Make My Hormones Happy
Or else they make me miserable
We get questions all the time about how we live alongside our hormones. I’d like to share an approach I’ve adopted over the past several years that has worked very well for me. I call it, “Make my hormones happy or else they make me miserable.”
I am 42. My hormones are in constant fluctuation. I think of them as very fragile little monsters that I’m trying to keep from imploding…think Anger in Inside/Out and you get the vision.
The first and most important prong relates to post-ovulation, when my hormones shift dramatically and my entire body goes from a dandelion to an orchid over night.
Oura Ring* - A long ago sponsor, I am devoted to this little ring. The insight this device provides has been essential to me managing my hormonal changes. Primarily, the very detailed temperature measurement means I know when I ovulate and when I’m about to start my period. These are key events that I need to know with as much precision as possible. Plus, the readiness and stress cycle measurements let me know when I’m powering through when I should really be resting. ANDDDD the sleep tracking is unparalleled and doesn’t require me to wear a bulky watch to bed. Speaking of…
SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP - If I don’t get it, I can watch my heart rate rise and my heart rate variability plummet. Suddenly, my Oura ring is very concerned and asking me every day if I’m alright. The answer if I’m not sleeping is …NOPE!
Split King - I sleep very lightly post-ovulation and so a couple years ago we got a split king mattress so I didn’t wake up every time Nicholas rolled over. This has improved my life (my marriage, my psyche, my soul) more than I can possibly explain.
3mg chewable melatonin - I still wake up often between 2-4am during this time. I keep a small bottle of chewable 3mg melatonin in my bedside table and pop one the second I wake up. I don’t need to get up. The dosage is small enough even if it’s 4:30am I’m not worried about feeling groggy. They work so so so well.
I also wear Loop earplugs* to bed (AND keep a pair in my purse for loud movies and concerts - which isn’t exactly hormone related but has improved my life tremendously!).
Comateer - The sleep tracking has led me to eliminate alcohol completely. It’s just never worth the impact on my sleep and overall stress levels. It has also led me to dial back to one cup of half-caf coffee a day. I use Comateer coffee concentrate. It is the highest quality and most convenient half-caf solution I’ve found. Not even close.
Ashwagandha - Once I ovulate, I take ashwagandha for the next two weeks so I don’t kill the people I love most in the world. Enough said.
Peloton App - I must work out or my sleep and my stress level suffer. If I travel and all those indicators suffer, often the only thing that gets me back on track is getting back to my exercise routine. The Peloton bike might not be for everyone but I love the app which has a ton of workouts that you can schedule for the week inside a stack. I also adjust based on my readiness score inside the Oura and there’s always a way to find what a less intense version of the workout I want to do.
I know this seems like a lot but the only thing more intense then the effort I spend making my hormones happy is the effort I have to spend digging myself out of the hole when I don’t.
Hope some of this helps!
Sarah
*affiliate link
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