Sleep 🌙 A-Z of Strategies that Work Like a Dream

Science-backed solutions to your sleep struggles that really work

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• Why sleep is so vitally important to… well, everything!

• Your Better Sleep Fast Track + Roadmap + Cheat Sheet

• The Ultimate A-Z of Sleep —simple, impactful strategies to start transforming your sleep right away

• Interactive A-Z of Sleep: Strategies Tracker

Sleep is the Swiss Army knife of health. When sleep is deficient, there is sickness and disease. When sleep is abundant, there is vitality and energy.
— MATTHEW WALKER, Neuroscientist

It’s time to get the sleep we need, and deserve!

If there's one truth I've learned on this journey beyond 50, it's this: sleep is everything—I’d go as far as to say it’s the very foundations of our health, happiness, and all things “doing life”.

I have to admit, I learned this the hard way. For too long, I was reckless with my sleep. I didn't set boundaries. I sacrificed quality sleep on the altar of constant output—it was a hamster wheel of diminishing returns.

Waking up to the power of sleep changed everything for me. I’m not saying I’m perfect, but what I am is aware: sleep is my anchor. I know what works for me, after years of refining my strategy, based on the science.

I also know that when life gets chaotic, when hormones fluctuate, when stress mounts—I know that a good night's sleep is often the difference between thriving and the potential for running off the road.

The box of tricks you’ll find here in Part 1 of this 2-part Better Sleep series, is honed from years of reading sleep studies and insights from the experts. It also captures learnings from my own personal battle with sleep demons—with thanks to midlife hormones and 28 years of constant magazine deadlines.

The Ultimate A-Z of Sleep in Part 1, and the Complete Sleep Toolkit in Part 2 represents everything I wish someone had given me years ago. It's practical, science-backed, and designed for women who know reclaiming their sleep can mean reclaiming their power.

All the way, I’ll be bringing my philosophy that the road to a great night’s sleep can be just as delicious as the destination.

50-70% of women over 50 struggle with their sleep—there’s a good chance you’re one of them…

Is it any surprise that women in midlife consistently rank sleep disturbances as their most disruptive and frustrating health concern, even above hot flushes aka hot flashes and weight changes?

Experts agree. Fluctuating hormones, chronic stress, physical discomfort, and changing brain chemistry can make nighttimes feel like a battlefield.

The impacts are enormous, running the gamut from constant fatigue, heightened stress levels and compromised immune function, to mood disturbances and strained relationships.

Almost every body system is impacted by poor sleep, including your metabolism, brain health, cardiovascular function, inflammatory response, and cellular repair. And let's not forget your heightened risks of accidents of all kinds—women with chronic sleep issues are nearly three times more likely to experience falls, driving incidents, and workplace accidents.

Let's start fixing all that, right here, right now.

Sleep and Your Joyspan

We’ve mentioned the dangers of not getting enough sleep. But what about the upside of good sleep habits that deliver that science-backed ideal of 7-8 hours of daily sleep?

It turns out the benefits are enormous — as you can see below—across all eight compass points on the Joyspan Compass.

🎯 Boss Your Body

Repairs tissues, balances blood sugar, reduces inflammation (aka inflammaging), strengthens your immune system, and supports heart health—all crucial systems that become more vulnerable after 50.

🧠 Nurture Your Neurons

Clears harmful proteins from your brain, significantly reducing dementia risk while supporting memory and your day-to-day thinking.

🏃‍♀️Move It

Enhances energy, muscle recovery, and coordination, making movement more appealing and enjoyable.

🥗 Prime Your Plate

Regulates hunger hormones that often become dysregulated during menopause, reducing cravings for inflammatory foods and supporting better nutritional choices.

⚖️ Optimize Your Hormones

Supports your endocrine system during hormonal transitions, helping to moderate the severity of symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings that can disrupt daily life.

💤 Sleep Sweetly

Establishes brain patterns that support consistent sleep rhythms, creating a positive cycle where you rest more deeply even when hormones try to interfere.

🌱 Cultivate Peace

Reduces stress hormone production in your body, creating the mental clarity needed for mindfulness and emotional balance.

🤗 Thrive Together

Improves your emotional regulation and patience, helping you steer through hormonal fluctuations. Sleeps many benefits to cognition also support social interactions in both the short and long term.

The Better Sleep Fast Track

There’s so much ahead to help you reset your sleep, but let’s get you on the road right away with a nifty little fast track. This gets you on the road with some solid sleep transformers, right away—starting today!

Meet The “10-3-2-1-0” Daily Sleep Optimiser. Think of it as your science-backed runway into a good night’s sleep.

Here’s how it works:

😴 10 hours before bed: Cut caffeine. (See Caffeine)

😴 3 hours before bed: Cut food and alcohol. (See Alcohol and Dinner Timing)

😴 2 hours before bed: Cut work. (See The Zero Zone)

😴 1 hour before bed: Cut screens. (See Unplug)

😴 0 hours before bed: Maximise darkness. (See Light Control)

The Better Sleep Fast Track is Roadmap #3 of the Joyful Resilience Project, bringing you simple, high impact ideas to grow calm and resilience in uncertain times.

A FAST TRACK ROADMAP FOR BETTER SLEEP

Here’s your printable CHEAT SHEET download:

The 10 3 2 1 0 Rule

129KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

The Ultimate A-Z of Better Sleep

Your personal revolution of reclaiming restful nights starts here.

This A-Z of Better Sleep is a compilation and comprehensive guide to leading strategies from the many branches of sleep science.

It’s curated with a special lens on the sleep challenges of women 50+. But if that’s not you, keep reading! These strategies and ideas apply to everyone.

Dip in, select strategies that resonate with your personal sleep challenges. Then test drive at your own pace.

This is not one-size-fits-all. Not every solution works for everyone. Your best approach is to experiment until you find the personal sleep formula that really works for you.

Remember: Your body needs time to adjust to new routines, so be patient. Give each strategy a fair chance before moving on—ideally over a few nights or for up to a week. Take your time, and honour your progress, no matter how gradual.

A

Alcohol

Cut alcohol at least 3 hours before sleep. Studies show even moderate consumption reduces REM sleep by 24% and worsens sleep quality.

💡 Try this tonight: Replace your evening wine with a calming herbal tea like chamomile or valerian.

B

Bed Basics

Invest in a mattress that's replaced every 8 years and pillows every 1-2 years for proper support.

C

Caffeine

Eliminate caffeine 10 hours before bed. For women 50+, caffeine stays in your system much longer—half the caffeine you consume at 3pm is still active at 10pm.

D

Dinner Timing

Finish meals 3 hours before bedtime. Late eating keeps your digestive system active when your body should be winding down, and raises your core temperature when it should be dropping for sleep.

💡 Try this tonight: If you're hungry near bedtime, try a small protein snack like a spoonful of nut butter or a few almonds.

E

Exercise

Aim for 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. Studies show regular exercisers fall asleep 55% faster and spend 18% more time in deep sleep, but avoid vigourous workouts within 2 hours of bedtime—they raise your body temperature and stress hormones when both should be falling.

F

Foot Bath

A warm foot bath 30-60 minutes before bed can improve how quickly you fall asleep by 15 minutes. The slight rise then fall in body temperature signals sleep readiness.

💡 Try this tonight: Add a few drops of lavender oil to your footbath for enhanced relaxation.

G

Get Up

If you can't fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and do something calming (like reading something soothing) in dim light until you feel sleepy again.

H

Hypnosis

Self-hypnosis techniques reduce the time it takes to fall asleep by 66% and improve sleep quality.

For a simple starting point, repeat slowly in your mind, with each out breath “I'm getting sleepier". This works with your subconscious mind to guide your body toward sleep naturally, especially when hormonal changes might be affecting your normal sleep patterns.

💡 Try this tonight: As you lie down, imagine descending a staircase where each step takes you deeper into relaxation.

I

Intentions

A pre-sleep ritual sets your intention, sending a clear signal to your brain that rest is coming. Studies show consistent bedtime routines improve sleep quality by 28%.

As part of your ritual, consider including preparation for M-Morning Sunshine which also sets you up for the following night’s sleep.

Once in bed, take 3 minutes for breathing or visualisation exercises. For a toolkit of options, also see Hypnosis, Quiet Mind, Relaxation Techniques, Visualisation and Yoga Nidra.

J

Joy Journaling

Using your journal, reflect on three positive moments from your day. This reduces pre-sleep anxiety and increases feelings of security. Research shows positive reflection improves sleep efficiency by 12%.

💡 Try this tonight: Mentally replay your three happiest moments from today in vivid detail.

K

Kindness Practice

Research shows self-compassion before bed reduces sleep-disrupting negative thoughts by 30%. Taking a moment to be gentle with yourself creates emotional calm and signals to your body that it's safe to rest. Women who practice bedtime self-compassion report falling asleep 18 minutes faster than those who ruminate on shortcomings.

L

Light Control

Dim lights 90 minutes before bed and ensure your bedroom is completely dark. Exposure to bright light, and blue light (from phones, tablets and computers), blocks your body's natural sleep hormone production by up to 50%.

💡 Try this tonight: Eye masks improve sleep quality by up to 40%. Heated eye masks offer dual benefits—blocking light while relaxing the eye area through gentle warmth.

M

Morning Sunlight

Get 10-30 minutes of morning sunlight within an hour of waking. This resets your body clock and increases your natural sleep hormone production at night by up to 105%, helping you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
(For more about how to maximise your morning, see The Morning Reset).

N

Noise Control

Use earplugs or sound machines that create gentle background sounds. Even your sleeping partner's breathing can cause up to 21 brief disruptions per hour without you realising it. Many people now use smartphone apps that play continuous gentle sounds like rainfall or fan noises.

O

Olfactory Cues

Your sense of smell (the olfactory system) directly connects to brain regions controlling sleep. Studies have found that lavender essential oil improves sleep quality by 20%. Create a consistent bedtime scent ritual to train your brain that it's time to sleep.

💡 Try this tonight: Place a drop of lavender essential oil on your pillow or use a diffuser.

P

Pressure Points

Gentle acupressure on specific points reduces the time taken to fall asleep by 8 minutes according to clinical trials. Try pressing the inner wrist (three finger-widths below your palm) or the webbing between your thumb and index finger for 2-3 minutes before bed.

Q

Quiet Mind

Practice the 4-7-8 breathing technique (inhale for the count of 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8). This can activate your body's relaxation response in as little as 60 seconds, shifting you from alert mode to rest mode.

💡 Try this tonight: Do three complete 4-7-8 breathing cycles right after getting into bed.

R

Release Tension

Gradually tightening and releasing each muscle group from toes to head reduces stress hormone levels by 14% and improves sleep quality. This progressive muscle relaxation signals your body that it's safe to rest deeply.

S

Sleep Schedule

Go to bed and wake up at the same times every day—including weekends. Inconsistent sleep patterns increase sleep troubles by 3.5x for women over 50.

T

Temperature

Aim for a bedroom temperature between 18-20°C. Studies show this range helps you both fall asleep quickly and stay asleep throughout the night.

💡 Try this tonight: If your room is warmer than ideal, try sleeping with just a sheet or using a fan.

U

Unplug

Avoid doing work and using screens 60 minutes before bed. The blue light from devices delays your natural sleep hormone release by approximately 3 hours, making it much harder to fall asleep.

V

Visualisation

Picture calming scenes in your mind for 10 minutes before sleep. Research shows this simple mental practice improves sleep quality by 30% in menopausal women. Try imagining yourself in a peaceful place like a beach or garden, engaging all your senses in the scene.

💡 Try this tonight: Apps like Calm or Headspace offer guided visualisations, or simply create your own peaceful mental landscape.

W

Weight Watch

A healthy weight supports better sleep. Studies suggest women carrying extra weight have 2.5x higher rates of breathing interruptions and disturbed sleep patterns.

X

X-Training

Include different types of movement throughout your week. Studies show women who mix various exercises (combining walking, strength training, and stretching) report 27% better sleep quality than those doing just one type of exercise. This variety helps balance your hormones and energy systems for better sleep.

Y

Yoga Nidra

This "yogic sleep" practice is a guided meditation done lying down that increases deep sleep by 14% and helps you fall asleep 16 minutes faster. You stay awake but enter a deeply restful state between wakefulness and sleep.

💡 Try this tonight: Search "Yoga Nidra for sleep" on YouTube or try the Insight Timer app for free guided sessions.

Z

The Zero Zone

Create a 2-hour buffer before bed with zero work, zero difficult thoughts and conversations. This allows your stress hormones to drop by 50%, preparing your body and mind for sleep.

Still can’t sleep? Stay calm.

Even as out sleep improves, there will always be times when, even despite our best approach, we’ll still find ourselves awake. When this happens, stay at peace, and remind yourself that all is not lost. Research shows calm resting, eyes closed, can provide up to 60% of the restorative benefits of actual sleep. Just knowing this often decreases sleep anxiety, making natural sleep more likely.

Share Your journey: What works for you?

Drop a note in the Comments, below, to let us know which of these strategies work for you. Or maybe you have your own approach and ritual—how do you achieve that elusive magic of a great night's sleep.

Let's support each other in finally getting the rest we all deserve!

Sleep is the best meditation.

THE DALAI LAMA

DON’T MISS PART 2 OF THE BETTER SLEEP SERIES:

Your 4-Week Sleep Reset

A build-your-own-adventure personalised program to a good night’s sleep!