The Link Between Hormones and Sleep
There are many things that can have a direct impact on our quality of sleep. From diet and lifestyle to stress and alcohol, many factors can affect our ability to sleep well. However, many of us don’t realise how much of an impact our hormones can have.
If you’re someone who’s experienced PMT or menopause, the chances are you’ll have some understanding of this already. So, what is the link between sleep, and our hormones?
The answer is that our hormones depend on the sleep-wake cycle to be in balance and stay regulated. In fact, sleep is heavily involved in the production of hormones such as cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, our hunger hormones, and melatonin, and all of these things relate to our stress, appetite and female hormones. This means that if we’re not getting regular adequate or quality sleep, all of those hormones can be affected.
So, how do our periods and menstrual cycle impact on our sleep?
In the premenstrual stage, our progesterone levels drop, and this can lead to PMS. Therefore, people tend to have poorer sleep during this stage of their cycle. Our temperature can be higher, and we also tend to feel more irritated during this stage, which can mean we tend to dwell on things more and go to bed feeling more aggravated. In addition, we tend to wake up earlier in the morning, and can find ourselves focusing on things that aren’t making us feel happy. This all occurs within the confines of our hormones changing, so it’s easy to see how this can become a vicious circle.
Similarly, the menopause can have a negative impact on our sleep too, again, caused by hormones. Anyone who’s experienced the menopause will know the pain of hot flushes! These occur with the drop in estrogen levels, which controls the part of our brain that helps regulate body temperature. Understandably, these hot flushes can mean we struggle to sleep well.
So, how can we minimise the impact of hormones on our sleep, and take steps to ensure we’re sleeping well and living better despite the impact of menstrual cycles and menopause?
Acceptance. Accept you’ll experience some poor sleep. Yes, if you’re at a certain point in your cycle, you may experience a few days poor sleep. However, know that if you put a few things in place to stop it, this doesn’t need to become a proper cycle of insomnia. Equally, remember that your body can cope with a few days of sleep loss; we are designed to cope without it. Don’t get too stressed about it and know that it will pass.
Adopt a healthier lifestyle. Overall, the healthier our lifestyle is the more it will help our sleep improve. Reducing alcohol and caffeine intake, eating well and exercising can all help have a positive impact on our sleep, and our hormones too.
Don’t spend too long in bed. Spending too much time in bed or going to bed too early can damage our sleep cycle. This is because it reduces our appetite for sleep. So, even though as your progesterone levels drop you will likely feel more tired, don’t go to bed too early. Instead, try and relax downstairs or watch a bit of TV in the living room until your usual bedtime. Also, however badly you’ve slept, in the morning make sure you get up and out of bed at your usual time and get your day started. Remember, lying in bed after a rubbish night’s sleep never makes us feel better.
Manage your stress levels. If you know you’re going through a period of time where your hormones will make you feel more irritated and annoyed, find stress-busting techniques that work for you. Whether it’s a ten-minute walk in the fresh air, or practicing mindfulness, make sure you make time for managing your stress.
Write things down. Regardless of our cycles or PMT, writing stuff down is a great daily practice to get into. It’s a therapeutic way of seeing things in black and white, and realising that things are never as bad as they seem. Equally, having things written down in front of us enables us to see what we can and can’t control. When it comes to sleep, it’s a way for us to pass a message to our brain saying, ‘I am dealing with this, and giving it the time it deserves, but I don’t need to do it at 3am!’
Banish hot flushes. If it’s hot flushes impacting on your sleep, learn techniques to help manage how they make you feel. For example, take some deep breaths and bring yourself back into the moment if you wake with a hot flush. Don’t let the panic of a hot flush take over. A really good technique is to ground yourself by focusing on things around you. For example, what does the pillow feel like on your cheek? What does the bedding smell like? What can you hear in your room? It’s about calming yourself down, rather than allowing your brain to spiral and think: ‘I’m going to be exhausted tomorrow.’
Don’t rely on HRT alone. Whilst HRT can impact positively on estrogen levels, which can help other things, it’s important to know that if you develop insomnia during the menopause, HRT alone won’t fix the problem. This is because, despite HRT possibly fixing all your other symptoms, the poor sleep is now a learnt behaviour. However, there’s no need to panic, like all habits and learnt behaviours, we can fix it!
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