Too Tired to Exercise During Perimenopause? Finding Ways to Move After Poor Sleep

Last night, I was awake from about 4:30 to 5:30. And honestly, that wasn’t even a bad one.

Some nights, it takes me a while to fall asleep in the first place. Then I’m awake for an hour or 2 during the night, and by morning, getting out of bed feels like a project. Thankfully, I don’t have to set an alarm. But the thought of getting up and exercising? Not very appealing.

Fortunately, with my estrogen treatment, I’m not dealing with night sweats. I recently increased my progesterone from 100 to 200 mg, and I’m wondering how that change might be affecting me. I don’t have that answer yet, but sleep is something I’m still working on.

It’s given me a lot of empathy for women trying to keep an exercise routine through perimenopause and menopause. We know movement matters. But knowing that doesn’t magically give us energy after a lousy night.

I have some flexibility to tell myself, “I can exercise later.” I also realize that for many women, early morning is the only available time. There’s work, family, and a whole day of responsibilities waiting.

So lately, I’ve been looking for smaller opportunities to move.

Yesterday, I was doing squats and lunges while talking on the phone. I walked around and got some steps in, too. Nothing elaborate. I was already on the call, so I moved while I talked.

That’s something we can build on. Stand up for a phone call. Walk around during a break. Stretch for a few minutes. Take a short walk after lunch. And if you have more energy later, that might be a better time for your workout.

These little bits of movement give me something manageable to do on the days when a full workout feels overwhelming. And if I’m truly exhausted, I can rest and give my sleep the attention it needs.

I still want to get stronger and stay consistent. Right now, that also means being flexible about when and how I move. Some days, it starts with standing up while I’m on the phone.