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From 1 episode and 2 videos

Why do I wake up at 3 a.m. and can't fall back asleep?

Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated

The short answer

According to Nikkiey, falling asleep fine but waking at 2 or 3 a.m. with a racing mind is a cortisol and magnesium issue almost every time. Once magnesium and the stress response are supported, she sees that wake-up start to resolve. Calming your evenings and eating enough during the day both help bring nighttime cortisol down.

Hear Nikkiey answer it

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  1. Nikkiey on why the 2 or 3 a.m. racing-mind wake-up points to cortisol and magnesium

    Plays from 3:41 · Video: Best Supplements for Women Over 40: What to Take and Skip

  2. What high nighttime cortisol does to sleep and hormones, and how she winds down

    Plays from 5:27 · Video: Bedtime Routine for Fat Loss and Hormones After 50

  3. Dr. Peter Martone on cortisol, sleep position and the vagus nerve

    Plays from 36:33 · Ep. 222: How to Sleep Better: The Best Sleep Position and Habits

  4. Nikkiey on fixing sleep with the two to three hours before bed

    Plays from 1:38 · Video: Bedtime Routine for Fat Loss and Hormones After 50

The full answer

In her supplements video, Nikkiey says the sleep complaint she hears most from women is not about falling asleep. It is about staying asleep. They drop off fine, then they are wide awake in the early hours with their mind racing. She calls addressing magnesium and supporting the stress response one of the fastest wins she sees. That is her coaching observation, not a diagnosis. If you are considering magnesium or any supplement, talk it through with your doctor, especially if you take medications.

Her bedtime routine video explains why nighttime cortisol matters so much. She says elevated cortisol at night blocks progesterone and estrogen regulation, disrupts your sleep cycles and tells your body it is in a stressed state, on top of everything perimenopause and menopause already do to sleep. Her evening routine is built to bring that down:

  • Stop eating two to three hours before bed.
  • When the sun goes down, switch to softer yellow or red lights.
  • Turn off the TV, computer and phone to cut blue light and stimulation so your brain can produce melatonin.

She also points to food. Nikkiey says one of the best ways to lower cortisol is fueling your body properly so the cravings stop. She describes Paige, who came in eating 1,088 calories a day with her body in survival mode and her sleep a mess. Once Paige started eating enough and hitting her macros, things began to regulate. If you are under-eating and waking at 3 a.m., it may be the plan, not you.

On Ep. 222, chiropractor Dr. Peter Martone adds a different angle. He agrees cortisol greatly affects sleep but says most people only try to lower it with meditation and exercise. His view is that stomach or side sleeping flattens the neck's natural curve, which he links to weaker vagus nerve and parasympathetic tone and higher overall cortisol. That is his structural perspective, and it sits alongside Nikkiey's nutrition and routine approach.

From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.

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