Episode 124 - Dr. Beth Westie - The 3 AM Wake Up: What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You

<p>MEET THE GUEST </p><p>Dr. Beth Westie is a Functional Medicine Practitioner, chiropractor, and best-selling author dedicated to women&#39;s hormone health. After her own struggle with ovarian cysts led her beyond birth control to nutrition-based healing, she created the Eat for Your Cycle™ Method. Author of The Female Fat Solution and The Female Menopause Solution, and host of The Female Health Solution Podcast, she&#39;s helped thousands of women balance their hormones naturally through her Hormone Foundations Program and speaking engagements.</p><p><br></p><p>WHAT WE TALK ABOUT </p><p>- Dr. Beth Westie&#39;s background: grew up on a Minnesota goat farm, former athlete, licensed in acupuncture/Chinese medicine</p><p>- Her personal health story: recurring ovarian cysts after her third child, dismissed by conventional medicine, resolved through hormone regulation via Eastern medicine</p><p>- Core topic: the &quot;3 AM wake up&quot; and what drives it</p><p>- Cortisol&#39;s role: normal daily rhythm vs. chronic stress raising nighttime cortisol and triggering alertness</p><p>- Blood sugar dips around 2-3 AM causing adrenaline surges that jolt people awake</p><p>- Cortisol awakening response and the risk of it spiking too high, then crashing later in the day</p><p>- Estrogen/progesterone balance and how luteal-phase (weeks 3-4) progesterone drops affect GABA receptors and sleep depth</p><p>- Personal example of strength fluctuating across her cycle due to hormonal shifts</p><p>- Using wearables to track sleep and heart rate patterns tied to cycle phases</p><p>- The Dutch test (dried urine hormone panel) for assessing hormones, cortisol, neurotransmitters, and nutrients</p><p>- Blood testing for glucose, insulin, and A1C, plus continuous glucose monitors</p><p>- Thyroid function (TSH, T4, T3, antibodies) and its link to metabolism, detox, and sleep</p><p>- Chinese medicine organ clock, with 1-3 AM linked to liver detoxification of hormones</p><p>- Chronic stress accumulation (&quot;rocks in a backpack&quot; analogy) and women&#39;s tendency to self-neglect</p><p>- Resting heart rate benchmarks (under 70 bpm) and how it varies by cycle phase</p><p>- Comparing biometric data month-to-month (same cycle day) rather than day-to-day</p><p>- Gut health&#39;s impact on sleep: poor digestive motility causing overnight bloating and discomfort</p><p>- Histamine&#39;s connection to hormones: overproduction/poor clearance driving estrogen up in a feedback loop</p><p>- I