Welcome to Thrive in 12! (Jan - Mar 2026)
We’re so glad you’re here! ❤️
This is your space to be seen, supported, and connected with women who truly understand and are living this unique season of life with you.
Some days feel powerful, some days feel messy, all of what you are going through is welcome here.
This community exists so you do not have to do this alone. We grow stronger together.
Here you can:
- share your wins and “aha” moments
- ask questions about anything from the program
- talk honestly about challenges or setbacks
- exchange recipes, routines, life-hacks, ideas, and tools
- feel encouraged and understood
There is no “perfect way” to participate.
Come exactly as you are. You belong here.
A few gentle guidelines
- Lead with kindness and respect
- No judgment about bodies, choices, or pace
- Keep what is shared here confidential
- Encourage more than compare
- Share personal experience, not medical advice
👉 Please introduce yourself below
You are warmly invited to say hello and share:
- Your name
- Where you’re joining from
- Why you joined the program
- One interesting thing about yourself
- One intention for the next 90 days
We’re really happy you’re here!
Let’s walk this journey together and help one another thrive. We are here for you, and we have got you!
Your sanoMidLife moderator 💛
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Official comment
Dear ladies, how is your week going?
I am so excited to see you today for Week 2 in Thrive in 12:
Optimize your sleep!
🌙 So...Better Sleep, Night Waking & Habits: Let’s Talk About It!
Last week we asked you:
“What is one thing that excites you about next week: Optimize Your Sleep?”Thank you for your GREAT questions. 🙌
You shared real, honest struggles around sleep, falling asleep, waking up, and quieting the mind at night.Here are a few of the themes you asked about:
• “How can I change my habits as a chronic night owl for better health?”
• “How do I get back to sleep after waking up at 3 AM?”
• “Tips for falling back to sleep after waking up?”
• “I have a hard time falling asleep — but once I’m asleep I’m fine. What can help?”
• “How can I get back to sleep after being woken up by my partner or an alarm?”
• “How do I shut off my brain at night and stop the rumination loop?”You are not alone in any of this 💛 — and so on top of today's core teaching, I want to give you some additional practical tools you can start using right away.
🧠 A Quick FYI: Your Circadian Rhythm Matters
When your sleep and wake times change from day to day, your internal clock gets confused. This can disrupt the hormonal rhythms that support:
• metabolism
• appetite
• recovery
• mood
• brain healthKey hormones affected by inconsistent sleep include:
• Melatonin – signals sleep, cellular repair, and immune function
• Leptin & Ghrelin – regulate hunger and satiety
• Growth Hormone (HGH) – supports tissue repair and fat metabolism
• Cortisol – regulates wakefulness and daily energy rhythm
• Insulin – affects blood sugar balance and energy stability👉 Consistent sleep and wake times help these hormones do their job properly.
Small habits = big ripple effects.
🌡 Temperature, Night Sweats & Getting Comfortable
Many of you asked about feeling too hot at night or constantly adjusting covers.
Here are some quick, practical tips:
Try this first:
• Sleep in a cool room (16–19°C / 60–67°F)
• Use breathable fabrics (cotton, bamboo, satin) or sleep naked (this could really help:)
• Add a fan for air circulation
• Keep your feet bare and outside the covers
• Avoid heavy meals, alcohol, spicy foods, and sugary foods 3–4 hours before bed
• Limit fluids 1–2 hours before bedtime
• Take a warm shower or a magnesium salt bath before bed
• Consider magnesium glycinate and Glycine 1-2 hours before bed (check with your sano MidLife clinician first!)Optional extras:
• Open a window for fresh air before bed
• Use a humidifier with calming oils like lavender or peppermintSmall environment tweaks can make a huge difference.
😴 Woke Up at 2 or 3 AM? Here’s What to Do
First — take a breath. This happens to almost everyone.
Step 1: Try to Reset in Bed
• 4–8 rounds of Box Breathing or Cyclic Breathing
• Don’t check the clock
• Remind yourself: “I’m safe. I’m resting. I’ll be okay tomorrow.”Step 2: If You’re Still Awake After 10–15 Minutes
It’s okay to get up.
• Leave the bedroom so your brain doesn’t link “awake” with “bed”
• Turn on soft, dim lighting
• Make calming tea (mint or chamomile)
• Do something gentle: read, journal, stretch, pray, knit
• Try a guided meditation or visualization
• If you’re hungry, have a light protein snack (Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, an egg, or a protein shake)When you feel sleepy again, head back to bed.
The goal is to teach your nervous system:
Bed = calm + sleep — not frustration.
🌅 The Morning After a Rough Night
If you didn’t sleep well:
• Get up at your usual time anyway
• Go outside for morning sunlight
• Move your body early (a walk works wonders)
• Consider a short nap if possibleIf wake-ups become frequent (3+ times/week for 3+ months), it may be helpful to seek additional support such as CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia).
💬 A Note on Hot Flashes & Medical Concerns
If you’re dealing with:
• persistent hot flashes
• sleep issues related to medications
• post-cancer treatment hormone changesPlease reach out to your sanoMidLife team so we can support you individually:
You don’t have to navigate this alone.
Now It’s Your Turn 💬
Let’s keep this conversation going!
In the comments, tell us:
What is YOUR biggest sleep challenge right now?
Falling asleep? Staying asleep? Night sweats? Busy mind?
Share below — and let’s support each other with ideas, experiences, and encouragement. This community is here to help you feel heard and supported.
Sleep is a skill, not a personality trait.
And you are absolutely capable of learning it 💛🩺 An Important Note: Don’t Overlook Sleep Apnea
One more, essential thing to consider:
If you regularly:
• wake up multiple times at night
• feel unrefreshed even after “enough” hours of sleep
• snore loudly or have been told you stop breathing at night
• wake up gasping, choking, or with a very dry mouth
• feel excessively tired during the day
• struggle with morning headaches or brain fog…it may be worth getting evaluated for sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is extremely common — especially in midlife — and many people have it without knowing. Untreated apnea can affect hormones, mood, blood pressure, metabolism, and overall health.
The good news?
It is very treatable, and addressing it can completely transform your energy, sleep quality, and wellbeing.If any of the above sounds like you, please consider talking with your healthcare provider or your sanoMidLife clinician about a sleep assessment.
See you very soon, and share any additional questions or comments you have. Let's make this a conversation that supports YOU exactly where you are.
I got you, your Thrive in 12 coach, Sasha
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I have no problem falling asleep but staying there is the issue. I've always been a light sleeper but when i wake up it's random and often anywhere between 3-5 am. I'm pretty good at falling back asleep but when i wake up 30 mins before my alarm at 6 am, I don't get fully back to sleep before I'm waking up again. My husband has also started snoring a couple of years ago. I got a sleep head-band that has headphones built in that I can play white noise via Bluetooth, so that's a big help with sleep disturbances. He refuses to go get a sleep study done, so there's that too. lol.
I'm learning to try to get to bed earlier knowing I'll likely wake up early or wake up multiple times. I don't eat too close to sleeping and I try to read a book before reading and get my eyeballs off of my phone.
Any tips on STAYING asleep? Also, in our meeting you mentioned getting up and looking at the sun with your naked eyes. I have to get up at 6 am which, for the majority of the year is in the dark. Any tips for that?
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I am a voracious reader and have used reading as a way to soothe myself. I do use an ereader now so that I dont disturb my spouse. I do use the dark screen 24/7. I have a bad habit of reading in bed especially in the morning when I wake up. I think the radical thing I want to try is to get - up when I wake up - usually around 730 or so ( I am gratefully retired so have not requirement to get up) and go outside and maybe do a short Yoga routine. And save my reading time til later. It so easy to start the day as a slug when I really want to be a butterfly
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Dana Radke This is a great question.Thank you for sharing this, and first, I want to acknowledge how much you are already doing well. Truly.
You have excellent sleep awareness, strong habits, and a lot of self-compassion in how you’re approaching this. That matters more than people realize.You’re right: falling asleep isn’t your issue, but staying asleep is, and there are a few common (and very solvable) contributors here.
First: let’s normalize what’s happening
Waking between 3–5 AM is extremely common, especially for light sleepers and during midlife. That window often overlaps with:
• natural circadian shifts
• cortisol starting to rise
• blood sugar dips
• nervous system sensitivity
• external disruptions (like snoring)So this isn’t a personal failure — it’s physiology + environment.
What you’re already doing that’s helping (keep these!)
• Earlier bedtime to protect total sleep time
• No food close to bed
• Reading instead of phone use
• White noise headphones (excellent solution for disturbances)
• Ability to fall back asleep most of the timeAll of that tells me your nervous system can downshift — we just want to support it staying there.
About your husband’s snoring (quick but important note)
Snoring that develops later in life can sometimes be more than “just snoring.”
Without pushing or diagnosing:
• Mouth taping can be a low-risk experiment for him to see if it reduces snoring
• If snoring is loud, chronic, or paired with gasping or daytime fatigue, a sleep study really is importantYou’re doing the best you can with white noise — and you’re not wrong that this is a real sleep disruptor.
For YOU: staying asleep more consistently
1. Breathwork BEFORE bed (not just when you wake-this is key.)
I recommend a short, predictable pre-bed breath practice every night, even on good nights. This helps lower baseline cortisol so those early-morning awakenings are less intense.
Try:
• Nasal breathing only
• Longer exhales than inhales (for example: 4 in, 6–8 out)
• 5–10 minutes totalIf you wake at night, return to the same breath pattern immediately.
2. Close cognitive loops before sleep
Even if you don’t feel anxious, the brain often wakes early when it’s holding unfinished loops.
After reading, try:
• A short “brain dump” journal
• Write anything unfinished, unresolved, or looping
• Then write 2–3 sentences focused on what you want:
“I sleep deeply and wake refreshed.”
“My body knows how to rest.”End with gratitude: even "as if" the sleep you want already happened.
And on top of what you want: notice what feels good to be grateful for in that moment.
Additionally:
Loving touch: Sharing some loving touch with your husband, just a long hug is enough) can be helpful in releasing your "feel good hormone" Oxytocin into your body and thus help with sleep. A light self-soothing massage could be very good as well: wherever you feel you need some love: tummy, shoulders, back of neck, lower back.
This helps release some stress, and signals " I am happy and safe" instructions to your brain as you also reprogram expectation, which matters more than most people realize.
3. Mouth taping (for you)
Since you mentioned being a light sleeper, nasal breathing could be a very helpful.
Gentle mouth taping at night:
• supports parasympathetic tone
• reduces micro-arousals
• improves CO₂ toleranceIt’s a simple experiment, not a commitment — and many light sleepers notice a difference.
4. If you wake 30 minutes before your alarm
This part is important — and you’re already intuitively on the right track.
If you wake around 5:30 AM and don’t fall back asleep:
• Get out of bed
• Leave the bedroom
• Keep lights dimDo something calming and non-stimulating:
• Journaling
• Gentle stretching
• Breathwork or guided visualization
• Prayer or meditationThis is a CBT-based strategy that retrains the brain to associate the bed only with sleep. Over time, as sleep consolidates, you can naturally extend time in bed again.
About morning light when it’s dark
You’re absolutely right, 6 AM doesn’t always align with sunrise, especially right now.
Here’s what I recommend:
• Schedule 5–10 minutes of outdoor light exposure within 1 hour of sunrise, stepping outside for some "air" if you are at work, on most days, even if that’s closer to 7:30–8:30 AM.
• Stand outside or by an open window if possible
• No sunglassesThis still strongly reinforces your circadian rhythm, and in spring/summer, your early wake time will line up beautifully.
You can do absolutely optimise with what you have, but know you are doing a lot of the right things already- good for you!
Your body just needs a little more predictability, nervous system safety, and environmental support.You’re already doing most of the work — these tweaks are about refinement, not overhaul.
If sleep disruption continues or worsens, it’s always appropriate to explore CBT-I or a sleep specialist — and we’re here to support you in navigating that if you want.
You’re doing great. Keep going 💛
Let us know how you're doing and if you try any of the above suggestions, and I hope this helps!
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Vikki Thank you for sharing this, and that's a great plan! Yes, please see if you can shift that reading time to a later "wind down time." The butterfly comes alive with movement and light! You got this. Let us know how you feel after a week of this- your body and mind will thank you:)
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I find that I need, scratch that, require, time alone that is not housework, or other tasks. I like to stay up later than my husband, and consequently, sleep in after he has left for the day. Those 2 hours in the morning are where I get all of my good sleep! I don't know how to manage my need for decompress time at night, and also start going to bed earlier. I can't find a way to do both!
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Thank you so much for sharing this — your level of self-awareness is actually a huge strength. 💛
You’re clearly tuned into what you need, and that matters.First and most important: your sleep is not optional.
If those morning hours are where you’re getting your most restorative sleep, that’s information — not something to override or judge.I want to normalize something here:
The need for uninterrupted, non-productive, “no one needs me” time is very real — especially in midlife. That decompression time isn’t indulgent; it’s nervous-system care.So instead of asking “How do I force myself to go to bed earlier?”
I’d gently invite you to ask a few different questions:1️⃣ Does your current rhythm actually feel good?
Not what you think should feel good — but what you notice in your body.
Ask yourself:
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Do I feel rested overall?
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Do I feel relatively steady in the afternoon?
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Do I feel calm or wired at night?
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Do I feel like myself most days?
If what you’re doing is working, there may be nothing to “fix.”
Earlier bedtimes are generally supportive for most people, but not at the expense of stress relief that’s genuinely helping you.2️⃣ If something does feel off, what is the priority — and why?
This is key.
Is the goal:
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More energy?
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Better mood?
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Better health long-term?
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Feeling less rushed or depleted?
Clarity on why you’d want to change anything matters more than the change itself.
A helpful reframe:
👉 What would you tell your best friend if she said this to you?
Usually, the answer is far kinder and wiser than what we tell ourselves.3️⃣ Could you keep both, just in smaller doses?
Instead of “either/or,” think “both/and.”
For example:
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Keep your evening decompression time
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Experiment with waking just 15 minutes earlier (not 2 hours)
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Add a small, nourishing “me moment” in the morning
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Let it build slowly, only if it feels supportive
No forcing. No white-knuckling.
4️⃣ What do you get from your evening time — and could some of that exist in the morning?
Ask:
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Is it quiet?
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No expectations?
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Creative?
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Spiritual?
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Just yours?
Sometimes it’s not the time of day, but it’s the quality of the experience you want.
5️⃣ The easiest change wins
If you were to experiment, choose the smallest, least stressful adjustment — and observe, not judge.
Your body will tell you very quickly what works and what doesn’t.
Please know this:
There is no “failure” here. There is only listening, experimenting, and choosing what supports the woman want to become- and one who is thriving in a way that feels sustainable and simple!If you’d like, come join me for Office Hours next Friday, Feb 6th at noon EST — this is exactly the kind of real-life question we can unpack together live, with support.
You’re doing better than you think 🤍 You have got this!
We are here for you.
See you next week:)
Coach Sasha
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How do i join the April cohort of Thrive in 12?
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Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for your message.
On our end, it looks like you’ve successfully registered for the newest Thrive in 12 cohort. If you didn’t receive a calendar invitation for the initial session, please feel free to reach out to us at info@sanoliving.ai and we’d be happy to support.
The Week 1 recap and workbook are also now live in the sanoMidLife library 🙂
We hope you enjoy the program!
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