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Blog 81: Why You’re Exhausted — And What It Has to Do With Longevity

Jenni Berman |

Why You’re Exhausted — And What It Has to Do With Longevity

Jenni Berman, PA-C, ABAAHP

  • Are you struggling to fall asleep?
  • Struggling to stay asleep?
  • Waking up exhausted — even after 7–8 hours in bed?
  • Crashing hard around 2–3pm?
  • Waking up between 2–4am and unable to fall back asleep?
  • Tossing and turning? Snoring? Waking up with headaches?

That’s a lot of questions — and if you said yes to even one of them, your body is trying to tell you something important.

Sleep is not just about rest. It is about repair, regeneration, and longevity.

Every single night, your body is designed to regenerate hundreds of billions of cells while you sleep. This process supports healthy blood flow to vital organs, reduces inflammation, lowers disease risk, improves metabolism, sharpens brain function, and supports muscle recovery. In short — cellular regeneration is required for your body to work well and age well.

You can survive at 70%.

But longevity requires much more than survival.

What Does “Restorative Sleep” Actually Mean?

Optimal sleep is 7–9 hours per night (with 8–9 being ideal), including 100–120 minutes of REM sleep. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is the deepest, most restorative stage of sleep. This is when true physical and neurological repair happens. It’s essential for brain health, memory, hormone regulation, and long-term vitality.

So why is it so hard to get?

The Stress–Sleep–Longevity Connection

  • When your workload is high…
  • When stress is constant…
  • When your nervous system lives in fight-or-flight…

Your sleep cycle suffers — and so does your longevity.

Many people believe they have no control:

  • “I can’t stop being a working parent.”
  • “I can’t eliminate financial stress.”
  • “I can’t slow life down.”

That’s true — but here’s the empowering part:

You. Do. Have Control

While we can’t always remove stressors, we can change how your body responds to them.

The key player here is cortisol — your primary stress hormone. Cortisol is essential for survival. It helps you respond to danger and stay alert. But when cortisol is elevated chronically, it disrupts your entire stress axis (the HPA axis), impacting sleep, blood sugar, hormones, gut health, muscle mass, and inflammation.

Chronic cortisol elevation is associated with:

  • Interrupted sleep cycles
  • Early morning awakenings
  • Blood sugar instability
  • Abdominal weight gain
  • Fatigue and headaches
  • Hormonal imbalance
  • Muscle loss
  • Gut permeability 

This is not just about feeling tired — it’s about accelerated aging.

How to Regulate Cortisol and Support Longevity

Here’s where small, intentional daily changes make a massive impact:

  1. Stabilize Blood Sugar

Blood sugar swings trigger cortisol. Eat a lean protein every 2–3 hours during the day. Reduce simple carbohydrates to earlier in the day and always pair carbs with protein. At dinner, focus on protein and vegetables to calm cortisol in the evening.

  1. Practice Nervous-System-Calming Activities

Yoga, Pilates, walking, meditation, reading, journaling — find what brings your body out of fight-or-flight.

  1. Exercise — But Not Excessively

Movement is essential for longevity, but overly intense training can raise cortisol. Balance strength, cardio, and recovery.

  1. Consider L-Theanine

This amino acid can help reduce excessive cortisol release during chronic stress. It’s typically taken on an empty stomach and can be very effective when used appropriately.

  1. Prioritize Sleep Hygiene

Finish eating at least 2 hours before bed. Reduce screen exposure in the evening. Use your bed for sleep only. Create a consistent wind-down routine.

  1. Get Daily Sunlight

Sunlight is critical for melatonin production. Aim for at least 10 minutes daily — ideally outdoors and grounding when possible.

  1. Check Your Red Blood Cell Magnesium

Magnesium supports relaxation, melatonin production, blood sugar regulation, and muscle recovery. Serum levels don’t tell the full story — RBC magnesium should ideally be between 5.0–6.0.

Longevity Is Built at Night

If your workload feels overwhelming, focusing on yourself can feel impossible. But optimizing sleep and stress physiology is not optional — it’s foundational for longevity.

This is exactly what we’ll be diving into at our Longevity Event on March 7th, featuring keynote speaker Joe Sweeney, an incredible voice in the longevity space. Together, we’ll be discussing how sleep, stress, blood sugar, and lifestyle habits determine how you age — and how you can start changing that now.

If you’re ready to stop feeling exhausted and start building a healthier future, we’d love to support you.

Contact Berman Health and Wellness to evaluate your labs and create a personalized plan to improve sleep, energy, gut health, and longevity.

📞 239-431-0232 | 📧 jenni@bermanwellness.com

Longevity isn’t about adding years to your life — it’s about adding life to your years.

Jenni Berman

Jenni Berman

Jenni, owner of Berman Health and Wellness, works alongside Berman Physical Therapy to help individuals get back in shape, improve their gut health, and to stay feeling young so they can stay in the game! After graduating from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, she went on to obtain a Master’s of Physician Assistant Studies. She has a passion for helping individuals to feel better than they thought imaginable through natural approaches, nutrition, and whole body treatment. She is also a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Specialist. When she is not working with patients or with clients, you can find Jenni on the boat, in the sun, enjoying time with her husband, Jake,her daughter Stella June, spending time in Jacksonville with her family, or playing with her [CUTE!] pups!!