When Sleep Stops Working

When Sleep Stops Working

From Project Joyful by Tracy Tutty

March 28, 2026 · 26 min · Season 2 · Episode 227

About this episode

Tracy Tutty explores the biological drivers behind disrupted sleep in women and the interconnected systems that influence sleep quality.

Sleep is one of the most common concerns women bring into clinic. For some, sleep has always been fragile. For others, sleep worked reliably for years and then gradually began to change. Falling asleep becomes harder, waking during the night becomes more common, or mornings arrive without the sense of restoration sleep once provided. When this happens, the instinct is usually to search for the strategy that will fix it. Evening routines are refined, supplements are trialled, and sleep environments are optimised in the hope that sleep will return to the way it once was. But disrupted sleep is rarely just about sleep. Your ability to sleep well is influenced by several systems working together. Your nervous system, hormonal rhythms, metabolism, circadian biology, and the cognitive demands placed on your brain all play a role. When one of these systems shifts, sleep is often the first place your body signals that something needs attention. In this episode of Project Joyful , Tracy explores what is actually happening in your body when sleep stops working in the way it once did. Drawing on her clinical experience as a Medical Herbalist and Neuro-Identity Coach, she explains the…

People in this episode

Host: Tracy Tutty

Topics covered

  • sleep
  • women's health
  • hormonal rhythms
  • circadian biology
  • neuro-identity
  • self-improvement

Keywords

  • sleep
  • disrupted sleep
  • hormones
  • metabolism
  • circadian rhythms
  • women's health
  • neuro-identity
  • high-performing women

More episodes of Project Joyful

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Project Joyful podcast page.