How to Sleep Better: A Functional Medicine Approach

In my work with women—especially during midlife—there’s one area that keeps coming up in conversations: sleep.

Not just how we sleep, but how much it matters.
Sleep isn’t just about rest. It’s how the body repairs, regulates, and resets. It’s one of the most underappreciated (and underutilized) forms of medicine we have.

This topic came up at the Annual International Conference (AIC) from the Institute for Functional Medicine—a gathering I’ve attended and will be speaking at this year. One of the sessions that stuck with me was a powerful talk by sleep scientist Dr. Matt Walker, and I wanted to share a few key takeaways along with insights I’ve gathered over the years.

Why Sleep Is Foundational

As I wrote in Whole Woman Health:

“Sleep is one way the body tries to recover from secreting large amounts of cortisol when experiencing stress.”

When we’re constantly in go-mode, sleep becomes one of the first things to suffer. And yet it’s one of the few things that can actually help regulate the very stress that keeps us up at night.

Lack of quality sleep doesn’t just leave us groggy—it impacts immunity, hormones, mood, digestion, and long-term disease risk.

Insights from AIC: Sleep Pearls from Dr. Matt Walker

Here are a few clinical sleep pearls that continue to influence how I support women in my practice:

• Remove all clock faces from your bedroom (clock-watching increases anxiety and wakefulness)

• Keep the room cool—65°F or lower supports better sleep quality

• Don’t overcorrect after a bad night—no naps, no early bedtimes. Let your body reset on its own

• Your immune system takes a hit without sleep: Natural Killer (NK) cells drop by 70% after just one 4-hour night of sleep

• Supplements that show promise for sleep support:
   - CBD
   - Magnesium threonate
   - Tart cherry juice
   - Phosphatidylserine (P. serine)

• Sleep medications are sedative hypnotics—not true sleep. Use only short term, if needed

• CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) is the gold standard for chronic sleep challenges

🌙 How You Can Support Your Sleep—Tonight

Improving sleep isn’t about perfection. It’s about creating an environment and routine that lets your body relax and reset.

Here are a few practices I often recommend:

• Unplug an hour before bed
   Give your nervous system a chance to downshift. Ditch screens and let your brain ease into rest mode.

• Create a calming bedtime ritual
   Journaling, herbal tea, gentle stretching, or quiet time. Whatever helps you slow down.

• Keep your sleep space sacred
   Cool, dark, quiet. Reserve your bed for rest and intimacy—not work or Netflix.

• Stick to consistent sleep/wake times
   Your circadian rhythm loves routine. Even on weekends.

• Finish dinner a few hours before bed
   > “Fasting for at least three hours prior to going to bed prevents insulin from inhibiting melatonin and growth hormone, thereby improving sleep and immune function.” (Whole Woman Health)

The Bigger Picture

Sleep is a cornerstone of hormone regulation, emotional resilience, and whole-person wellness—especially during midlife.

It’s not indulgent. It’s necessary.

And sometimes, making small changes—like unplugging early or creating a sleep sanctuary—can be the most profound medicine.