Why Rest Isn’t Selfish: The 7 Types of Rest You Need During Perimenopause

If you’re in your 40s or 50s and feeling exhausted despite getting your 8 hours of sleep, you’re not alone. And no, you’re not going crazy.

Perimenopause brings a perfect storm of hormonal changes that can leave you feeling like you’re running on empty, even when you think you’re doing everything “right.” Your oestrogen and progesterone are on a rollercoaster ride, your cortisol might be through the roof, and suddenly that sleep you’re getting just doesn’t feel restorative anymore.

Here’s what I wish someone had told me earlier: rest isn’t just about sleep.

The Hidden Rest Crisis

During perimenopause, our bodies are working overtime. We’re managing fluctuating hormones, often dealing with increased stress from family and work demands, and trying to keep up with the same pace we’ve always maintained. But our needs have changed.

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith discovered something revolutionary: there are actually seven different types of rest we need. When we’re missing even one of these, we can sleep for hours and still wake up feeling drained.

Sound familiar?

The 7 Pillars of Rest (And Why You Need Them All)

1. Physical Rest

This is the obvious one – sleep and gentle movement. But during perimenopause, quality matters more than quantity. Your body needs deeper, more restorative rest.

2. Mental Rest

Your brain is already working harder to manage hormonal fluctuations. Give it regular breaks from decision-making, problem-solving, and mental juggling.

3. Emotional Rest

If you’re constantly managing everyone else’s emotions while your own are all over the place, you need emotional rest. This means time to just be yourself without having to “perform.”

4. Sensory Rest

Hot flushes making you sensitive to temperature? Brain fog making you overwhelmed by noise and light? Your nervous system needs calm, quiet spaces to reset.

5. Creative Rest

This isn’t about being artistic – it’s about experiencing beauty and wonder without having to produce anything. Your soul needs feeding too.

6. Social Rest

Some relationships energise you, others drain you. During perimenopause, you need more of the energising kind and boundaries around the draining ones.

7. Spiritual Rest

Connecting to something bigger than your daily to-do list. Whether it’s nature, meditation, or community, your spirit needs nourishment.

Where Restorative and Yin Yoga Come In

Here’s where I get excited. Restorative and yin yoga aren’t just about flexibility – they’re rest multipliers.

In one 60-minute practice, you can hit multiple rest pillars:

• Physical rest through supported poses that calm your nervous system
• Mental rest by focusing on breath instead of your endless to-do list
• Sensory rest in a quiet, dimmed space away from screens and chaos
• Emotional rest by creating space for whatever you’re feeling without judgment
• Spiritual rest through connection with your inner wisdom

I’ve watched countless women transform their energy levels not by adding more to their plates, but by embracing these slower, gentler practices. When your hormones are unpredictable, these practices become your anchor.

Making Rest Non-Negotiable

I know what you’re thinking: “This sounds lovely, but I don’t have time for seven different types of rest.”

But here’s the truth: you don’t have time NOT to rest properly. When you’re running on empty, everything takes longer. You make more mistakes. You’re more reactive. You get sick more often.Rest isn’t selfish – it’s strategic.

Start small:

• Take three deep breaths before checking your phone in the morning (mental rest)
• Eat lunch away from your computer (sensory rest)
• Say no to one commitment this week (emotional rest)
• Do gentle stretches before bed (physical rest)

Your Next Step

If you’re ready to stop feeling exhausted and start feeling like yourself again, I’m here to help.

That’s why I created Embodied Rhythms – an online monthly membership specifically designed for women navigating [peri]menopause who want to come home to the body and reclaim their energy without adding more stress to their lives.

We’ll dive deep into:

• Creating a personalised rest practice that fits your real life
• Gentle yin yoga sequences for hormonal balance
• Stress management techniques that actually work
• Building sustainable energy that lasts

 

Because you deserve to feel good in your own body, no matter what your hormones are doing.