Counting sheep quit on you?

If you’re over 40 and struggling with sleep - lying awake at night, waking too early, or dragging through the day despite “sleeping enough” - you’re not alone.

Poor sleep is one of the most common complaints I hear from women who step through my online clinic door. And it’s not just frustrating, poor sleep directly worsens inflammation, hormone balance, and immune health.

So what’s really going on here?

Let’s break it down. 

Sleep issues after 40 often stem from a combination of these five root causes:

1. Hormone shifts

As oestrogen and progesterone levels decline in your 40s and beyond, your sleep architecture changes. These hormones play a key role in relaxing the nervous system and regulating body temperature. That’s why many women experience night sweats, insomnia, or early waking.

2. Cortisol imbalance

If you feel wired but tired at night, or crash hard mid-afternoon, your stress hormone (cortisol) rhythm may be off. Chronic stress, inflammation, and blood sugar imbalances all disrupt the natural sleep-wake cycle.

3. Blood sugar swings

Low blood sugar at night can trigger cortisol spikes, waking you up between 2-4 am. Many women I see in the clinic are unknowingly eating in a way that keeps this vicious cycle going.

4. Inflammation

Inflammatory chemicals like cytokines can interfere with your brain’s ability to enter deep, restorative sleep. If you live with autoimmunity, your immune system is often on “high alert,” which keeps your body in fight-or-flight mode, even during the night.

5. Gut & liver overload

Poor gut health and sluggish liver detox can contribute to sleep disturbances - especially if you wake up hot, anxious, or wired between 1–3am. That’s your liver time, according to both functional medicine and traditional systems like Chinese medicine.

What Can You Do About It?

The key is to treat sleep like a symptom, not the problem. 

When we address the underlying drivers, sleep improves naturally.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Balance blood sugar in the evening

Unstable blood sugar can trigger a 2am cortisol spike that wakes you up with a racing mind or pounding heart.

Try this:

• Eat a protein-rich dinner (e.g., salmon, quinoa, steamed greens, olive oil).
• Avoid alcohol, refined carbs, and fruit juice late in the day.
• If you wake in the night, a small bedtime snack (e.g., almond butter on a rice cake or a boiled egg) can help stabilise blood sugar overnight.

Calm an overactive nervous system

Chronic inflammation keeps your body in fight-or-flight mode, which blocks melatonin and deep sleep.

Try this:

• Unplug from screens 60–90 minutes before bed.
• Do 10 minutes of deep breathing, legs-up-the-wall, or gentle yin yoga.
• Consider herbs like passionflower, lemon balm, or magnesium glycinate to support GABA (your “calm down” neurotransmitter).

Support cortisol rhythm (your internal clock)

Cortisol should be high in the morning and low at night, but stress, inflammation, and poor sleep flip that rhythm.

Try this:

• Get bright natural light within 30 minutes of waking.
• Avoid caffeine after 2pm.
• At night, dim the lights, and try ashwagandha or phosphatidylserine to lower evening cortisol (only if tested high or symptoms point that way).

Reduce inflammation with the right nutrients

Inflammation disrupts your ability to reach deep sleep stages. It’s a key piece for autoimmune women.

Try this:

• Include daily omega-3s (wild salmon, flax, or a quality EPA/DHA supplement).
• Add turmeric or curcumin with black pepper for anti-inflammatory support.
• Focus on a gut-healing diet: minimise gluten, dairy, ultra-processed foods.

Support liver & detox pathways

If you’re waking hot, anxious, or restless between 1–3 am, your liver may be overloaded.

Try this:

• Eat bitter greens (rocket, chicory, dandelion) and cruciferous veg (broccoli, cauliflower) daily.
• Add herbs like milk thistle or artichoke leaf extract to aid gentle detox.
• Drink a warm herbal tea (like chamomile + dandelion root) after dinner instead of wine.

A final word:

There’s no single fix for sleep after 40, especially with autoimmune or inflammatory issues - but there is a path when we support the whole system.

Sleep improves when your body feels safe, nourished, and regulated.
And that’s where functional nutrition shines.

You deserve to wake up rested. Let’s get you there.

If finding your way through the labyrinth of your health feels overwhelming, and you’d love someone to do all the thinking, planning, and strategising for you — my team and I are here, with our clinical experience, sharp analytical minds and compassionate hearts, ready to support your every health and wellbeing need.

Book your discovery call here