When Sleep Changes in Perimenopause: Designing Your Day Around Your Biolog
I’ve always been someone who prioritises sleep.
Eight to nine hours has always been my normal. If I had a rough night, I could usually catch up with a nap during the day and carry on as usual.
But lately I’ve noticed something shifting.
As I move through the perimenopausal years, my sleep doesn’t bounce back the way it used to. A short night now really affects me my energy, my focus, and especially my hunger signals. And I’ve also noticed that daytime naps, which used to be easy for me, are much harder to achieve.
The other morning I woke up at 4:30am. After a couple of rough nights with my daughter and some late bedtimes, it definitely wasn’t the plan.
But instead of fighting it, I decided to design my day around the reality of where my body was at.
Sleep and Your Hunger Hormones
One of the first things that changes when sleep is poor is your appetite regulation.
When sleep is low, our hormones change the conversation.
Ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates hunger rises (gets louder)
Leptin, the hormone that signals fullness drops (goes quiet)
The result? You feel hungrier, crave quick energy, and it becomes much easier to snack your way through the day.
If I didn’t understand that biology, this could easily have turned into a day of chasing energy through food.
Not because of lack of willpower.
Because my physiology would have been pushing me there.
Designing My Day Instead of Reacting to It
Understanding that biology allows you to make intentional decisions instead of reacting to every signal your body sends when it’s under pressure.
So I made a few simple adjustments.
I started the day with a solid protein breakfast, about 60 grams to help stabilise my appetite and support blood sugar.
I reduced my usual movement for the day, recognising that my energy was lower and my body needed a bit more recovery.
I was more deliberate about when I would eat rather than grazing throughout the day.
And I focused on giving my body the chance to reset instead of constantly responding to those louder hunger signals.
Health Isn’t About Willpower
This is something I talk about a lot with my coaching clients.
Health isn’t about having endless willpower.
It’s about understanding your physiology and designing your environment and your decisions to work with your biology, not against it.
Some days that means pushing yourself.
Other days like after a poor night of sleep it means adjusting the plan.
And that’s not failure.
That’s self-awareness.
Sometimes the most supportive thing you can do for your health is simply acknowledge:
Today my body needs a different plan, and that’s okay.
