You are reading part four of the harmonising hormones series with a focus on sleep and hormones involved in sleep. Everyone is different and sleep issues can be the result of how your unique environment is interacting with your genes. Take heart! There are some brilliant actions you can take to self-love yourself to good sleep.
What does this mean? One person may have sleep issues that are a result of a drop in hormones as they go through menopause whereas another’s issues may be a result of neurotransmitter deficiencies due to their ADHD. This would require different treatment options. The below offers a guide for some of the more common issues. Take the time to get to know what is driving your issue for a targeted solution.
Step 1: work out what is driving the sleep issue. The following tools may help:
- hormonal panal
- blood test (asking for major hormones incl progesterone, blood panel, iron and a CMP)
- Assess for underlying neurodevelopment condition (ADHD, ASD etc) or anxiety
- Step 2: Establish good sleep hygiene and do the behaviour things first
- Make your dinner rich in carbohydrates. Your body will use these carbohydrates to produce serotonin which is a hormone that creates feelings of satiety and relaxation.
- Once you have had your last meal, have a cup of sleepy tea (look for brands that contain lemon balm, passionflower or oat flower) and then start to avoid food and liquids in the two hours prior to bed.
- Spend your last hour before bed journalling the things on your mind, enjoying a hot shower. You want to avoid your phone and other sleep disputants (incl alcohol)
- An important one; Turn off the bright lights in your home, opting for low, warm, dim lights. Avoid looking at a computer screen or your phone. You brain will take its cue from the light information your eyes get about where you are at in your circadian cycle. Important hormones you need for sleep such as melatonin will be inhibited by light exposure. This may mean learning to brush your teeth in the dark but it is worth the quality rest.
Step 3:
Once you know what is driving the underlying issue and it cannot be solved through behaviour modifications, use targeted supplementation
- For a dysregulated Central Nervous System:
Magnesium bisglycinate or threonate
- If the issue is hormonal
Progesterone imbalance: Vitex, zinc, vitamin d, iron
Thyroid: Ashwaghanda, selenium, iodine, iron
Excess Testosterone: Evening primrose oil, saw palmetto
low oestrogen: Evening primrose oil, maca, st johns wort, zinc, iron
Cortisol/stress: Vitamin C (In the morning) Ashwaghanda, rhodolia in the evening, Phosphatidylserine 400-800mg/day
- If the issue is driven by ADHD
Support serotonin deficiency with: tryptophan (precursor amino acid to serotonin)
Support dopamine deficiency with: l-tyrosine (early in the day, it is the (precursor amino acid to dopamine).
Support dysregulated melatonin with: honey
Support dysregulated cortisol with: exposure to natural light, carbohydrates in the morning, avoid stimulants after 3pm
- If the issue is driven by ASD
N-Acetylcysteine (works by decreasing cerebral metabolism and converting glutamate production to GABA production. GABA being an inhibitory neurotransmitter)
- If it is anxiety and mind racing (note that this can be a result of the above and so treating both the upstream cause and real time experience is most effective:
Glycinate, GABA or reishi mushroom powder.
Menopausal specific tips:
Hot flushes and a decrease in the hormones that help us to sleep can feed into decreased energy and mood through out the day. If that means you are opting for less exercise and movement and feeling the stress effects of that, it can start to feed into a pretty horrific cycle.
Some tips:
- Exercise early in the day and aim for a wind down walk in the afternoon
- Keep your room and body cool with light sleepwear and sheets and a fan if possible. A mattress cooler can be a great investment too.
- Supplements to support progesterone and serotonin or consider hormone replacement therapy
- Cycle ashwhaganda to decrease cortisol, improve mood and decrease hot flushes.
- Healthy connection and relationships, volunteer work and journaling to decrease stress.
- Avoid napping during the day and stimulants after 12 noon. Alcohol will also disrupt sleep.
Pregnancy insomnia:
During the 1st trimester a drop in hormones can induce pregnancy insomnia.The next two trimesters can make it harder to find comfortable positions during sleep. It is important to look after yourself during this time and there some awesome positive actions you can take!
Some tips:
Taking good quality pre-natal vitamins that include folate and magnesium (which also helps prevent night-time restless legs.
Follow the above advice, specific to menopause except for the supplements and HRT advice. It is important not to take anything that will disrupt your bodies hormonal response.
Pregnancy pillows can help you find better sleep positions.
Opt for smaller meals and a light dinner to prevent night-time heart burn or GERD.
Pre-natal exercise for a safer delivery, improved health pre and post-partum and to decrease chances of developing post-partum depression.
For your health (and that of your baby if pregnant or breastfeeding) it is important you consult your trusted health care professional before take any of the above mentioned advice. Know yourself and make educated and well researched decisions for your unique health needs.
Need a guide who can look at your full picture of health? It can feel daunting to think about sleep, hormones, nutrition and exercise but great results comes from a holistic approach. If you need someone on your team who will take the time to get to know you and provide the support and advice you need to feel your best, reach out!
christina@saeyond.com
041 355 2904
Further reading and resources
Becker S. P. (2020). ADHD and sleep: recent advances and future directions. Current opinion in psychology, 34, 50–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.09.006
Burns, A. C., Saxena, R., Vetter, C., Phillips, A. J. K., Lane, J. M., & Cain, S. W. (2021). Time spent in outdoor light is associated with mood, sleep, and circadian rhythm-related outcomes: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study in over 400,000 UK Biobank participants. Journal of Affective Disorders, 295, 347–352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.056
Bushana, P. N., Schmidt, M. A., Chang, K. M., Vuong, T., Sorg, B. A., & Wisor, J. P. (2023). Effect of N-Acetylcysteine on Sleep: Impacts of Sex and Time of Day. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 12(5), 1124. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12051124
ettweiler, U., Becker, C., Auestad, B. H., Simon, P., & Kirsch, P. (2017). Stress in school. Some empirical hints on the circadian cortisol rhythm of children in outdoor and indoor classes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(5), 475-. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14050475
Haufe A, Leeners B. Sleep Disturbances Across a Woman’s Lifespan: What Is the Role of Reproductive Hormones? J Endocr Soc. 2023 Mar 15;7(5):bvad036. doi: 10.1210/jendso/bvad036. PMID: 37091307; PMCID: PMC10117379.
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