Sleep before you get to menopause.

The average woman enters perimenopause seven to ten years before her final period. The first thing to change is rarely her cycle. It's her sleep.

Falling progesterone shortens the deepest sleep stages first. You still fall asleep, you still wake at the same time, but the restorative middle disappears. Most women describe it as waking up tired for no reason.

The interventions that work are boring: consistent wake time, a cool dark room, magnesium glycinate in the evening, and — if the data supports it for you — a low-dose adaptogen like ashwagandha.

Protect the architecture now. The rest of perimenopause is easier when the sleep is intact.