Perimenopause fatigue: why you are exhausted all the time

Feeling wiped at 4pm is almost a peri signature: fluctuating estrogen and progesterone, plus the sleep disruption they cause, quietly drain you. Add in blood sugar swings and you have the perfect recipe for the afternoon crash.

What helps most: protein at breakfast (not just coffee), a 15-minute walk after lunch, and going to bed 30 minutes earlier rather than chasing energy with caffeine after 2pm. If fatigue is bone-deep for weeks, ask your doctor to check thyroid and ferritin; both are common culprits at this age.