Why You’re Not Sleeping — And The Morning Routine That Can Fix It
Sleep is the cornerstone of health, wellbeing, and even radiant skin — yet so many of us struggle with it. Since posting my last sleep video, it’s become clear that midlife women in particular are experiencing poor sleep — whether it’s falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking exhausted.
If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. And the good news? Sleep can be retrained.
Why We Stop Sleeping
There are many reasons why sleep might escape us:
Stress and lifestyle pressures – work, family, or constant multitasking.
Hormonal changes – menopause, perimenopause, or fluctuating oestrogen and progesterone levels.
Health issues and medication – chronic conditions, medications, or recovery from illness.
Emotional challenges – grief, divorce, redundancy, children leaving home, or trauma.
Nervous system overload – anxiety, overthinking, or simply not knowing how to wind down.
Lifestyle habits – too much caffeine, lack of movement, irregular routines, or excessive screen time.
When your body doesn’t feel safe or grounded, it can’t fully relax — and that directly affects your sleep.
Quality sleep is not just about feeling rested. It allows your body to repair tissues, regulate hormones, consolidate memory, detoxify the brain, and reset your nervous system. Without it, cortisol stays elevated, inflammation increases, cravings spike, and skin repair slows.
How to Reset Your Sleep With a Morning Routine
Believe it or not, sleep starts the moment you wake up. The way you begin your day sets the stage for how your nervous system, hormones, and energy patterns will flow — and directly impacts your ability to rest at night.
Here’s my go-to morning reset routine for better sleep:
1. Wake Up at the Same Time Every Day
Consistency anchors your circadian rhythm. Even after a poor night’s sleep, avoid long lie-ins — predictability trains your body to sleep better.
2. Keep Your Phone Off
The first thing you see in the morning shouldn’t be emails, social media, or news. These spike cortisol and activate stress before your body has even fully woken.
3. Hydrate Immediately
Start with a mug of warm water to replenish fluids. Add ginger, mint, or lemon for digestion, electrolytes, and gentle liver support. Hydration kickstarts circulation, lymphatic flow, and brain clarity.
4. Expose Yourself to Natural Light
Step outside or look out of a window for 5–15 minutes. Morning sunlight resets your circadian rhythm, suppresses melatonin in the morning so it rises at night, and tells your brain “it’s daytime.” This improves sleep onset and quality.
5. Morning Movement
Gentle movement — shaking, swaying, tapping, or stroking your arms and legs — helps discharge residual stress. More intense activity like dancing, running, or yoga boosts circulation and sleep pressure for the evening.
6. Journal Your Thoughts
While your brain is still in the hypnopompic state (the transitional state from sleep to wakefulness), jot down thoughts or dreams. This clears mental clutter, reduces rumination, and helps prevent nighttime overthinking.
7. Delay Caffeine by 60 Minutes
Cortisol naturally peaks shortly after waking. Drinking coffee immediately can disrupt your natural rhythm, increase dependency, and make sleep harder later.
8. Eat a High-Protein Breakfast
Especially for midlife women, protein stabilizes blood sugar, reduces cortisol spikes, prevents mid-morning crashes, supports muscle mass, and helps regulate energy levels. Balanced blood sugar = better sleep later.
Final Thoughts
Sleep isn’t a luxury — it’s a vital reset for your mind, body, and spirit. By creating a morning routine that supports your nervous system and circadian rhythm, you give your body the tools it needs to rest, repair, and restore.
✨ Keep an eye out — I’ll soon be launching a 21 Day Sleep Reset, a step-by-step program to retrain your body, regulate your nervous system, and restore deep, consistent sleep.
Because when your mornings are intentional, your nights follow — and you deserve to wake up feeling clear, calm, and truly rested.
