83. Perimenopause vs. Stress: How Cortisol Hijacks Your Hormones with Dr. Tanya Paynter

If you’re in your 30s, 40s, or 50s and your body suddenly feels different—your sleep is off, your energy’s tanked, and you can’t figure out why—you’re not alone. For so many women, chronic stress and hormonal changes collide during perimenopause, creating fatigue, anxiety, brain fog, and mood swings that feel impossible to manage. In this faith-filled conversation, Dr. Tanya Paynter and I dig into how cortisol quietly hijacks your hormones and why so many women in midlife are unknowingly running on empty. We talk about what happens when adrenal fatigue, thyroid imbalance, and spiritual exhaustion overlap—and how to begin restoring peace in your body by first restoring it in your spirit. Dr. Paynter explains how God designed our bodies to adapt under pressure, but how long-term stress keeps our nervous system stuck in survival mode, throwing off everything from sleep and energy to estrogen and progesterone balance. We explore the way chronic busyness and burnout affect midlife health, and how creating margin—through prayer, rest, and time with the Lord—can actually help reset your hormones on a cellular level. If you’ve been wondering whether your exhaustion or hormonal chaos is just “part of getting older,” this episode will help you see that healing is absolutely possible. You’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of how faith and functional medicine work together to calm your adrenals, balance cortisol, and bring your body back into alignment with how God designed it to function. Connect with Dr. Tanya Paynter: Website: GodandHealth.com Podcast: The Christian Clinician Instagram: @christianclinician Email: [email protected] Next Steps: Start with phototherapy: susangladstein.com/phototherapy Go deeper with The Rooted Reset™: susangladstein.com/reset Join us in Costa Rica for the Rooted Reset Retreat 2026: susangladstein.com/retreat Join the Faith Over Pharma community: faithoverpharma.org Connect on Instagram: @susangladstein.co Get the Faithful in the Wait Devotional: faithfulinthewait.com