help me sleep better. Getting morning sunlight and fresh air is also a good sleep tip for me. 

Good sleep hygiene

When I have a simple bedtime routine, I can more easily fall asleep.  Keeping my bedroom cool and dark, and doing some relaxing activities before bed works for me. Some women report that stopping screen time before bed helps their sleep.

Exercise 

Moving my body by walking, stretching, or lifting weights is something I feel helps me sleep better. 

Calming the mind chatter at 3:00 a.m.

The biggest obstacle I face, is calming my mind enough to fall back asleep. I wake up and my mind starts planning my day, or revisiting the previous day, or whatever seems to be happening in my life or my family's lives. Then, I start telling myself that little story of "oh no, I always have trouble getting back to sleep. I am going to be so tired now..." blah, blah, blah, right? I can talk myselff out of going back to sleep. This is one reason I have worked on mindlfullness and meditation. Learning to tame my mind chatter at 3:00 a.m. has helped me get back to sleep by telling myself a new "story" when I wake up.

Consistent bedtime

I try to go to bed around the same time every night and wake up around the same time, even on the weekends. I know my body is used to an early to bed, early to rise cycle. I guard this pretty heavily. Also, it takes a lot to get me out of the house after dark and into a bra again!

Taking the right approach when trying these tips

None of these tips will work, if you can't stick with them long enough to see results. That's where learning how to take small steps to habit formation is key. But, no one teaches us how to do this in our busy lives.

Until now! 

The Midlife Guide will teach you how to thrive using my simple and proven process as a habit trained coach. It's what I use when I want to make a lifestyle change and what I teach in my programs. This guide is a free resource I want you to have so you can stop wasting time trying to make changes in a way that doesn't work. We've all done it wrong for years.

Take it from a habit trianed coach, there's a better way to a better midlife!

Get your FREE Midlife Guide below.

Your Midlife Coach,

-Cathy

Certified Habit Trained Health & Life Coach