You stopped drinking caffeine past 1pm.
You invested in blue light blockers.
Yet, you still can’t seem to get a good nights sleep
Not only do your hormones affect your mood, metabolic function, production, and more, they also play a huge role in the amount of sleep you manage to get each night.
Balancing your hormones is vital to getting the sleep your body needs each night, but that’s much easier said than done. So, what can you do?
First, let’s take a look at how your hormones impact sleep.
Hormones that Impact Sleep
The human body secretes and circulates approximately 50 different hormones, most of which are produced by the endocrine system. The endocrine system includes a series of glands that produce and secrete your hormones. And just like there are many different types of hormones, there are also different glands that secrete them. Each gland produces a different hormone, likewise, each hormone contributes to a different function.
How does this relate to sleep? Specific hormones, like cortisol and melatonin, affect your body in specific ways that affect your ability to sleep. Whether it be a feeling of stress, anxiety, anger, or sexual stimulation, there are a host of reasons as to why your hormones can prevent you from nodding off.
Here are the five key hormones associated with sleep:
Oestrogen - Largely associated with women’s reproductive health, oestrogen plays a key role in the menstrual cycle and your body’s ability to utilise serotonin – an important feel-good neurotransmitter. Levels of this hormone fluctuate wildly throughout your life and, at lower levels, can cause a wide range of sleep-related symptoms.
Progesterone - Better known as the female sex hormone, progesterone is one of the most linked hormones to sleep quality. At higher concentrations, progesterone provides an anti-anxiety effect, enabling you to fall asleep more quickly. However, at lower concentrations, mood swings and cramping are two commonly encountered symptoms.
Testosterone - Levels of testosterone don’t fluctuate in the same sporadic way as oestrogen or progesterone. Instead, testosterone levels often decline gradually over a longer period of time, meaning there are much lower concentrations in older people. These lower levels are often linked to a poorer quality of sleep and can even lead to insomnia.
Insulin - This hormone controls your blood glucose levels. Sleep deprivation can raise your blood sugar level and encourage unhealthy late-night eating habits. This, in turn, triggers an insulin release, causing blood glucose levels to fluctuate throughout the night. When the level of blood glucose is higher, there is a greater chance that your night’s sleep will be a lot more restless than normal.
Cortisol - Known as the stress hormone, is a steroid made in the adrenal glands. It is responsible for controlling blood sugar levels, regulating metabolism, reducing inflammation improve memory. But when cortisol gets too high, it can result in high blood pressure, mood swings, anxiety, depression, rapid weight gain, and you guessed it, disrupted sleep.
Melatonin - The main role of melatonin is to regulate sleep cycles. Exposure to light stimulates a nerve pathway in the to the part of the brain that controls hormone production, called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). When exposed to light, the SCN begins releasing stimulating hormones like cortisol, and suppressing hormones like melatonin. Meanwhile, when darkness arrives, the SCN signals to start producing more melatonin and suppressing cortisol. Too much stress during the day can raise cortisol levels, while binging on Netflix or playing on your smartphone before bed can suppress melatonin.
Control Your Hormones
Now that you have a better understanding of the hormones that affect your sleep, it’s time to use this information and get a good nights rest.
Here are some thing you can do to help balance your hormones:
Reduce using screens before bed. Watching the TV or using your phone before bed can suppress your melatonin level, which can significantly affect your ability to fall asleep. Instead, try reading a book or playing music.
Destress. It may sound fairly obvious but doing things to destress yourself before bed can make a big difference to your quality of sleep. Whether it be meditation, ASMR, yoga, massage, sport, candles, lavender oils, or knitting – whatever makes you feel nice and relaxed, make the most of it and you’ll be asleep in no time.
Set a routine. The human body loves a set routine that follows their circadian rhythm. Try to always fall asleep and wake up at the same time each day. While it may be tempting to sleep in, oversleeping can actually make you feel a lot worse in the long run and could cause arguably as many problems as not getting enough sleep.
Watch when you eat. Eating before bed isn’t a good idea, since it raises both your insulin and cortisol level. If you do eat before bed and manage to get to sleep, deep REM sleep will be more difficult to come by, and the quality and duration of your sleep will suffer.
Understanding the hormones that affect your sleep is the first step in getting in touch with your body and make the changes necessary to get quality sleep. Take the time to get to know your body’s natural rhythms and develop a sleeping routine that supports balanced sleep cycles. Once you do, you’ll be able to rest easy.