Welcome to Back to My 5 Day Crash Course for Women - Fitness in Midlife and Beyond!
How was your workout yesterday?
You’re going to love today’s tip. We’re getting some sleep!
Sleep can become more challenging in perimenopause/post-menopause as our hormones change. Some people have trouble falling asleep describing it as a “wired but tired” feeling. And, many of us have trouble staying asleep. I know I fall victim to to this at times when my mind starts thinking at 3:00 am. And, 3:00 am think sessions are never productive! Blood glucose fluctuations as well as hot flashes can also wake us up through the night.
Sleep isn’t just the hours that we’re in bed and asleep but the quality of sleep too. Quality sleep means that we’ve gone through full sleep cycles which include Non-Rem and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. The REM sleep is thought to be our most restorative part of the cycle. A full cycle lasts approximately 90 minutes. REM sleep is really important for our memory and cognitive abilities. Interestingly, the longer we’re asleep, the longer the REM portion is in our sleep cycles.
We all know what it feels like when our sleep quality wasn’t great! We feel groggy and getting through the day is a push. Getting a workout is an even tougher push. And, our muscles may not feel great since the majority of muscle repair happens at night. Sleep is an important piece of training!
Lack of sleep also wreaks havoc with 2 hormones that regulate our appetite. In a nutshell, ghrelin tells our body to eat more. Leptin tells our body to eat less. When we’re tired, ghrelin goes up and leptin goes down. Not exactly the combination that we want. Have you ever wondered why you’re reaching for simple carbs and sugary snacks when you’re tired? Our bodies look for foods to give us a quick burst of energy. Also, when we’re sleep deprived, guess where our bodies like to add extra weight. Yup, the abdominal region. Another reason why we tend to gain weight in our midsection.
Hopefully you’re seeing how all the pieces come together and may help explain how you may be feeling.
I think I can hear you saying, “I’m in on sleep! What can I do to make it happen?”
Get outside in sunlight as early as possible. By this, I mean wake up and go outside to see the sun(if it’s out). This really helps our circadian rhythms.
Eat foods with magnesium foods. Magnesium can help with regulating our sleep, blood glucose, blood pressure, the body’s ability to use Vitamin D, maintain healthy bones as well help with mood and depression. About 30 to 40 % of dietary magnesium is absorbed by the body. The recommended intake for women age 30 and up is 320 mg. A word of caution, don’t run out and buy a high dose supplement. Magnesium in that high dose can cause diarrhea. You’ve been warned.
It’s always best to get it through foods. Dark leafy vegetables like spinach as well as pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almonds, bananas, whole grains, and eggs are good sources.
If hot flashes are waking you up, try eating more phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens have structures that are very similar to endogen estradiol derived from plants and have been shown to help reduce vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes. There are a lot of sources but some are soybeans, flaxseed, garlic, chickpeas, celery, carrots, potatoes, rice, wheat, sweet potatoes, apples, pomegranates and coffee. If you’ve had or have hormone dependent breast cancer and are wondering if these are safe to consume, here is detailed information. In general, soy appears to actually have a beneficial effect in reducing the risk of breast cancer. Unprocessed soy like tofu and edamame are the better sources rather than processed soy like soy protein isolate. But as usual, if you’re concerned, you may want to double check with your doctor.
Stop scrolling for 30 to 60 minutes before bed. No news or anything that raises your stress hormone levels before bed.
Set the mood. Dim the lights 30 to 60 minutes before bed to increase melatonin. Have a cool room.
Don’t forget your workout during the day. This goes a long way in helping us sleep at night.
Try winding down with a 10 minute yoga session or meditation.
I hope some of these tips help you have a high quality sleep tonight!
Let me know if you have any questions!
I’ll see you tomorrow for our last day!
Laurie
Need a review? Check out previous days here.
Day 1 - Reducing the Midsection with SIT