Claire Zulkey swears by the ugliest machine alive to fix night sweats

+ Call & Response: We want to know how long you want to live for an upcoming story

The Midst

Apr 16, 2025

Starring Claire Zulkey, freshly 46

Occupation: Writer and founder of Evil Witches

Location: Evanston, Illinois

Let’s connect: Substack • zulkey.com

How’d you sleep?

I slept great last night. For once I listened to my better judgment and read a book (Health and Safety by Emily Witt) before I drifted off because I had just watched the NCAA men’s championship with my kid and could tell I was screened out.

Of course after I read, I put on a show to fall asleep to Veep, in this case. I probably got about 6.5 hours sleep since I had to get up early to take my kids to an early school club meeting and wanted to build in time to drink coffee and take a shower. But they were a good 6.5 hours. Somewhere between 6.5–7.5 is my norm probably.

I do a few things every night to maintain good sleep

An eye mask is an easy one. Not drinking alcohol. Having a “no kids in the bed while I’m sleeping” rule is another. I know that not every parent can or wants to live by that but I just really need sleep boundaries.

I sleep completely alone actually, aside from my wheaten terrier who is a considerate bedmate. My husband snores and has a different sleep/wake schedule than I do; after writing about couples who happily sleep separately I decided during COVID that we needed to do what we could do to protect our sanity and we’ve kept that arrangement. It just sucks to start the day mad because someone kept you from getting your rest. I am very grateful we have an extra bedroom.

It’s ugly, but I’m a fan of the Bedjet

I’ve written about this before for The Strategist, but for my perimenopause friends (or anyone who sleeps hot!) the BedJet changed my life and addressed my night sweats better than any medication could. I even took it to Mexico with me a few weeks ago when I realized they use the same outlets there as they do here. My kids like it when I use it to make the sheets toasty while we read in bed together before I kick them out.

On my nightstand

Tissues, because I’m always blowing my nose.
Jao hand sanitizer
Usually at least one book and one magazine (right now: Health and Safety, the RuPaul memoir House of Hidden Meaning. That Mel Robbins book Let Them which is not my usual type of jam but a friend sent it to me so I’m checking it out.)
A five-year journal, which is a nice low-lift way to write a few lines, no more, about my day when I think to. Coffee rings usually because I like to drink coffee in bed in the morning while reading before I start my day.

How long do you want to live?

I take hormone therapy, eat kale daily, walk at least seven miles a week, and am finally getting back into yoga. Will this help me live longer? I hope so!

Actually, while we’re talking about it, how long do I want to live? A palm reader once said I’d live to be 88 and I was cool with that. But now that I’m more than half way there, I’m striving for what a life expectancy calculator predicted for me: 95.

How about you? How old do you want to be when you die — and why? For an upcoming Midst story, we’ll feature your responses. Please share your thoughts by clicking “leave a comment” below, or email me at amy@the-midst.com.

Your GAL pal,

Amy Cuevas Schroeder

Does Alloy M4 Face Cream work for skin during perimenopause and menopause?

By Lauria Locsmondy

When you’re approaching or in the thick of the collagen-sucking phase of life called menopause, buttering up your face with estrogen does wonders. At least that’s what many new meno brands, including pioneer Alloy, want us to believe.

But does this topical hormone, commonly used to treat vaginal dryness for GALs our age, actually work in skin care? Staying true to my beauty-editor roots, I figured there’s only one way to find out — so, I tried Alloy’s M4 Face Cream for three months.

When is middle age and what age is officially old?

By Amy Cuevas Schroeder

No one can avoid aging, but aging well and with purpose is something else — our raison d’être at The Midst.

But first things first: Who gets to decide when you’re officially old? We’ve all heard that age is just a number — we’ll plus-one that — but we’re also open-minded about medical research and data.

Not surprisingly, the answer to this age-old age question seems to be “it depends on who you ask.” A 2017 study by U.S. Trust reports that American millennials defined old starting at age 59. Gen Xers said old age begins at 65, while baby boomers and the silent generation agreed that you’re not really old until you hit age 73.

But that was several years go. According to a 2020 survey of 2,000 Americans conducted by Let’s Get Checked, 57 is commonly thought of as “officially old.”

Looking back, when I was 20 I probably would have agreed with the numbers in both of these studies. I realize this is cliche, but now that I’m in my 40s and 57 isn’t that far off, 57 seems like middle age to me.