Programs / Women's Sleep

Women's Sleep

Sleep changes across major biological and life transitions. Understanding why can help you identify what is changing, what may be modifiable, and when additional evaluation may be warranted.

This is expert sleep and circadian education across major biological and life transitions, grounded in behavioral sleep medicine, circadian science, behavior change, measurement, and clinical psychology.

Sleep changes as biology changes.

Sleep across changing biology and life demands

Pregnancy
Postpartum
Perimenopause & menopause

These are examples, not a universal life course. Not everyone experiences all of them, and other transitions can also change sleep.

Three programs in development

Sleep Through the Menopause Transition

Coming soon

Your sleep is changing. Let's understand why.

Sleep often changes during the menopause transition, and the reasons are rarely singular. Temperature regulation, circadian timing, sleep pressure, mood and cognitive arousal, behavior, environment, and undiagnosed sleep disorders can each contribute, sometimes at the same time.

This program explains what is known about sleep during this transition, what tends to be modifiable, and how to tell the difference between common disruption and a concern that warrants evaluation. It does not assume that every sleep problem during perimenopause or menopause is hormonal.

Topics under development

Why sleep may change during the menopause transition
Insomnia and nighttime wakefulness
Temperature-related sleep disruption
Circadian rhythms, light, and timing
Sleep pressure and sleep opportunity
Mood, stress, and cognitive arousal
Behavioral and environmental contributors
Sleep-disordered breathing, restless legs, and movement-related concerns
Behavioral approaches to insomnia
Exercise and activity timing, caffeine and alcohol education
Understanding sleep data and wearables appropriately
Distinguishing common sleep disruption from concerns warranting evaluation

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Sleep During Pregnancy

Coming soon

Your body is changing. Your sleep may change with it.

Sleep during pregnancy shifts for reasons that are physical, circadian, behavioral, and situational. Sleep opportunity narrows, comfort changes across trimesters, and arousal at night is common.

This program explains how sleep may change across pregnancy, which strategies have reasonable support, and when a sleep concern is worth raising with an obstetric or sleep healthcare professional. It does not imply that behavioral strategies resolve every pregnancy-related sleep problem.

Topics under development

How sleep may change across pregnancy
Sleep opportunity and circadian rhythms
Insomnia and cognitive arousal
Physical discomfort, reflux, and nausea as contributors
Restless legs and when evaluation may be appropriate
Sleep-disordered breathing and when evaluation may be appropriate
Naps and daytime rest
Morning light, activity, and exercise timing
Behavioral sleep strategies and realistic expectations
When to discuss sleep concerns with an obstetric or sleep healthcare professional

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Sleep After Baby

Coming soon

When sleep becomes fragmented, understanding the problem matters.

This is a program about the adult's sleep during the postpartum period. It is not a baby sleep-training program and contains no infant sleep-training recommendations.

Postpartum sleep is shaped less by the ability to sleep than by the opportunity to sleep. This program separates those two problems, explains what tends to help while caregiving demands are high, and describes when persistent difficulty may not be explained by infant care alone.

Topics under development

Postpartum sleep and fragmented sleep
Sleep opportunity versus the ability to sleep
Circadian disruption and nighttime caregiving demands
Feeding and caregiving schedules as contextual factors
Strategic rest and naps
Morning light and rebuilding circadian anchors when possible
Hyperarousal and conditioned wakefulness
Returning toward more consolidated sleep as opportunities emerge
Recognizing when persistent difficulty may not be explained solely by caregiving
When additional medical, sleep, or mental-health evaluation may be warranted

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What these programs are

These are educational programs. They do not diagnose or treat any condition, and they do not replace evaluation by a qualified clinician. Notification signup collects an email address, an optional first name, and the program you are interested in. No health status, symptoms, diagnoses, medications, or health history are collected.