One of the major symptoms of hormonal imbalance due to andropause (male menopause), menopause, perimenopause or adrenal fatigue is insomnia or sleeplessness. But, insomia is also a cause of hormonal imbalance. When you have both together, they can help each other get worse.
Insomnia in menopausal women is usually due to other symptoms of menopause, such as chronic stress, fatigue, anxiety and night sweats. Proper sleep is an essential element for the production of human hormones.
Hormones that affect sleep
Bioidentical hormone therapy is one of the recommended treatment for a good nights uninterupted sleep and is particularly recommended for those suffering from ongoing sleeplessness.
Without sleep, there is little chance that the body can produce the levels of hormones it needs. Lack of sleep can affect at least 10 different types of hormones which eventually lead an extensive array of physical, emotions and mental problems.
The two main hormones that affect sleep are estrogen and testosterone. In women, estrogen acts as a sleep-maintaining hormone. For perimenopausal and menopausal women, a full night sleep may be difficult to achieve due to the decline in estrogen production. For men, on the other hand, diminished testosterone can lead to snoring and sleep apnea (a repetitive interruption of breath during sleep which. on rare occasions. can be fatal).
When testosterone levels of the body are normal, deep sleep is easier to achieve. A good nights rest can result in a decrease in your cortisol level, which is a terrific way to loose weight. People who nap for about 30 minutes at least three times a week had a 37 percent lower chance of heart attack. For women, balancing hormones to achieve more sleep time can reduce the incidence of breast cancer.
Balancing Hormones to get a good night’s rest
Bioidentical hormone therapy is one of the recommended treatment for a good nights uninterupted sleep and is particularly recommended for those suffering from ongoing sleeplessness.
Developing healthy sleeping habits and a bedtime routine is essential in restoring hormone balance. To ensure sleep, most experts will recommend that you follow a regular routine that enables you to sleep around the same time each night to help you form good sleeping habits. In most cases, it is recommended that you remove distractions or anything likely to disturb sleep from your bedroom. If you are finding it difficult to simply drift off it is also recommended you get up and read, walk around, or make a cup of hot chocolate instead of laying in bed trying to get to sleep. This way your body will not associate your bed with sleeplessness.
Correcting sleeplessness will provide huge benefits to your overall well being. Developing good sleeping habits to correct your hormonal imbalance reduces the risk of:
- high blood pressure,
- obesity,
- diabetes, and
- depression.
If you find that you are having difficulties sleeping at night you may already be suffering from a hormonal imbalance.
