{"podcast":{"title":"Peri & Pause The Podcast","slug":"peri-pause-the-podcast-7706684","podcast_index_feed_id":7706684,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-peri-pause-podcast","website_url":"https://periandpause.com","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/_8eFZ9YQ3E1l00WK5I03wKSl5fHLHgT6UQim-aTCjZM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9lYmY4/MDgzODRlZGU3YzI0/MzMwMzkzNjVkODI0/MmNjYi5qcGc.jpg","author":"Jamie Gallagher","episode_count":14,"summary":"The Peri & Pause Podcast is for women in midlife who know something in their body has changed—but haven’t been given real answers, or have been left overwhelmed by conflicting information. Hosted by Jamie Gallagher, DNP, FNP-C, MSCP, a nurse practitioner specializing in perimenopause and menopause care, the show explores hormones, metabolism, mental health, sleep, sex, weight changes, and chronic conditions through an evidence-based, deeply practical lens. We unpack the physiology of midlife alongside the lived experience of women navigating careers, relationships, finances, and identity during this transition. Every woman deserves this conversation—and the clarity, language, and confidence to advocate for better care. Because “Your Labs Are Normal” Is Not the Whole Story.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-01T00:18:21.670594+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/peri-pause-the-podcast-7706684"},"episode":{"title":"It’s Not “Just Stress”: How Perimenopause Affects Your Brain, Sleep, Mood & Stress Tolerance","slug":"it-s-not-just-stress-how-perimenopause-affects-your-brain-sleep-mood-stress-tolerance","published_at":"2026-03-03T12:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/peri-pause-the-podcast-7706684/it-s-not-just-stress-how-perimenopause-affects-your-brain-sleep-mood-stress-tolerance","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/peri-pause-the-podcast-7706684","url":"https://youtu.be/tMVmP92ozk4","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/c5922dd7/d777e940.mp3","summary":"The episode explains that while stress in midlife is real, many symptoms blamed on “stress” are actually driven by perimenopause physiology. The speaker describes how perimenopause and menopause affect far more than periods and hot flashes, impacting brain function, sleep, mood, energy, focus, and emotional regulation. She reframes perimenopause as a neuroendocrine transition, noting estrogen’s role in brain energy, neurotransmitters, sleep regulation, stress response, metabolism, and glucose use, and explains that early progesterone changes can worsen mood and sleep. Common experiences include unfamiliar anxiety, brain fog, word-finding issues, emotional reactivity, rage, and fatigue. She emphasizes that “normal” labs can be misleading due to hormonal fluctuations, and encourages symptom-based care, self-compassion, and preparation to advocate in healthcare in the next episode. 00:00 Stress vs Physiology 01:08 Band-Aid Advice 02:17 Perimenopause Brain Shift 03:43 Early Symptoms Explained 04:35 Reframing Stress Tolerance 05:12 Why Labs Look Normal 06:11 Symptom-Based Support 06:50 Recalibration Not Breakdown 07:46 Closing and Next Steps","meta_description":"The episode explains that while stress in midlife is real, many symptoms blamed on “stress” are actually driven by perimenopause physiology. The speaker d…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":528,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/peri-pause-the-podcast-7706684/episodes/it-s-not-just-stress-how-perimenopause-affects-your-brain-sleep-mood-stress-tolerance/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/peri-pause-the-podcast-7706684/it-s-not-just-stress-how-perimenopause-affects-your-brain-sleep-mood-stress-tolerance.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}