If you’ve been reading these emails thinking:

“I’ve tried the routines. I’ve changed the lights. I’m doing the protein. Why is sleep still so hard?”

this is the layer we need to talk about.

Hormones. Toxic load. And the biochemistry that runs sleep behind the scenes.

Progesterone — the missing calm

Progesterone is nature’s nervous system balm.

It supports GABA, quiets the brain, steadies body temperature, and helps us stay asleep — not just fall asleep.

In perimenopause, ovulation becomes inconsistent, which means:

• less progesterone

• shorter calming windows

• lighter, fragmented sleep

• that “tired but can’t fall asleep” feeling

Your chemistry is shifting. Often, progesterone therapy can be a huge support here. Creams or prescriptions which come in immediate or delayed release can help fill the gap. 

What else is happening?

Estrogen dominance & why nights feel edgy

IIn the beginning stages of perimenopause, estrogen actually rises. It rises in proportion to progesterone because remember, progesterone is declining (which matters) and it builds up because of sluggish detox pathways and (this is important) because of accumulation from products that are full of ingredients that mimic estrogen in our bodies. Estrogen dominance isn’t just “too much estrogen.”

It’s a traffic jam:

• liver detox slowing

• gut not clearing hormones well

• higher cortisol

• environmental and product exposures

This can show up as:

• 2–4 a.m. wake-ups

• racing thoughts

• temperature swings

• anxious sleep

The toxic load piece

Your liver does its heavy processing at night — especially around 1–3 a.m.

When the load is high from:

• alcohol

• medications

• fragrances & chemicals 

• plastics & beauty products

• everyday stress chemistry

the body can release cortisol to keep the job moving — and you wake up.

Reduce the load → support the liver → allow the sleep cycle to finish.

This is where HTMA becomes powerful

Instead of guessing, HTMA lets us see:

• mineral patterns tied to poor sleep

• whether your system is stuck in burnout and high cortisol stress patterns

• how well detox pathways are working including digestion

• what your body uniquely needs first

Balancing minerals supports:

• liver processing

• gut health

• nervous system calm

• hormone resilience

It turns “try everything” into try the right order.

Where BHRT (bio-identical hormone therapy) can fit

For many women, especially with significant progesterone decline, BHRT can be a missing key.

Progesterone (cream or oral) may help:

• calm the nervous system

• improve sleep onset

• reduce night waking

• improve estrogen dominance symptoms

Estrogen support can help with:

• temperature regulation

• circadian rhythm stability

(lots of other things, but those are the sleep pieces).

But hormones work best when the terrain is supported — minerals, liver, gut, nervous system. Imagine you start adding estrogen support, but your system is already struggling to clear false estrogens and metabolize the estrogen you do have? What do you get, further build up and increasing symptoms. You have to lay the foundations. Lifestyle always comes first. Knowing your mineral patterns matters. If your body can’t detox, if your estrogen is already high, you won’t feel the support you’re hoping for from hormone therapy.

Support while you rebuild

• Hugh & Grace morning routine = your foundations → liver + gut + reducing toxic load. This was where I started a little over 2 years ago and I’m still using it today.

• SureSleep → calming bridge while you work on the root issues. My sleep is solid now, but I use this for my 18 & 20 year old sons and I have a number of clients who love it!

• NMN & creatine → daytime resilience when sleep is off so you can feel better on the way to healing. I don’t use these tools today because my sleep is poor, but I do use them for the longevity benefits, energy and enhanced cognitive function.

Tools support.

Lifestyle builds.

Data guides.

It all works together.

Final thought

Sleep in midlife isn’t one problem.

It’s a conversation between hormones, minerals, liver, nervous system, and the world we live in.

And you don’t have to figure it out alone.

I’d love to help you choose your next step

Hit reply and tell me:

👉 Are you curious about HTMA, hormones/BHRT, or lifestyle first?

Or just share what resonated most from this series.  What topic would you be interested in seeing next?

I read every message 💛

— Calie