My Friends.... 
All I can say is that I wish my make-up looked as good as this sleeping beauty's! But this post is less about make-up and more about sleep. 

There is a lot of great advice for those who have difficulty falling asleep. But what about those of us who wake up at 3am for the day? This is Part 1 of a 2-part series on sleep where we begin with a strategy that works wonders for my own 3am wake-up call!
-Carla

Sleep is critical for recovery from our day, our workouts, and life, in general, and is a HUGE issue so for so many, particularly mid-life women.

Some great advice on the basics of good sleep hygiene is readily available in the information abyss:

• Keep your bedroom cool and dark

• Have your last meal at least 2 hours before bedtime

• Turn off the tech (screen time/TV) at least an hour before bedtime

• Create a bedtime routine

• Avoid stimulants after noontime

• Relaxation techniques and meditation can be helpful

• Avoid strenuous exercise before bedtime.

But what if you are like me and have no trouble falling asleep (sometimes with tech in-hand!) but it’s that 3am ill-defined aura that heralds the impending hot flash that wakes me like a bullhorn which then triggers a run of the day’s To-Do list, replaying a disturbing scene from Game of Thrones and about 50 other random thoughts about nothing special… AND that incredibly annoying song that I just can’t get out of my head.

But I found a strategy that beats this more than 90% of the time and, for me, was a game-changer! Check out this clip from my upcoming course, Menopause Health and Fitness Specialist Course set to launch through the MedFit Education Foundation in January 2023 for a quick primer on getting better sleep and my personal strategy to beat that 3am wake-up call.

Note: My course will be replacing the current Menopause Fitness Specialist Course.

So, the take-home message for this strategy is that you need to divert the mind to things other than the spiraling thoughts. So when the thoughts start, I will try any or all of these things to divert my mind away from them:

• Play a song that I like in my head and focus on the song and away from the thoughts

• Meditation and breathwork (I love the Calm app)

• Think of 5 things in your present moment that make you happy and why (ex - I love my pillow because…)