The Midlife Reset: Sleep, Strength & Joyful Living for Women 50+

The Midlife Reset: Sleep, Strength & Joyful Living for Women 50+
Podcast Description
Welcome! This podcast is about real life for real women who want to make real change in their fifties and beyond. I'm Cheryl Gordon and I educate midlife women on how to sleep better, lose weight and feel stronger using the tools of yoga and mindfulness. cherylgordonyt.substack.com
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Centers on health and wellness for midlife women, discussing topics like metabolism changes, weight management strategies, and hormone health, with episodes such as 'Why You’re Gaining Weight in Midlife (And How to Fix It!)' and 'Metabolism Over 40: Why “Eat Less, Move More” Doesn’t Work.'

Welcome! This podcast is about real life for real women who want to make real change in their fifties and beyond. I’m Cheryl Gordon and I educate midlife women on how to sleep better, lose weight and feel stronger using the tools of yoga and mindfulness.

My clients always ask me: ‘Why can’t I fall asleep even when I’m exhausted?’ And my answer always surprises them: ‘Let’s talk about your morning.’
Because believe it or not, your sleep struggles don’t start at bedtime… They start the moment you wake up.
Welcome to the Midlife Reset podcast with Cheryl Gordon. I’m excited to show you how to sleep better, feel stronger and lose weight using the tools of yoga and mindfulness. Because a good night’s sleep is crucial to all these things.
Yes—what you do in your first waking hour sets the stage for how easily you’ll fall asleep and how deeply you’ll rest that night.
Today, we’ll explore
* The role of morning light
* How to set your energy tone for the day
* What to eat (and avoid) at breakfast
* Why your circadian rhythm starts ticking the moment you wake up
Let’s talk light. Your body runs on a circadian rhythm, a 24-hour internal clock that regulates sleep, hormones, body temperature, digestion—you name it. The master in charge of deciding what that clock means is the pineal gland. It’s a tiny bitty thing in the centre of your head (associated with the third eye chakra for my yogi friends). As humans evolved, this gland used light to determine what the body should be doing moment to moment.
So what is the #1 signal that sets this clock? Daylight. When you get natural morning light, especially within 30–60 minutes of waking, it tells your brain: “It’s daytime! Time to suppress melatonin and rev up energy!” There is a unique combination of blue and yellow light in the spectrum of early morning light that speaks the pineal gland’s language. The effect doesn’t work through a window so you need to get right outside. On cloudy mornings, it could take a little longer, but just 10 minutes is plenty of exposure. The combo of light is best within 2 hours of sunrise.
This same rhythm will then start winding you down ~14–16 hours later, helping you feel sleepy when it’s time for bed. That’s the way you’re wired, until we go screwing around with mother nature.
When my dad was born in 1939, they got up with the sun, did chores and went to bed not long after the sun set. Not much entertainment worth staying up for… no tv, candles to read by. That wasn’t that long ago really. It’s only recently, less than one hundred years, that we’ve had 24 hours a day lighting, computer distractions, drive throughs, etc. Our habits have shifted dramatically but our pineal glands can’t evolve that fast.
Do you hit the pillow exhausted and then your eyelids boing open and your thoughts are going like ninety? That, my dear friends, is a dysregulated nervous system. It’s been so over-stimulated all day, it just can’t release vigilance. I’ve been there for sure. Sometimes, you’re so exhausted physically that you do sink into sleep only to wake at 2 or 3 am with the cuckoo thoughts, right? This is a big topic but for today, let’s just talk about how you set the tone for your day. How can you consciously create less dysregulation for your nervous system by bed time?
Let me ask you. What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
* Scroll your phone?
* Check emails?
* Rush into your to-do list?
That launches your day with stress hormones like cortisol, which aren’t inherently bad—but when spiked too high or too fast, they can throw your nervous system into a state of hyperarousal. That can linger all day… and into bedtime.
This is such a wasted opportunity! Your brain, which is the most powerful tool in the universe by the way, is freshest in the morning. The brain is a huge energy gobbler… it gets tired fast. So from a productivity standpoint, why waste those first precious minutes on scrolling or routine emails? Dedicate the time to activities that will build you up… support your goals and dreams.
Things likeyoga, deep breathing, journaling or reading, even just sipping tea in silence – create a “tone of safety” in your nervous system—what I call energy hygiene. When your body knows you’re safe, it can regulate energy better all day… and let go more easily at night.
Now let’s talk breakfast. Skipping breakfast, or eating just carbs or sugar, can set off blood sugar rollercoasters. That affects your energy, mood, and—yes—your sleep.
How?
* Blood sugar crashes during the day signal stress to the brain
* That stress keeps cortisol elevated and melatonin suppressed – melatonin is a natural sleep hormone that should gradually grow as the light of day fades – melatonin production is inhibited by cortisol.
A good breakfast for sleep includes protein, healthy fats and complex carbs. This might look like 2 scrambled eggs + veggies + whole grain toast with nut butter. Or Greek yogurt + chia + berries + nuts. Or steel cut oatmeal + nut butter + hemp seeds + banana. Or leftovers from last night. Most cultures around the world don’t eat boxed cereal. There are far more savoury items on the menu to break the fast.
One of my breakfasts always used to be cereal, or toast and peanut butter, or sweetened yogurt and a banana. All of these options were high in sugar, low in protein and lacking in fibre. Not only did these meals wreak havoc with my hormones (ep #3 has a great explanation of this), but I was hungry soon after. It set up a cycle of mild panic in the back of my brain that resulted in a lot of snacking after dinner. This interrupts sleep too but that’s another episode.
Eat within 1–2 hours of waking, ideally after your morning light.
So—why does all this matter for sleep?
Because your morning rhythm cues influence every downstream system:
* Your light exposure resets your melatonin clock
* Your nervous system tone carries through your day
* Your blood sugar regulation affects nighttime cal
It’s all connected. If you’re overstimulated, undernourished, or disconnected from the natural rhythms of light and rest, your body doesn’t know when it’s safe to let go. Morning habits send the signal: “You’re in sync. You’re safe.” And that safety is the foundation of great sleep.
Let’s recap your morning-for-better-sleep formula:
* Get outside light within 30–60 minutes of waking
* Begin calmly—no screens, no rushing
* Eat a real breakfast with protein, fats, and complex carbs
* Avoid chaos that spikes stress hormones
* It’s not about being perfect. It’s about creating predictable rhythm and calm. Your morning is the first domino. And if it falls well—bedtime becomes effortless.
If sleep is a struggle, don’t just chase nighttime hacks—start with your morning. You may be surprised how much shifts when you build rhythm, light, calm, and nourishment into your wake-up. Be sure to check the show notes for a link to a FREE morning yoga routine to get you going.
For more help with better sleep, check out my Sleep Solutions Course.
If you’re struggling with sleep, or weight gain, or midlife hormones, please check out the SHE Mindfulness Program. All these subjects are explored in a fresh way without harsh diets or killer exercise routines.
May tonight’s sleep begin… tomorrow morning.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cherylgordonyt.substack.com
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