LLN Episode #323: Caffeine, Sugar & Alcohol — What’s the Real Impact in Midlife?
Release Date: 02/02/2026
LLN Episode #323: Caffeine, Sugar & Alcohol — What’s the Real Impact in Midlife?
Living Life Naturally
If caffeine suddenly makes you anxious, sugar cravings feel louder than ever, and alcohol disrupts your sleep more than it used to… you’re not imagining it. In this Tea & Truth episode, Lynne breaks down what’s really happening in midlife — and why everyday stimulants can feel so different during perimenopause and menopause. You’ll learn how hormones, blood sugar, and the nervous system all play a role, plus gentle, realistic ways to support your body without extremes. Show Notes: In midlife, it can feel like your body has a new “volume setting.” Coffee that once felt...
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LLN Episode #322: Alicia Jones - The Truth About Protein And Why Most Women Over 40 Are Falling Short
Living Life Naturally
If you’re over 40 and feel like the old “eat less, move more” advice isn’t working anymore, you’re not alone. In this episode, I’m joined by Alicia Jones to talk about why most women are falling short on protein in midlife — and the simple, realistic shifts that can support muscle, metabolism, and steady energy without extreme dieting. If you’re over 40 and feel like your energy, strength, or body composition has shifted — you’re not imagining it. One of the biggest gaps I see in midlife women is protein intake. Most women are simply not getting enough, and in perimenopause...
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LLN Episode #321: Gut Health and Menopause: The Overlooked Connection
Living Life Naturally
Midlife digestion changes can feel confusing — bloating, constipation, reflux, cravings, brain fog, and inflammation that seem to come out of nowhere. In this episode, we unpack the gut–hormone connection in perimenopause and menopause, and I share a gentle framework to feel better: Calm • Feed • Support, plus a free 14-day gut reset. If perimenopause or menopause has you feeling like your digestion has changed overnight — bloating by lunchtime, stubborn constipation, reflux out of nowhere, new food sensitivities, cravings, brain fog, or feeling inflamed and puffy — you’re...
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LLN Episode #320: Dr. Jaime Knopman – Midlife Hormone Chaos? How To Advocate For Better Care
Living Life Naturally
Perimenopause isn’t just hot flashes and mood shifts — for many women, it can be a silent fertility disruptor. In today’s episode of Living Life Naturally, Lynne Wadsworth sits down with Dr. Jaime Knopman, double board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and fertility expert, to talk about what’s really happening with egg quality, ovulation, IVF outcomes, and why so many women feel dismissed or misdiagnosed in midlife. We also explore practical ways to advocate for better care — from tracking cycles and symptoms, to bringing a “plus one” to appointments, to understanding why...
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LLN Episode 319: Stop Dieting In Midlife: Why Nourishment Works Better Than Punishment
Living Life Naturally
If you’ve spent years — or decades — starting diets on Monday, feeling “good” or “bad” based on what you ate, or letting the scale decide your mood for the day… this episode is a deep breath of fresh air. In this powerful Tea & Truth conversation, Lynne invites you to gently step out of diet culture and into a new way of relating to food, your body, and your midlife health: nourish, don’t punish. You’ll learn why strict dieting backfires in midlife (especially with shifting hormones), how it impacts your metabolism, mood, cravings, and self-worth — and what it looks...
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LLN Episode #318: Dr. Glenn Livingston - Why Willpower Fails with Food — The Science Behind Cravings & Emotional Eating
Living Life Naturally
About Dr. Glenn Livington: Dr Glenn Livingston, Ph.D. is a veteran psychologist and longtime CEO of a multi-million-dollar consulting firm which has serviced several Fortune 500 clients in the food industry. Doctor Glenn’s work, theories, and research have been published in major periodicals like The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Sun Times. Disillusioned by what traditional psychology had to offer overweight and/or food obsessed individuals, Doctor Livingston spent several decades researching the nature of bingeing and overeating via work with his own patients AND a...
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LLN Episode #317: Eating for Hormonal Balance: Key Foods for Midlife Wellness
Living Life Naturally
Series: Tea & Truth: Honest Talk for Women in Midlife Host: Lynne Wadsworth, Holistic Health Coach If you’ve been feeling inflamed, tired, foggy, or just not like yourself lately, this episode will feel like a deep exhale. In today’s Tea & Truth, we’re breaking down exactly what to eat in midlife to balance hormones naturally, reduce inflammation, boost energy, stabilize mood, and finally feel at home in your body again. This is your personal guide to midlife nutrition that works with your changing hormones, not against them — no dieting, no deprivation, no guilt. Just...
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LLN Episode #316: The Emotional Weight of Hormonal Shifts — and How to Lighten It
Living Life Naturally
So many women in midlife say the same thing: “I feel heavier inside, and I don’t know why.” The truth is, hormonal shifts during perimenopause and menopause can profoundly affect your emotions — often in ways no one ever warned you about. In this compassionate episode of Tea & Truth, Lynne breaks down the real science behind the emotional weight of hormonal change, including how fluctuations in estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, and neurotransmitters influence your mood, stress tolerance, sleep, and overall emotional stability. We also explore the human experience — the overwhelm,...
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LLN Episode #315: Who Am I Now? Navigating Identity Shifts & Self-Discovery in Midlife
Living Life Naturally
In today’s heartfelt and empowering episode of Tea & Truth, we dive into one of the deepest — and most confusing — questions women face during perimenopause and menopause: Who am I now? Midlife often brings a surprising emotional and spiritual awakening. Many women suddenly feel different inside… questioning their identity, their purpose, their desires, and the life they’ve built. If you’ve felt “off,” restless, or disconnected from the woman you once were, you’re not alone — and nothing is wrong with you. In this episode, we explore the real reasons midlife triggers...
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LLN Episode #314 – What You Need to Know to Calm Your Midlife Anxiety & Mood Swings — Simply & Naturally
Living Life Naturally
If you’ve been feeling anxious, moody, or emotionally “off” lately, you are not alone. Midlife can bring sudden waves of anxiety, sleepless nights, irritability, and even sadness — all of which can leave you wondering what happened to your old self. But here’s the truth: your body isn’t betraying you — it’s speaking to you. In this heartfelt episode of Tea & Truth, Lynne dives into the emotional and biological changes that fuel midlife anxiety and mood swings — and how you can find calm again, naturally. She explains how shifting hormones, stress, and blood-sugar...
info_outlineIf caffeine suddenly makes you anxious, sugar cravings feel louder than ever, and alcohol disrupts your sleep more than it used to… you’re not imagining it. In this Tea & Truth episode, Lynne breaks down what’s really happening in midlife — and why everyday stimulants can feel so different during perimenopause and menopause. You’ll learn how hormones, blood sugar, and the nervous system all play a role, plus gentle, realistic ways to support your body without extremes.
Show Notes:
In midlife, it can feel like your body has a new “volume setting.” Coffee that once felt energizing now feels jittery. Sugar feels harder to manage. And alcohol can trigger 3am wake-ups, mood shifts, and restless sleep.
In today’s Tea & Truth, we’re unpacking the real impact of caffeine, sugar, and alcohol in perimenopause and menopause — and the shared thread that connects all three: the nervous system.
This is not a “cut everything out” episode. It’s a compassionate, practical conversation designed to help you understand what your body is asking for now — and how to respond with steadier support.
In this episode, we cover:
- Why caffeine can increase jitters, anxiety, and sleep disruption in midlife
- The blood sugar–hormone connection behind cravings and energy crashes
- Why alcohol can worsen sleep quality, inflammation, hot flashes, and next-day anxiety
- The “coffee to push, sugar to soothe, wine to unwind” pattern (and how to shift it gently)
- Simple, realistic ways to support your nervous system with steadiness instead of stimulation
Free download for this episode:
Midlife Stimulant Reset (1-page PDF)
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vfpricme835xt7ova9h4r/Midlife-Stimulant-Reset.pdf
Connect with Lynne:
Imagine not having to “figure out midlife” on your own anymore. 💜
If you’re craving real support, practical solutions, and honest conversation, come join The Energized Healthy Women's Club —my private community for women who want to feel healthier, lighter, and more confident. Inside, we share tips and strategies for weight, belly bloat, hormones, sugar cravings, fatigue, recipes, perimenopause, menopause, headaches, and more… so you can feel energized, supported, and truly not alone in this season.
Website: https://holistic-healthandwellness.com
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