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

MEET THE GUEST Dr. Beth Westie is a Functional Medicine Practitioner, chiropractor, and best-selling author dedicated to women'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's helped thousands of women balance their hormones naturally through her Hormone Foundations Program and speaking engagements. WHAT WE TALK ABOUT \- Dr. Beth Westie's background: grew up on a Minnesota goat farm, former athlete, licensed in acupuncture/Chinese medicine \- Her personal health story: recurring ovarian cysts after her third child, dismissed by conventional medicine, resolved through hormone regulation via Eastern medicine \- Core topic: the "3 AM wake up" and what drives it \- Cortisol's role: normal daily rhythm vs. chronic stress raising nighttime cortisol and triggering alertness \- Blood sugar dips around 2-3 AM causing adrenaline surges that jolt people awake \- Cortisol awakening response and the risk of it spiking too high, then crashing later in the day \- Estrogen/progesterone balance and how luteal-phase (weeks 3-4) progesterone drops affect GABA receptors and sleep depth \- Personal example of strength fluctuating across her cycle due to hormonal shifts \- Using wearables to track sleep and heart rate patterns tied to cycle phases \- The Dutch test (dried urine hormone panel) for assessing hormones, cortisol, neurotransmitters, and nutrients \- Blood testing for glucose, insulin, and A1C, plus continuous glucose monitors \- Thyroid function (TSH, T4, T3, antibodies) and its link to metabolism, detox, and sleep \- Chinese medicine organ clock, with 1-3 AM linked to liver detoxification of hormones \- Chronic stress accumulation ("rocks in a backpack" analogy) and women's tendency to self-neglect \- Resting heart rate benchmarks (under 70 bpm) and how it varies by cycle phase \- Comparing biometric data month-to-month (same cycle day) rather than day-to-day \- Gut health's impact on sleep: poor digestive motility causing overnight bloating and discomfort \- Histamine's connection to hormones: overproduction/poor clearance driving estrogen up in a feedback loop \- Iron/ferritin deficiency as a common nutrient gap affecting overall function \- Personalized, test-based treatment approach rather than one-size-fits-all protocols \- Melatonin and other sleep aids often being the wrong fix when melatonin levels are already sufficient EPISODE RESOURCES Oura RingTracks sleep, heart rate, and HRV overnight to show how your cycle affects your rest. https://shop.thetrailtohealth.com/OuraRing Function Health Get lab-tested insight into your thyroid, hormones, blood sugar, and nutrient levels. https://shop.thetrailtohealth.com/FunctionHealth Swanwick Block blue light in the evening to support your natural melatonin and wind down easier. 15% off with code TRAILTOHEALTH. https://shop.thetrailtohealth.com/swanwick Thorne Clinical-grade iron and magnesium to help fill common nutrient gaps that impact energy, hormones, and sleep. https://shop.thetrailtohealth.com/Thorne BiOptimizers Support digestion and gut motility to ease overnight bloating. Save 10% with code TRAILTOHEALTH. https://shop.thetrailtohealth.com/biooptimizer CONNECT WITH THE GUEST Website: http://drbethwestie.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbethwestie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drbethwestie TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drbethwestie YouTube: www.youtube.com/@drbethwestie.com KEYWORDS 3am wake up, insomnia, cortisol, blood sugar, hormones, progesterone, estrogen dominance, perimenopause sleep, thyroid, liver detox, histamine, gut health, Dutch test, sleep hormones, women's health