84: Hormone Audit | Tanya, 42

In this hormone audit episode, Vanda breaks down the root causes behind persistent fatigue, poor sleep, and body composition changes for Tanya, a 42-year-old woman who feels stuck in survival mode rather than thriving.

Tanya shares that she falls asleep easily but consistently wakes between 2–4 a.m. and struggles to get back to sleep, leaving her exhausted during the day and depleted by the time she gets home from work. Despite eating and moving similarly to how she always has, her weight is slowly increasing, her strength feels diminished, and her energy is at an all-time low.

In this episode, Vanda walks through Tanya’s symptoms step by step, connecting nighttime waking to blood sugar instability, cortisol release, and mineral depletion. She highlights how under-fueling in the morning, low protein intake, and relying on coffee for energy can create a cascade of issues that impact sleep, metabolism, and hormones over time.

You’ll hear practical, foundational recommendations including:

• Why waking between 2–4 a.m. is often a blood sugar and mineral issue
• How breakfast protein can dramatically improve energy and sleep
• The role of minerals in hydration, energy, and nighttime waking
• Why muscle loss and metabolic slowdown become more noticeable in your 40s
• Simple supplement considerations without overdoing it
• When to consider labs like a full iron panel to rule out hidden deficiencies

This episode is especially helpful for women who don’t have a diagnosis but know something feels off—those who are tired all the time, struggling with sleep, and worried that this is “just part of getting older.”

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m not sick, but I’m definitely not thriving,” this hormone audit will resonate deeply and give you a clear starting point for change.

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Transcript

Hey, hey — welcome back to the podcast.

Today we’re doing another hormone audit episode, and this one is for Tania, a 42-year-old woman. We’re going to jump right in.

Tania’s biggest concern right now is her lack of energy and the fatigue she feels almost all the time. She shared that most nights she falls asleep pretty easily, but she wakes up between 2 and 4 a.m. and has a really hard time — sometimes an impossible time — falling back asleep. On some days, she wakes up during that window and is essentially up for the day.

Even on the days she does fall back asleep, she wakes up feeling exhausted. She pushes herself to get up and get moving because life requires it, but by the time she gets home from work, she’s so tired that if she sits down for even a short period of time, she falls asleep.

She also has concerns about weight and body composition changes. She feels like she’s eating and moving similarly to how she always has, but her weight is slowly increasing. She also notices that she feels less strong and fit than she used to, which likely reflects some loss of muscle tone — something that’s unfortunately common for women as we age, especially if we’re not doing regular strength training.

When I asked why addressing these concerns is important to her, she shared that her core values are connection, presence, and growth. Feeling tired all the time makes it difficult for her to show up in her life the way she wants to. She wants to feel strong, energized, and capable of connecting with her family, friends, and people she loves — not just doing the bare minimum required to function.

She reports getting seven to eight hours of sleep per night, but based on everything she shared earlier, that’s likely time spent in bed, not actual restorative sleep. If she’s waking up between 2 and 4 a.m. and staying awake for long stretches, she’s probably closer to five to six hours of real sleep most nights. That absolutely contributes to fatigue, but I don’t think it’s the only thing at play here.

She doesn’t have trouble falling asleep and doesn’t believe she snores. Her main issue is staying asleep. When someone wakes up consistently in the middle of the night, my first question is about blood sugar regulation. My second question is whether they’re waking up to urinate. Both of these often tie back to mineral status.

In Tania’s case, I suspect her blood sugar is dropping overnight. When blood sugar dips too low, the body releases cortisol — our stress hormone — to bring it back up. Cortisol is stimulating, so even though the body is trying to help, it wakes her up in the process. One strategy we could experiment with is a bedtime snack that includes protein and fat to help stabilize blood sugar overnight.

She doesn’t feel rested upon waking and doesn’t use sleep aids. She does some light stretching and movement in the mornings, especially on days she feels slightly better. She averages about 7,500 steps per day through normal activity and work, which is a solid baseline. She doesn’t feel motivated to exercise beyond that, which is completely understandable given how fatigued she feels.

That said, because she has body composition goals and notices a decline in strength, I do think that once her energy improves, incorporating even a small amount of strength training will be important — especially at this stage of life. Maintaining muscle mass supports metabolism and bone health and helps protect against osteoporosis as we age.

Now let’s talk about food, because this is where I see the biggest opportunity for quick improvement.

When I asked about her typical daily intake, the first thing that stood out was breakfast. She described it as light — usually a muffin or string cheese with coffee. A string cheese has very little protein, and while a muffin can be high in calories, it’s typically made up of refined carbs and fats without much protein or fiber. This combination doesn’t provide the fuel her body needs to start the day.

My challenge for Tania — and for anyone listening who relates — is to aim for 20 to 30 grams of protein at breakfast. This doesn’t have to be complicated. It could be a smoothie, a protein shake, or simply adding hard-boiled eggs alongside what she’s already eating. The goal is to give the body real fuel early in the day.

She sometimes has yogurt and granola as a snack, depending on how busy work is. If this is a sugary yogurt paired with granola, that could further spike blood sugar without providing enough protein. This pattern sets her up for blood sugar swings throughout the day, which contribute to energy crashes and cravings.

By the time she gets home in the afternoon, she’s likely very hungry — either because of those blood sugar swings or simply because she hasn’t eaten enough overall. Her body is asking for fuel.

She eats dinner and occasionally has popcorn or ice cream at night, which I don’t think is a problem. What I would emphasize instead is making sure lunch and dinner consistently include 20 to 30 grams of protein. If she did just that, I believe she’d notice an improvement in energy fairly quickly.

She doesn’t practice intermittent fasting and doesn’t eat out often. As for caffeine, she drinks about two cups of coffee between 7 and 9 a.m. I don’t have an issue with coffee itself, but I always encourage eating breakfast first. Coffee should support your day, not replace proper fueling.

It’s also important to ask whether coffee is something you truly enjoy or something you feel you need just to function. In Tania’s case, it may be both — but that tells me her body could benefit from additional support.

This is where minerals can be very helpful. I often recommend adding a mineral drink in the morning, either before or alongside coffee. Brands I currently like include SALTT for its sodium-to-potassium ratio and Jigsaw Health’s Potassium Cocktail. Minerals can significantly support energy, hydration, and stress resilience.

Cycle-wise, Tania reports regular periods with minimal cramps, which is great. She does notice that sleep issues worsen around PMS, along with breast tenderness and low energy. If sleep continues to decline, PMS symptoms may worsen over time, so I’m glad we’re addressing this now.

She isn’t taking any prescription medications and uses a multivitamin. When asked how these symptoms impact her life, she shared that she feels too tired to do anything beyond what’s absolutely required. She doesn’t feel sick, but she doesn’t feel good — and she’s nowhere near thriving. She’s also worried these issues will worsen as she ages.

So here are my core recommendations:

First, prioritize breakfast. For the next one to two weeks, focus on consistently getting 20 to 30 grams of protein in the morning — however that looks for you.

Once breakfast feels solid, turn your attention to lunch and dinner. You may find you no longer need as many snacks, or only need one instead of two.

Pay attention to afternoon hunger. If you’re ravenous when you get home or grazing while cooking dinner, that’s valuable feedback — it usually means lunch wasn’t sufficient.

If you’re waking up overnight to urinate, that’s another sign minerals may be low. Mineral support can help your body better retain fluids and support sleep.

Supplement-wise, I would start simply. Magnesium glycinate before bed — specifically MagSoothe from Jigsaw Health — can support deeper, more restful sleep.

Finally, I strongly recommend getting a full iron panel, including ferritin. Many women are unknowingly iron deficient, and low iron can contribute to fatigue and disrupted sleep. You can request this through your primary care provider, or I can help facilitate testing if needed.

I hope you enjoyed this audit. If you love these hormone audit episodes and would like one of your own, you can book an audit through my website at any time.

Have a great week, and I’ll talk to you next week.