Recommended resource: Dr. Jen Gunter

Everything you need to know about perimenopause and menopause is in Dr. Jen Gunter's book, The Menopause Manifesto. But if you don't want to wait for shipping, you can subscribe to her substack, The Vajenda, right this minute! Because I know you want to know about what she covers in her latest post, Women, Menopause, and Sleep with Dr. Shelby Harris.

Here are Dr. Gunter's takeaways from their episode:

• If you are sleeping poorly, a sleep diary, even for a few days, can help in your discussion with your health care professional.

• Follow Dr. Harris on Instagram, she posts all kinds of great, evidence-based information for sleep.

• Dr. Harris has a great book, The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia. Reading this will help you be prepared for conversations with your health care professional.

• While menopause hormone therapy can help many women with sleep, especially if disrupted by night sweats, it is not a cure-all and so many women may need additional approaches.

• A CBT-I app that she recommends is CBT-i, from the VA. CBT-I can even help with sleep disruptions from night sweats!

• If you have restless leg syndrome, get your ferritin level checked.

• Getting up at night to empty your bladder, nocturia, can be a sign of sleep apnea (I think I forgot to bring this up during out conversation).

In a world filled with zero information for women facing perimenopause and menopause, Dr. Gunter is the ray of illumination you've been looking for. How do I know about her?, because a friend of mine recommended this Glennon Doyle podcast interview from 2022, which prompted me to buy her book, subscribe to The Vajenda, and, y'know what, start a coaching practice to help other women who are dying of heat flashes, aching joints, and random rage responses. We deserve better than a shrug from our doctors.