When Sleep Changed: A Personal Reflection on Hormones, Rest and Learning to Soften

For most of my life, sleep came easily.

I was someone who could fall asleep without much effort, tired days led naturally into restful nights. Sleep felt like a given, not something I thought about or worked toward.

Until it wasn’t.

As my hormones began to shift, sleep slowly changed too.
Not dramatically at first just subtly enough to be confusing.

I could fall asleep, but staying asleep became harder.
I’d wake in the middle of the night for no clear reason.
Some nights, my body felt tired but oddly alert.
Other nights, my mind felt busy even when nothing in particular was wrong.

What surprised me most wasn’t just the disrupted sleep it was how unfamiliar it felt to suddenly not trust my own rest.

When the Body Changes Quietly

Hormonal changes don’t always announce themselves loudly.
Sometimes they show up in quiet ways lighter sleep, early waking, restless nights, or a sense that the body doesn’t fully let go.

What I learned over time is that these changes aren’t failures of discipline or routine. They’re invitations to listen differently.

Sleep, especially during hormonal transitions, often isn’t something to optimize.
It’s something to support.

Letting Go of “Perfect Sleep”

At first, I did what many of us do I tried to fix it.

I adjusted routines.
I tried to control bedtime.
I watched the clock more than I rested.

But the more I tried to force sleep, the more alert my body seemed to become.

Eventually, I began to soften my approach. Instead of asking, How do I make myself sleep?
I asked, How can I help my body feel safe enough to rest?

That question changed everything.

What Helped Me Feel Supported at Night

What helped wasn’t one big solution it was a collection of small, gentle cues that told my body it didn’t need to stay on guard.

Some nights, that looked like:

• Lowering sensory input — dimmer lights, fewer screens, more darkness
• Using an eye mask to invite visual rest when my eyes felt sensitive
• Letting sound replace silence — listening to the Restful Night soundtrack, not to fall asleep quickly, but to feel less alone in the quiet
• Applying a sleep essential oil or roll-on slowly, with no expectation attached — just one familiar scent, one pause
• Sipping a sleep tea, not as a remedy, but as a ritual — a warm signal that the day was complete

None of these were meant to guarantee sleep.
They were simply ways to meet my body where it was.

Redefining Rest During Hormonal Change

One of the most important shifts for me was redefining what rest meant.

I stopped measuring success by how long I slept.
I stopped judging nights that looked different.
I allowed rest to include lying quietly, breathing slowly, listening, or simply being still.

Some nights, sleep came easily again.
Other nights, it came in pieces.

And slowly, as the pressure eased, my body learned to trust rest again.

Why This Shaped H Circle

This experience  of sleep changing quietly, of needing gentler care  shaped how we think about wellness at H Circle.

We don’t create products to fix or force the body into outcomes.
We create them to support transitions, especially the ones that aren’t always spoken about hormonal shifts, changing sleep patterns, sensitivity, and emotional fatigue.

Our teas, sound experiences, oils, and rituals are meant to be optional companions. Tools that say: you don’t need to push through this.

A Gentle Closing

If your sleep has changed recently whether because of hormones, stress, or simply life  you’re not imagining it. And you’re not doing anything wrong.

Sometimes, the body isn’t asking for better routines.
It’s asking for kindness.

And sometimes, rest returns not when we chase it
but when we finally allow ourselves to soften.

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