# @ciarafoyinc on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DWSX53uAsog
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/61793223-ciarafoyinc-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/0c8fcaa5a2.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-03-25T00:21:10.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Ciara Foy // Nutritionist • Hormone Expert • 20 Yrs (@ciarafoyinc) — https://gondola.cc/ciarafoyinc

## Caption

You did what they told you. You cut the alcohol. You stopped scrolling. You’re in bed by 10. You bought the magnesium. You got the blackout curtains.

And you’re still wide awake at 3am. Heart racing. Mind spinning. Wondering what is wrong with you.

I’m 49. I’ve spent 20+ years as a nutritionist specializing in women’s health and hormones. The 3am wake-up is one of the most common things I hear.

There are multiple reasons it happens. Low estrogen. Progesterone decline. HPA axis dysregulation where your 24 hour cortisol pattern is no longer following the rhythm it should. But even in postmenopausal women, even in women who can’t take HRT, I have been helping women sleep better for 20 years. There is so much you can do.

Managing sleep starts in the morning with light exposure and balancing blood sugar throughout the day. But let’s focus on dinner because this alone can be a game changer.

Cortisol naturally rises around 3am to prepare your body for waking. If blood sugar drops too low at the same time, cortisol spikes hard to compensate. Adrenaline follows. You wake up. Heart pounding. Wired. Cannot fall back asleep.

One poor night reduces insulin sensitivity by up to 25%. Next day your cravings are worse, blood sugar less stable, cortisol higher. The cycle repeats.

The fix: last meal by 7pm. 30g+ protein. Adequate fat. Load up on fibre, especially resistant starches like beans and legumes alongside non starchy vegetables. More fibre at dinner means more stable blood sugar overnight.

This is why the hormone testing I do, the DUTCH test, looks at your full 24 hour cortisol pattern. Not just sex hormones. It tells us exactly what is happening with your stress response and therefore sleep.

Comment INSULIN for my Insulin Advantage Quick Start Guide that walks you through exactly how to fix this

Comment TRANSFORM if you’re ready to stop guessing, get the testing and work with someone who has 20+ years of experience and is living this right beside you.

Save this for tonight. Read it before dinner.

Follow for the nutrition science that actually works after 40

#3amwakeup #perimenopause #bloodsugar #womenover40 #insulinresistance​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

## Stats

- **Views:** 3,839
- **Likes:** 34
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 41

## Tags

3amwakeup, womenover40, insulinresistance, bloodsugar, perimenopause

---
Copyright (c) Gondola