Improve Sleep with Hormones

The proper amount of good sleep is critical in maintaining a healthy immune response. You can improve sleep with hormones. Getting enough sleep improves the body’s ability to produce antibodies and other important components of the immune system. While sleeping, the body releases pro-inflammatory cytokines which play a key role in fighting infections. Additionally, studies show that sleep plays a vital role in the way different components of the immune system interact and may help create “immunological memory”, improving the bodies ability to recognize different pathogens and speed the bodies defenses to fight infection. As we age, andropause in men and menopause in women can lead to hormone imbalances which can make getting enough sleep a challenge. By optimizing your hormone levels, energy, concentration and sleep can all be improved.

Of course, there’s more to getting good sleep than just hormones.

Here are four simple practices you can establish to help improve the quality of your sleep:

1. Reduce screen (blue light) time before bed.

Exposure to light during the day is very beneficial but nighttime light exposure has the opposite effect.  Blue light (emitted by computers and phone screens) can trick your brain into thinking it’s still daylight out. This can reduce melatonin, which can help you relax and get deep sleep.

2. Increase daylight exposure during the day

Your body’s natural “clock” is called the circadian rhythm.  It affects your brain, body, and hormones, telling your body when to stay awake and when to go to sleep.  Exposure to natural sunlight during the day keeps your circadian rhythm healthy.

3. Develop a pre-bedtime routine to relax.

4. Regular exercise.

The Connection Between Hormones and Sleep

Balancing testosterone levels in men with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) can help promote restful sleep. In women, it’s estrogen that helps promote healthy sleep. By stimulating the production and utilization of neurochemicals like serotonin, patients fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Increasing depleted estrogen levels can help manage hot flashes, which frequently disrupt sleep patterns in perimenopausal women. Higher levels of progesterone can promote calmness, and relaxation and may help facilitate sleep.

If you want to improve sleep with hormones, start with a symptom survey (Male / Female) or visit a preferred provider serving Arvada, Denver, and Wheat Ridge, Colorado, for a free consultation.