How sleep quality and hormones are connected.
Getting good quality sleep is crucial for optimal functioning of the immune system, physical and mental capacity, energy, and vitality. Short-term sleep loss can impair cognitive performance, mood and emotional functioning, and long-term sleep deprivation can have serious health consequences. But did you know it also plays an important role in maintaining hormonal balance and reproductive health?
Our reproductive hormones depend on quality sleep to function properly and maintain balance. When sleep is disrupted or inadequate, it disrupts this balance, causing issues with menstrual cycles, fertility, and overall health.
Women are 41% more likely than men to experience insomnia, and this risk increases with age. There is considerable evidence that female sex hormones, namely, oestrogen and progestogen, directly impact women’s sleep and thus likely explains the sex differences in sleep.
The menstrual cycle is characterised by cyclic changes in the production of oestrogen, progesterone, lutenizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, prolactin, and growth hormone. These reproductive hormones not only control reproductive processes throughout the menstrual cycle but also impact sleep patterns and circadian rhythms.
Impaired sleep is commonly experienced during the last few days of the menstrual cycle, when progesterone and oestrogen levels are declining. Progesterone exerts sleep-promoting effects, however, during the late luteal phase, the steep decline in progesterone is associated with sleep disruption. The luteal phase is also associated with elevated core body temperature and premenstrual syndrome (PMS), which contributes to poor sleep quality. Sleep difficulties also increase in prevalence as women transition menopause as a result of hormone fluctuations and hot flushes.
The importance of sleep
Sleep has a crucial role in sustaining healthy growth and development in your body. While you're asleep, your brain remains active. Neurons, the nerve cells in your brain, keep connecting and creating new pathways to aid in retaining the information you learned throughout the day as well as helping to:
Heal and repair your heart and blood vessels
Maintain a healthy balance of hormones to regulate your appetite
Control your blood sugar levels
Increase muscle mass, and repair cells and tissues in your body
Support a healthy immune system
Sleep Cycles
When you sleep, you experience different stages known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, also known as dreaming sleep, and Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep, also referred to as deep sleep. A sleep cycle usually lasts around 90 to 110 minutes and consists of varying lengths of REM and NREM sleep throughout the cycle. A restful night's sleep is achieved when you go through approximately five cycles of sleep with few interruptions.
Your sleep cycles are controlled by your body’s biological “clock”. In darkness, specific brain cells communicate with other brain regions to produce the hormone melatonin, inducing drowsiness. Conversely, when exposed to light, your biological clock signals the brain to cease melatonin production, preparing you to wake up. The artificial blue light produced by LED lights and electronic devices can disrupt your circadian rhythm. Using these devices at night can interfere with melatonin production.
Helping your biological clock regulate melatonin production can assist in controlling your sleep patterns. This method can aid in optimising your biological clock and improving your quality of sleep.
Resetting your body clock
One method that can help regulate your biological clock is establishing a sleep schedule, meaning you ‘sleep’ and ‘wake’ at the same time each day. Throughout your waking hours, your body naturally accumulates a strong urge for sleep. If you cut this short by sleeping in, it diminishes the need for sleep and can make it more challenging to fall asleep at night.
Practice going to bed and getting up at the same time each day to reset your body clock. It might sound straightforward, but often life gets in the way of a consistent ‘normal bedtime’ and it’s all too easy to hit snooze in the morning. The following tips will help you stick to a schedule:
Begin with mornings
To adjust to a new bedtime, aim to feel sleepy at the desired hour by waking up earlier. While it may be difficult at first, the results will be beneficial in the long run. If your new wake-up time is challenging, gradually adjust it by 15 minutes each morning until you reach your desired wake time.
Consistency is key
The key to adjusting your body to a new schedule is consistency – including weekends! When choosing your wake-up time, ensure it works well for both weekdays and weekends.
Allow Light In (and out)
Exposure to light can reduce the production of melatonin in your body, making you more awake. Start your day with some sunshine, open your blinds, or brighten up the room in winter! Conversely, stop using all your electronic devices, and turn down the lights at least an hour before bed.
Troubleshooting
Making changes is hard, I get it, it takes time to create new habits. If you stick to it you will see results. Here are some common obstacles I hear from my clients and my advice to them.
"I have too much to do in the evenings”
Adjust your evening routine by moving dinner, gym workout, cleaning, whatever it is that you need to do to an hour earlier. Alternatively, consider shortening each activity by 15 minutes.
“I’m just not an early bird”
It doesn’t matter what time you wake – just that you are consistent. Make sure that the time you set is feasible for you. Don’t let it be too early or inconsistent with what you are used to or what is achievable. Perhaps your body responds better to a later bed time and wake time.
“I can’t get to sleep earlier” or “I can’t stay up that late”
Align with your body clock. Avoid going to bed if you're not tired as it can reinforce poor sleep habits. Allow yourself time to adapt to your new schedule; remember changes won't happen immediately. Consider aiding your adjustment by minimising light and noise at bedtime using a sleep mask or earplugs.
When to Seek Help?
If you are experiencing chronic sleep problems that are impacting your overall health, it is time to book a naturopathic appointment. Here are some signs it’s time to seek extra help:
You regularly have trouble falling or staying asleep at night.
You feel overly tired and fatigued during the day, even after getting enough nighttime sleep.
Your sleep problems correspond with issues like irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, or pregnancy complications.
You have feelings of depression, anxiety, irritability, or other mood issues that are exacerbated by poor sleep.
You’ve made attempts to improve your sleep hygiene through lifestyle changes, but still struggle with suboptimal sleep and related health issues.