How a Hormone Imbalance Affects Your Sleep
The ticking of the clock, a bout with bad dreams, and overwhelming stress are just a few of the things that can make it difficult — or impossible — to get a decent night of sleep. You can also add your body’s chemical reactions to that list.
Yes, your hormones play an active role in how well you sleep, and that’s why our team of experts at Prime Choice Family Clinic & Urgent Care in Frisco, Texas, makes rebalancing your hormones a key part of our comprehensive services.
Here’s what you should know about your hormones and how they can impact sleep.
What are your hormones, anyways?
You hear a lot about hormones and their effect on your health, but what exactly are they? Hormones are chemical messengers released through your endocrine system that are responsible for regulating your body’s many processes, systems, and functions, including:
- Metabolism
- Appetite
- Growth and development
- Body temperature
- Sexual function
- Reproduction
- Heart rate
- Blood pressure
Of course, your hormones also regulate your sleep-wake cycles.
What happens to your hormones?
Just about every function in your body relies on efficient hormone production. Unfortunately, your hormones are incredibly fickle, especially if you’re a woman.
Women experience many swings in hormone levels throughout their lifetime, including puberty, menstruation, and before and after pregnancy. However, the biggest hormonal changes happen during menopause.
Menopause is a natural part of the female aging process, which occurs when estrogen levels drop off significantly. This change usually occurs to women in their 40s or 50s, and it can cause a slew of frustrating symptoms, ranging from hot flashes and mood swings to vaginal dryness and low sex drive.
Men also experience changes in hormones as they get older. Testosterone production reaches its peak at around age 18 and then begins to decline by about 1 percent every year after they turn age 30.
These disturbances in your body’s functions can significantly impair your ability to sleep soundly. Additionally, anything that disrupts your sleep — such as stress, jetlag, or shift work — can affect your hormone levels. The result? A vicious cycle of sleeplessness.
Why does sleep matter?
You may not realize it, but your body does its best work when you’re sound asleep, especially where your hormones are concerned.
As you sleep, your body releases growth hormones, which are essential for healthy cell growth. Sleep also allows your body to regulate several other hormones, including your stress hormones, your sex hormones, and your hunger hormones.
Missing sleep wreaks havoc on your endocrine system and can lead to:
- Immunity problems
- More frequent infections
- Appetite changes
- Weight gain
- Higher calorie consumption
- Alterations in growth
- Slow metabolism
The same goes for light sleep or sleep that’s frequently interrupted. You need quality sleep and efficient hormone production to help you function.
What now?
To determine if a hormone imbalance is behind your sleepless nights, we begin by testing your blood. A simple sample of blood can tell us a lot about how well your body is producing and releasing hormones.
If we detect a problem with your hormones, we usually recommend hormone replacement therapy. Hormone replacement therapy allows us to supply your body with the hormones it desperately needs to keep up with the demands of daily life and nightly sleep.
We offer several types of hormone replacement therapy, including:
- Oral medications
- Skin patches
- Estrogen gel
- Hormonal implants
- Vaginal estrogen
- Testosterone creams
We help you decide on the best type of hormone replacement therapy based on your needs, goals, and lifestyle.
Don’t spend another night tossing and turning and wondering why you can’t sleep. Talk to an expert instead and get the help you need. Call our friendly staff at 214-550-0911 or book an appointment online with Prime Choice Family Clinic & Urgent Care in Frisco, Texas, today.