9 Sleep Hacks For Hormones

Balance Your Hormones By Getting A Better Night’s Sleep

Are you having a tough time falling asleep or do you wake up a few times a night? Either scenario prevents full restful sleep and it’s quite possible your hormones are the underlying reason.

Hormones regulate every single function in our body, but most of us haven’t connected the dots between our irregular sleep patterns and our hormones. I know I didn’t when I first experienced insomnia during my late twenties, either waking up a few times a night or not being able to sleep until 3 or 4 in the morning. I just knew that I was an emotional and exhausted lady!

Sure, I held a very stressful job, so that played a role, but it was also my hormones.

How did I eventually make the connection? I started paying more attention to my cycles, and noticed that every week before my period my sleep became more irregular. I wish that my sleep improved just because of that realization, but it took me years to get my sleep to a really good place. Even still, every month looks a little bit different, but overall I’m getting quality sleep and feel refreshed and ready to take on the day when I wake up.

Sleep is essential for our health, especially our hormones. Whenever I ask new clients how many hours of sleep they are having it turns into a very long conversation, because it’s different almost every single night, but overall most of us are not getting the seven to eight hours of hormone rest we need.

Most of my clients experience irregular sleep during PMS, perimenopause, and menopause, which is caused by a drop in progesterone. During menopause it’s a drop in both progesterone and estrogen.

During sleep our liver does most of the detoxification, usually around 1 to 3 a.m., which is key in regulating our hormonal health (read more here). Sleep also helps regulate our blood sugar levels, it’s key for weight management as it helps regulate hormones leptin (makes us feel nourished) and ghrelin (makes us hungry), and keeps our cortisol (that bossy hormone) in a stable place. Plus, it’s when our body repairs and renews cells.

So you can see how after a poor night’s sleep not only do we feel lethargic, but hungrier and unable to cope with stress throughout the day. Plus, you will notice the urge to reach for sugar, either bread or sweet treats to help us get through the day when you are not sleeping well.

We all need more sleep to help keep our hormones balanced, so here are my top sleep hacks for hormonal health.

How To Get A Better Night

Take Magnesium
I wrote an entire blog post about my love of magnesium and how important it is for your hormones! Magnesium, aka the anti-stress mineral, helps your body feel a bit calmer during your period, can help cope with everyday stress and is key in getting a solid night’s sleep. Our body loses magnesium stores just from normal daily function like hormone production and muscle movement, but it can become deficient when we are under stress and let’s be honest who doesn’t feel a bit stressed these days.

I noticed a drastic improvement in my sleep right within a few days once I started adding in more magnesium. I take Natural Calm every night an hour before I go to bed. If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, add this magnesium powder to your daily routine. You can read more about magnesium, the different types, and what foods are best to add into your diet.

Cool Room
Research shows that women thrive with their sleep when our bedroom is 67°F, which is why you might notice your sleep changing depending on the weather throughout the year. A cool room can actually trigger your brain that it’s time to go to sleep and it can help you stay asleep as well. So grab your favorite warm blanket and get comfy under the covers. I also love wearing a sleeping mask, helps to block out light and also triggers the brain that it’s ready for sleep.

Regular Bedtime
This was and honestly is still the hardest thing for me to do, go to bed at the same time every night. I try every single evening, not to get caught reading or watching TV too late at night. I actually set a timer on my phone for 10 p.m. as a gentle reminder to wash my face and get into bed, if I’m not already. All the research shows the immense benefits we can get by going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day.

Your Phone is Not Your BFF
Please stop sleeping with your phone, not only does it emit EMFs, which are harmful to our health, but it keeps us awake! The last thing you want to do is read email or scroll through instagram before you go to sleep, it totally disrupts our sleep. Plus, if you wake up in the middle of the night, the first thing you will do is look at your phone and the light will tell your brain that it’s time to wake up, even if it’s 2 a.m., and it’s very difficult to get back to sleep.

Protein Not Sugar Before Bed
When we have anything with sugar in it before bed, wine (it doesn’t help with sleep at all), sweet treats, it keeps us up at night! Having a protein packed snack if you are still hungry after dinner can actually promote sleep, like a handful of nuts, seeds, or a spoonful of almond butter. You can also try a peppermint or chamomile tea to help with sleep. If you can’t stop craving sugar let’s start by balancing your blood sugar levels, you can do that by combining healthy fats, proteins and fiber. You can more here.

Caffeine?!
The latest studies show that caffeine can stay in a woman’s body up to 24 hours, so even if your last coffee is at noon it might be affecting your sleep. A way to start reducing the amount of caffeine in your life, is when you wake up in the morning have water, food and then coffee. If you are not up to eating breakfast that early aim for a handful of nuts so you are not drinking coffee on an empty stomach. Over time try to include a protein packed breakfast and see how your energy improves. Read more about the benefits of breakfast for your hormones, especially your cortisol hormone.

CBD Oil
I’ve been using CBD oil for almost two years now, and it’s drastically improved my sleep, especially the week before my period arrives. I take it an hour before going to bed, along with my magnesium and it really helps me get into a deeper more restful state of sleep, since it’s helping regulate the cortisol in my body. Want to know more about CBD and its benefits for hormonal health? Read more here.

Take Time To Unwind At Night
Please stop watching the nightly news! It’s important to stay informed, I like to read and watch any news stories around lunchtime so that I have time to process the news and it’s not disrupting my sleep. I really enjoy reading before bed, usually a romance novel, as it really helps to slow down the chatter in my head. If I had a very long day at work I do some deep breathing, perhaps legs up the wall as another way to reduce the cortisol. One last tip, I always stop drinking water at least an hour before going to bed so I’m not getting up throughout the night to use the bathroom.

One Last Thing…
If you haven’t had your hormones tested recently and are experiencing a lot of irregular sleep, it could be helpful to get your progesterone and estrogen tested. I recently wrote an entire blog post about how to get your hormones tested and why. This can give us additional information so we can help you get the quality sleep you desire and deserve. However, taking the time to cope with stress throughout the day is still one of the most effective ways to support your hormones, keeps your progestrone happy, and help you get a better night’s sleep.

Ready for a better nights sleep? Pick one or a few to start with today and try it consistently for at least two weeks to see how your sleep improves. I’d love to hear in the comments below how sleeping better has helped with your energy, mood, cravings and periods!

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Information in this post and on this web site is provided for informational purposes only. The information is a result of practice experience and research by the author. This information is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. Do not use the information on this web site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem.