How to get a good nights sleep

You can eat perfectly all day, skip the wine, resist the biscuits, and still not lose an ounce. Frustrating, isn't it? Nine times out of ten, when a woman tells me this, I ask her one question: "How's your sleep?"

And almost every time, the answer is some version of "terrible."

Sleep doesn't get nearly enough credit in the weight loss conversation, but if you're waking at 3am, tossing and turning, or lying there wide awake wondering why on earth you're not tired, it could be quietly sabotaging everything else you're doing.

The sleep and weight connection nobody explains properly

When you're short on sleep, your body produces more cortisol (your stress hormone) and more ghrelin (your hunger hormone), while dialling down leptin, the hormone that tells you you're full. The result? You wake up genuinely hungrier, craving sugar and carbs, because your body is desperately looking for quick energy.

On top of that, poor sleep makes your cells less sensitive to insulin, meaning your body has to produce more of it to deal with the same meal. And here's the important bit: high insulin makes it much harder for your body to access and burn stored fat. Blood sugar and weight loss and sleep are all tangled up together, not separate issues.

Why eating late is often the hidden culprit

A big dinner or a sugary pudding late in the evening sends your blood sugar up right when your body should be winding down. That spike is followed by a dip, which can trigger a stress response and wake you in the small hours, often with your heart racing or your mind suddenly wide awake for no obvious reason.

Add in perimenopausal night sweats and a racing "3am brain," and you've got the perfect storm for broken sleep, high cortisol, and stubborn weight, all feeding into each other in a horrible loop.

Small changes that make a real difference

1. Give yourself a 3-hour buffer before bed.

Try to finish eating at least a couple of hours before you turn in, so your blood sugar has time to settle before your head hits the pillow.

2. Balance your evening meal.

A dinner with protein, fibre and some healthy fat will release energy far more steadily than a carb-heavy plate, keeping blood sugar (and cortisol) calmer overnight.

3. Create a proper wind-down.

Dim the lights, put the phone down, and give your body clear signals that it's time to slow down. It sounds simple, almost too simple, but it genuinely helps regulate the hormones that control both sleep and appetite.

We tackle this properly inside The Feel Fabulous Club

Sleep and hormone balance are a core part of the Feel Fabulous Method, because I refuse to talk about weight loss without talking about sleep, they're simply not separate conversations after 40. Inside the Club you'll get guidance on evening routines and blood sugar balance, plus the accountability and support to actually stick with it, not just know it in theory.