First of all…HEY! How’s it going!? I have not written in forever, but … 2026 has really been a heck of a ride so far. My whole family started the new year with about 10 days of the flu – we read Harry Potter, watched tons of movies (including the live action Lilo & Stitch, which I’m just going to go ahead and recommend to everyone, because it is hysterical and amazing) and listened to podcasts, but blog writing was not in the top priorities.
February and March brought stomach flus, the school talent show (which Ella was in and I helped organize), SO many play rehearsals for Ella’s spring musical and about 1M Boy Scout events for Linus. But still no blog posts. UNTIL NOW. The play is finally over (it was this past weekend and our little orphan just did a fabulous job in Annie Jr.) and the weather is starting to turn for the better here in Charlotte, so I conjured up a little free time to write about a timely topic.
The pollen count is high and the weather is wholly unpredictable, so we MUST have just gone through daylight savings time! That makes it the perfect time to talk about sleep, which as you all know, is a favorite topic of mine. I covered this topic a little over a year ago, and in that time, I’ve developed some new tips and tricks that I want to share. There are, however, still some things that prevail from my last set of recommendations, which I’ll include below.
The Turning Point
For women in their early 40’s, sleep can be a land mine. Early wake ups, insomnia, inability to fall asleep in the first place … it never ends! I surely miss the days when I could sleep anywhere, any time – including on a friend’s floor in college while people partied all around me. I’ve come to accept that at this stage in my life, trying to live my best sleep life means putting in a decent amount of effort. There are still times where my sleep scores are not as high as I’d like, but I’ve been able to make a noticeable difference in the past few months with the tweaks I’ll share below. There doesn’t seem to be any ONE magic bullet. It’s several levers and pulleys that need adjusting frequently. Maybe some of them will work for you!
1. The Unsexy Game-Changer: Fiber
Yes. This is not new. Fiber is the new “it” wellness trend of 2026. But with good reason. It helps with a lot of stuff! Not the least which, for me, has been my sleep. When I track, and get at least 30g/day, my sleep is vastly improved. This is something that has been studied (see here on CNET) and proven (see here from Ohio State University). It helps regulate blood sugar, which is linked to melatonin production, for one thing. But perhaps more importantly, fiber helps improve overall gut health, which is also linked with better sleep.
I won’t lie – despite doing this every day for months on end, I still struggle to get fiber in some days. The food that have the best concentration of it are not always my faves, but here are some foods I consume regularly to hit my totals:
-black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans
-hummus
-raw kale
-berries
-whole wheat sourdough (I make this myself!)
-whole wheat pasta
-quinoa
-brown rice
-apples
-broccoli
-peas
-green beans
-cereal (specifically, this one with wheat bran, millet and more)
It’s helped out with a variety of other things in my life (including hormonal headaches!), so I highly recommend this tactic. It’s worth the effort.
2. Protein (Yes, I Know… But It Has Helped!)
I find myself rolling my eyes every time I listen to a wellness podcast and the guest talks about the importance of protein. Yes! We all know. Protein helps build muscle, blah blah blah. Well, it turns out, it also helps me sleep better! It helps repair and recover your muscles, which in turn, means a calmer nervous system overnight. It also helps regulate blood sugar, which as above in the fiber example, is linked to melatonin production. I’m still experimenting a bit with the quantity I need, because I for sure do not agree with needing to get 1g per lb of bodyweight. For me, it seems like if I get between 115-120g per day, I’m usually in pretty good shape, sleep wise. Which then helps keep my strength training on track, which then helps with my sleep. It’s a non-vicious cycle!
I don’t really care for protein powder. I will use it on occasion, when desperate times call for it (and during those times, I use Transparent Labs), but I try to build up to my daily totals with as many whole foods as possible, including:
-ground beef (we eat a LOT of that at our house)
-chicken
-tuna
-yogurt
-cottage cheese
-pork
-beans + quinoa combo
-eggs
People always talk on these podcasts about how you should try to spread protein out evenly throughout all your meals. I do NOT do a great job of eating protein at breakfast (I usually have 2-3 eggs, which is only about 15g). I just make up for it later at lunch and dinner. Probably not optimal, but that’s how it works for me!
3. My Wind-Down Routine (This Was the Biggest Shift)
This has been the part I’ve experimented with the most. I’m sure what I describe below will not happen every day from here on out (especially during swim team season when we have practice every day until 715pm!), but I will do as much of it as I can to the best of my ability whenever possible. These are all the signals to my body that the day is over where I can lower stimulation gradually (not abruptly).
What I actually do
I kick the whole thing off with a warm evening shower around 630pm – even if I’ve already showered that day. Just a quick five minute rinse in soft lighting (instead of turning on the overhead lights, I turn this Himalayan Salt Lamp night light on!). I use this body wash with Epsom Salts and minerals – it has the most relaxing scent.
After my shower, I get everything ready for bed so I don’t have to “wake myself up” doing it all right before I have to go to sleep later on. I floss and brush my teeth, “do my skincare” (I put this in quotes because it’s about two steps – not super in depth) and put on some of this magnesium body butter. I prep my sleep environment by filling up my diffuser with these deliciously scented bedtime oils and readjusting my all time favorite weighted blanket (it’s amazing, but falls crooked, falling off my bed every night as I roll back and forth).
After all this, I try to spend 10 minutes journaling, but that doesn’t always happen. When I have about an hour left before bedtime, I take my magnesium/L-Theanine supplement and have a mug of Sleepy Time Tea. I spend the last ten minutes before bed listening so music from the Calm app and meditating.
4. Consistency > Everything
I mentioned this before, but it’s still true. Keeping the same bedtime and wake up, even over the weekend, is KEY. It was tough for me, because I liked to stay up later on the weekends and sleep in. Now, I try to limit the slide to 30 minutes or less. My sleep score heavily rewards this behavior, as there is a specific “consistency” score that feeds into the overall score.
5. The “Boring” Habits That Made a Huge Difference
It’s not fun or sexy, but here are just a few things I’ve noticed that make a difference (ie: when I don’t do them, my sleep absolutely suffers!).
Hydration
I try to drink about a gallon per day (meaning, I fill up this 40oz Owala at least three times. On days where I’ve sweated a lot, I WILL add electrolytes, but really … I just try to salt my food a little more because I’ve heard mixed reviews about the efficacy of electrolyte packets. That being said, if you get bored with drinking plain water, these packets can be a fun, not too disruptive way to punch it up.
Morning sunlight
Andrew Huberman got me started, but now it’s everywhere and everyone is talking about it. Getting raw, unfiltered sunlight in your eyes each morning helps reset circadian rhythm and if I ever have the time, getting those wavelengths in your eyes right before sunset can also help. Being outside is good for your sleep, I’ve found. One reason why I sleep so soundly on our beach vacations!
Stop eating 3 hours before bed
Digestion is surprisingly disruptive to sleep. Sometimes, I don’t have a choice, but when I do, I try to stop eating by 6pm if possible. Hence why I brush my teeth in the evening wind down routine around 630pm.
Daily meditation (morning)
As part of my cool down routine from working out each day (see below), I end with 10 minutes of meditation and breathing exercises. It sets a good baseline for the day and allows me to transition from hectic to NOT. I also try to do breathing exercises to calming music about 3-4 times more throughout the day for five minutes each to maintain that presence and calm.
Smarter workouts
As I get older, it’s become clear that my workouts need two things: Longer warm-ups + cool-downs. I do mobility, stretching, dynamic stretching, etc. If I’m doing a high intensity cardio workout, I’ll take 10-15 minutes to cool down and GRADUALLY bring my heart rate a little bit at a time. If my system stays taxed all day after a workout, it DEFINITELY bleeds into my sleep. Generally, I try not to stack high intensity workout days OR go too hard in the gym on weeks where I have a lot going on with parenting or work. It just all adds up!
This can all become obsessive quickly (and I won’t deny that most people would probably consider my preoccupation obsessive), so I share it not to induce anxiety, but more to provide some resources of things that have helped me – they might help you too! If you only try one or two things and it makes a difference? Huge win. I’d love to hear in the comments if you have:
- Any ideas you have tried that I didn’t share here
- Any that you HAVE tried and how they work for you
- Any that were maybe new to you that you are excited to try
SOUND OFF!
Less & More: The WFH Mom Edit 
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