Diving Into an A–Z Sleep Guide for 50+ Women (as a 40-Year-Old)
Plus, what I'm reading on Substack
Let’s talk about sleep hacks.
As someone who is not on TikTok and Instagram, I don’t find out about these hacks until I see an article about them. By the time I discovered Sleepy Girl Mocktails and mouth tape, they were old news.
Substack has been a great source of content about beauty, travel, writing, and pretentiousness, but where are the articles about sleep? Surely, I’m not the only one writing about it on this platform.
Then I found the latest edition of Road Trip to Younger.
Road Trip to Younger (henceforth RTY) is a Substack for 50+ women described as a “gentle science-backed journey to growing younger as we grow (gloriously) older.”
Having just turned 40, I’m outside of RTY’s target demo — but who says I have to wait until I’m 50 to start undoing the bad decisions of my 20s and 30s?
Brodee Myers-Cooke, creator of RTY, is dedicating a two-part issue to sleep. She explains why:
For too long, I was reckless with my sleep. I didn't set boundaries. I sacrificed quality sleep on the altar of constant output—it was a hamster wheel of diminishing returns.
Waking up to the power of sleep changed everything for me. I’m not saying I’m perfect, but what I am is aware: sleep is my anchor. I know what works for me, after years of refining my strategy, based on the science.
Among other tips, the first part of RTY’s all-things-sleep issue includes the Ultimate A–Z of Better Sleep. Myers-Cooke based this guide on multiple branches of sleep science.
While it’s primarily designed to help women over 50 navigate the challenges they may face, Myers-Cooke adds that the ideas and strategies can apply to anyone looking to improve their sleep.
How well do I follow the A–Z of Better Sleep?
I encourage everyone to read the original post at Road Trip to Younger for context on why Myers-Cooke selected the topics she did. What follows is strictly an evaluation based on my habits and tendencies.
A is for Alcohol
I made the decision to cut alcohol after my 40th birthday in January. Boom. Done.
B is for Bed Basics
This refers to your mattress, pillows, and bed sheets — and I review all of these product categories! I endeavor to keep my bed tidy and cozy. I wash my sheets once a week and my quilt once a month. I also have a collection of pillows I use on a rotating basis.
C is for Caffeine
I don’t drink caffeine every day, but when I do, I try not to consume it past noon (the operative word being try). For as strict as I am with my coffee consumption, I’m lax with tea, although I’ve had to give up drinking matcha before bedtime.
D is for Dinner Timing
My dinnertime is usually around 5-6 pm, but some evenings, I get caught up with other things and push my mealtime back. I also like to have a bowl of Greek yogurt for dessert. While that may be a healthier choice than, say, an ice cream sundae, eating it so close to bedtime can be counterproductive.
E is for Exercise
I try to incorporate some movement into every day, whether it’s a walk in the park, a kettlebell session at home, or a DDR marathon with friends. After years of intense workouts later in the evening, I now try to exercise during the day to avoid amping myself up too much before bed (or tiring myself out before I can grab a shower).
F is for Foot Bath
I don’t have a foot bath, but I do like to relax with a good soak in my tub with some lavender bath salts.
G is for Get Up
This relates to the struggle of not being able to fall asleep once you're in bed. ("Get up and do something calming in dim light until you feel sleepy again.") But I want to tackle this from another direction.
I used to have a hard time getting up (and staying up) whenever my phone was within arm’s reach of my bed. Ever since I started keeping my phone out of my room at night, I’ve had a much easier time getting up and getting on with my day1.
H is for Hypnosis
Per RTY, “Self-hypnosis techniques reduce the time it takes to fall asleep by 66% and improve sleep quality.” I could have used that technique last week when a situation annoyed me so much that I lost sleep over it. (Journaling helped, though.)
I is for Intentions
This can be a pre-sleep ritual. For me, it’s a work in progress. When I start to feel tired, I’ll wash up, put on my pajamas, and get into bed. After that, I’ll either read or watch something on TV before dozing off.
Sometimes, I’m so tired that I just conk out — then I wake up to get myself properly ready for bed, only to fall back asleep. I’d rather avoid doing it this way.
J is for Joy Journaling
I should try to journal for the sake of journaling and not reserve this activity for when I’m upset and need to dump my emotions. However, emotional journaling helps me sort my ideas so I can go to bed (less) angry.
Still, reflecting on the good in every day will provide me with much-needed perspective whenever I feel like the world is working against me.
K is for Kindness Practice
After being absolutely horrible to myself from my teens to my mid-30s, I’m slowly coming around to allowing myself some grace. Growing up is realizing self-flagellation is a tiresome sport in which you can never win.
L is for Light Control
I wish I had dimmable lights in my bedroom, but my lamps aren’t super bright on their own. I’ve tried sleeping with an eye mask, but it always falls off during the night.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a fidget-resistant eye mask? Drop a rec!
M is for Morning Sunlight
My bed is right next to my window and I love it. All I need to do is part my curtains, draw my blinds up a few inches, and receive the sunshine I need to energize me for the day.
Unfortunately, we’ve had a lot of cloudy days here lately, so this hasn’t been working as intended. I’ve contemplated buying a sunrise alarm clock to bypass this.
N is for Noise Control
My neighborhood is quiet for the most part. Sure, the nicer weather brings more noise, but it’s nothing I can’t handle with a pair of wireless earbuds if the need arises.
O is for Olfactory Cues
I have a couple of aromatherapy mists that I spray on my sheets and pillows. Do they help me fall asleep? Maybe, but I just like to have a nice-smelling bedroom.
P is for Pressure Points
I love massage, but for the life of me, I can’t give myself one. In desperate times, I ask my mom for her portable back massager.
Q is for Quiet Mind
My mind is like a television that plays 24/7 — as much as I try, there’s no turning it completely off. RTY recommends using the 4-7-8 breathing technique to calm an active mind. It’s worth a shot.
R is for Release Tension
I occasionally grind my teeth at night, but after receiving my Invisalign treatment, I experience far fewer headaches and jaw aches. (Having a good pillow helps, too.)
S is for Sleep Schedule
My approximate sleep time is 11 pm to 7 am. Most mornings, I manage to wake up before the alarm, but if I do oversleep, it’s usually by half an hour (and often following a later bedtime).
Like most things in my life, this is a work in progress — but it’s perhaps the most consistent sleep schedule I’ve ever maintained as an adult.
T is for Temperature
I overheat in bed sometimes, whether it’s due to hormones or illness. My bedroom temperature usually sits in the low 70s (low 20s if you’re not up on Freedom Units).
During the winter, I layer up with blankets and hoodies. (I sleep near a window, and it can get a little drafty.) When the weather breaks, I’ll wear lighter pajamas.
U is for Unplug
I try not to work past 6 pm if I can help it, but things come up sometimes, and I’ll need to make a late push to hit a deadline. Plus, I don’t like to knock myself out of a flow state prematurely, even if it means I’ll be working well into the night.
That said, I really shouldn’t go on these evening writing sprints too often.
V is for Visualization
This ties back to the Quiet Mind — I can visualize things just fine. It just doesn’t help me fall asleep so easily. However, if I had the money to throw at a Sava Sound Pod, I’d buy one to carry me on a cosmic journey every night.
W is for Weight Watch
I don’t weigh myself regularly, but the last time I checked, I was slightly overweight according to BMI standards. I think maintaining a consistent sleep schedule has affected my hormones so I don’t feel so ravenous during the day. I’m doing a lot less mindless snacking. On the other hand, I need to stop eating so close to bedtime.
X is for X-Training
I try to work in strength training 2-3 times a week while also getting my cardio on with walking and video game dance-offs. At the start of the year, I was consistent with my yoga practice but fell off. (I should get back into it. My lower back would appreciate it.)
Y is for Yoga Nidra
Well, speaking of yoga…!
This video has over four million views on YouTube:
Z is for The Zero Zone
RTY describes this as “a 2-hour buffer before bed with zero work, zero difficult thoughts and conversations.” If evenings of scrolling through Formula 1 memes and endless YouTube Shorts count, I have this locked down.
Final verdict?
There are certainly some areas I excel at and others where I could be doing better. Overall, it was a fun exercise in examining my sleep habits.
Part 2 of the Road Trip to Younger’s Sleep Issue is now live, featuring guidelines for a personalized 4-week sleep reset. I will be embarking on this in May.
Other (sleepy) Substacks I like
Let’s Talk Sleep: Journalist, author, and speaker Lisa L. Lewis, MS, shares her strategies for adolescents and adults to achieve better sleep. It also has the distinction of being the first sleep-related Substack I found!
The Midst: The Midst has a similar objective to RTY but with a focus on women who are 35+ and (peri)menopausal. It occasionally features stories about navigating sleep during menopause, which is something I am not anticipating.
Question of the week
Who are you getting your sleep advice from on Substack, or anywhere outside of social media, for that matter? Share your recommendations in the comments.
Thank you so much for joining me for another edition of More Than Mattresses. By the way, how well do you follow your A to Zzzzs?
Sleep well,
Alison
Correction (April 21, 2025): This post incorrectly named Linda L. Lewis, MS, as the author of Let’s Talk Sleep. Her name is Lisa L. Lewis, MS.
I wish I could say I’ve been doing a good job of keeping my phone out of my room, full stop. I sometimes find myself scrolling in bed in the evening. On the plus side, it’s not happening as much as it used to. Progress!
This is brilliant Alison! — an A-Z review of an A-Z! I’m loving your voice and vibe round here. Can’t wait for more of it! If there is one thing we all need to know more about, it’s sleep!