Perimenopause doesn't just disrupt sleep — it restructures it. Declining progesterone removes a natural brain sedative called allopregnanolone. Erratic estrogen fragments deep sleep and triggers night sweats that cause micro-arousals you may not remember. A 2023 meta-analysis found insomnia is the most prevalent menopausal symptom globally. Cathy covers the science of what's happening to your sleep architecture, CBT-I evidence, magnesium, and what actually helps.

If you've been lying awake at 3am wondering why your sleep fell apart in your 40s, the answer isn't stress or aging — it's your hormones. Estrogen and progesterone have been running your sleep system for decades. When they start to fluctuate in perimenopause, everything unravels. Here's what's actually happening in your body, what the research says works, and what I've tried myself — honestly.