37. Tired But Wired- Understanding Your Midlife Sleep Patterns & Their Purpose

If you’re in your 40s or 50s, exhausted to your bones but still wide awake at 2:37am, this episode is for you.This isn’t the “newborn years” kind of tired.This is the my body literally will not let me sleep kind of tired.In this episode, Kate Garland unpacks why so many midlife women feel tired but wired — and why it’s not because you’re broken, weak, or “bad at self-care.” We’ll talk about what’s actually happening with your hormones, brain, and nervous system in perimenopause/menopause, and how your weird, fragmented sleep might have more purpose than you’ve been led to believe.You’ll walk away feeling less crazy, less alone, and with a few grounded tools you can start using tonight.In this episode, we explore:Why midlife insomnia isn’t “in your head” — and what’s really going on when your body is exhausted but your brain won’t stand downHow hormonal changes (estrogen, progesterone & friends) quietly reshape your mood, stress response, and sleep architectureThe idea of three major initiations in a woman’s life — and why midlife hits so hard when the first two were rushed, numbed, or medicalizedHow your brain actually reorganizes itself during the menopausal transition (and why that 3am life review might be part of the process)A different way to see your “tired but wired” nights: not as a personal failure, but as a threshold your body is walking you throughPractical, doable tools to soften this seasonThis episode is for you if:You’re a woman 40+ in perimenopause or menopause who feels utterly wiped out but can’t seem to get restorative sleepYou’re tired of being told to “just relax” or “take a pill” and want a deeper, more respectful explanation of what’s happening in your bodyYou’ve started to wonder if your midlife sleep changes have a deeper meaning or purpose (and you’d like that framed in a grounded, non-fluffy way)You want both validation for how hard this is and concrete tools to make it more humaneHit play when you can’t tell if you need a nap, a nervous system reset, or a completely new script for what midlife is supposed to feel like.And if this episode lands for you, it would mean the world if you’d share it with a friend who’s also lying awake at 2:14am wondering if she’s losing it. She’s not. And neither are you. 💛🌙 The conversation doesn’t end here.My Inner Circle gets the first drops—new podcast sneak peeks, early access to offers, and the notes I only share off-mic. Join us here.🌿 Free Support for Your Nervous SystemStart here → The Free Anxiety Reset: a 7-minute guided tool to calm spiraling thoughts and come back to yourself. Think of it like a nervous system reboot—on demand.✨ Enjoying this podcast?Leave a review—it helps other women find this work. 🙏Or forward this episode to a friend who could use a little nervous system magic today. 💛💛 Connect with Kate:Email [email protected] or DM on Instagram: @radicallyKate