Episode 79: How Hormones, Stress, and the Nervous System Shape Sleep in Midlife
Tue Feb 03 2026
Living a Nutritious Life Podcast
In this exciting episode of Living a Nutritious Life Podcast, we are thrilled to welcome Sarah Petroski, a sleep expert, yoga instructor, and personal trainer.
About Our Guest:
Sarah Petroski is a Personal Trainer, Kundalini Yoga teacher, and Sleep Performance Coach specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), the gold standard treatment for insomnia. She holds a postgraduate degree in Sleep Medicine from the University of Oxford and has spent the past 20 years teaching movement and mindfulness practices.
What You'll Learn in This Episode:
- The real science behind why women in midlife often struggle with sleep, including the profound impact of hormonal changes and hidden factors like sleep apnea.
- Practical, actionable tools for improving your sleep (beyond good sleep hygiene) from developing a morning routine to leveraging powerful meditation techniques and exercise.
- Why managing stress and nurturing your nervous system throughout the day may be as important as what you do in the hours immediately before bed.
- The latest on sleep tracking, supplements, and the surprising role of ritual and mindset in rewiring lifelong sleep patterns.
Episode Highlights:
- Sarah shares her unconventional journey from sports TV producer to sleep expert and why her own lifelong battle with insomnia fuels her passion for helping others.
- A deep dive into how perimenopause and menopause affect women’s sleep physiology, the increase in sleep apnea risk, and why most symptoms go undiagnosed.
- Powerful routines and tools: from the benefits of Kundalini meditation and strategic morning sunlight, to the importance of keeping your bedroom cool—and what to do when you wake at 3 a.m.
- Must-know facts about the glymphatic system (your brain’s “waste clearance” system at night), the role of mindset in overcoming insomnia, and what works—and doesn’t—with popular sleep supplements like melatonin and magnesium.
About Living a Nutritious Life Podcast:
Welcome to the Living a Nutritious Life podcast with Keri Glassman, MS, RDN, CDN, where we break down the latest nutrition science into smart, actionable tips to help you live your most nutritious life.
On the Living a Nutritious Life podcast, Keri and her world-renowned guests cut through the noise, sharing unparalleled, forward-thinking tips, tricks, and the latest in health, wellness, and nutrition science.
Based on Keri’s whole-person approach to healthy living, each impactful episode extends far beyond the simplistic “get more sleep” and “eat your greens” advice. She connects the dots like no one else – like how morning yoga can make it easier to choose a healthy lunch, leading to better sleep at night.
Listen as Keri and her expert guests explore the physiological and behavioral connections that explain, for example, why the common wisdom around dieting and exercising alone doesn’t work, so you can finally make the meaningful changes you’ve been looking for.
Thank you for listening in to this episode of Living a Nutritious Life. We hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did! If you found value in this episode, please RATE, REVIEW and SHARE.
Ready to Dive Deeper? Get in on the action—enroll in our Become a Nutrition Coach program at nutritiouslife.com/bnc.
Connect with Sarah on social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sleepfitsarah
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-petroski-51a8b919/
Website: www.sleepfitsarah.com
Rest to Rise Journal: www.sleepfitsarah.com/sleepshop
Connect with Keri on social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nutritiouslifeofficial/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeriGlassmanNutritiousLife
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NutritiousLife_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nutritiouslife
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nutritious_life/
Website: https://nutritiouslife.com/
Become a Nutrition Coach: https://nutritiouslife.com/bnc/
Copyright © 2023-2025 Nutritious Life.
#LivingaNutritiousLife #NutritiousLife
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Living a Nutritious Life Podcast In this exciting episode of Living a Nutritious Life Podcast, we are thrilled to welcome Sarah Petroski, a sleep expert, yoga instructor, and personal trainer. About Our Guest: Sarah Petroski is a Personal Trainer, Kundalini Yoga teacher, and Sleep Performance Coach specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), the gold standard treatment for insomnia. She holds a postgraduate degree in Sleep Medicine from the University of Oxford and has spent the past 20 years teaching movement and mindfulness practices. What You'll Learn in This Episode: - The real science behind why women in midlife often struggle with sleep, including the profound impact of hormonal changes and hidden factors like sleep apnea. - Practical, actionable tools for improving your sleep (beyond good sleep hygiene) from developing a morning routine to leveraging powerful meditation techniques and exercise. - Why managing stress and nurturing your nervous system throughout the day may be as important as what you do in the hours immediately before bed. - The latest on sleep tracking, supplements, and the surprising role of ritual and mindset in rewiring lifelong sleep patterns. Episode Highlights: - Sarah shares her unconventional journey from sports TV producer to sleep expert and why her own lifelong battle with insomnia fuels her passion for helping others. - A deep dive into how perimenopause and menopause affect women’s sleep physiology, the increase in sleep apnea risk, and why most symptoms go undiagnosed. - Powerful routines and tools: from the benefits of Kundalini meditation and strategic morning sunlight, to the importance of keeping your bedroom cool—and what to do when you wake at 3 a.m. - Must-know facts about the glymphatic system (your brain’s “waste clearance” system at night), the role of mindset in overcoming insomnia, and what works—and doesn’t—with popular sleep supplements like melatonin and magnesium. About Living a Nutritious Life Podcast: Welcome to the Living a Nutritious Life podcast with Keri Glassman, MS, RDN, CDN, where we break down the latest nutrition science into smart, actionable tips to help you live your most nutritious life. On the Living a Nutritious Life podcast, Keri and her world-renowned guests cut through the noise, sharing unparalleled, forward-thinking tips, tricks, and the latest in health, wellness, and nutrition science. Based on Keri’s whole-person approach to healthy living, each impactful episode extends far beyond the simplistic “get more sleep” and “eat your greens” advice. She connects the dots like no one else – like how morning yoga can make it easier to choose a healthy lunch, leading to better sleep at night. Listen as Keri and her expert guests explore the physiological and behavioral connections that explain, for example, why the common wisdom around dieting and exercising alone doesn’t work, so you can finally make the meaningful changes you’ve been looking for. Thank you for listening in to this episode of Living a Nutritious Life. We hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did! If you found value in this episode, please RATE, REVIEW and SHARE. Ready to Dive Deeper? Get in on the action—enroll in our Become a Nutrition Coach program at nutritiouslife.com/bnc. Connect with Sarah on social: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sleepfitsarah LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-petroski-51a8b919/ Website: www.sleepfitsarah.com Rest to Rise Journal: www.sleepfitsarah.com/sleepshop Connect with Keri on social: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nutritiouslifeofficial/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeriGlassmanNutritiousLife Twitter: https://twitter.com/NutritiousLife_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nutritiouslife Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nutritious_life/ Website: https://nutritiouslife.com/ Become a Nutrition Coach: https://nutritiouslife.com/bnc/ Copyright © 2023-2025 Nutritious Life. #LivingaNutritiousLife #NutritiousLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.