Imagine falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow….
Imagine sleeping a solid 7, 8, or even 9 hours….
Imagine waking up feeling refreshed and motivated to start your day…..
Imagine waking up with boundless energy and positivity....
Does this sound like a distant dream to you?
I hear you, I’ve been there too!
I’ve spent many nights tossing and turning; grabbing my Kindle at 2am and reading in an effort to try to get back to sleep, breaking out in sweats (thanks hormones!) and waking feeling absolutely crappy
Let me assure you, it does not have to be this way.
There are solutions
Yes, everyone is different and the tips below may seem generic, however they are a starting point
And if these are not enough maybe you need to call on what I call the “big guns”.
The “big guns” are modalities such as kinesiology and acupuncture and for women, it may be a hormone issue with cortisol being the culprit
It’s always beneficial to know where your hormones, including cortisol are at and this is best accomplished with a saliva test.
1. A quality magnesium supplement- preferably a powder that is dissolved in water - makes absorption much easier
2. Turn off electronic devices 1.5 hours before bed
3. Have a brain dump after dinner so that everything that is on your mind is now in your journal and not to be revisited until the next day - visualise it being wrapped up in a box and tucked away until the next day
4. Eat dinner at least 3 hours before bedtime -if your digestive system is busy it may keep you awake
5. Use essential oils such as StressAway , Frankincense, Lavender, Peace and Calming, Cedarwood or Vetiver to calm the mind and help to slow the brain chatter
6. Cafffeine….. well hopefully that’s a no brainer! But just in case you are wondering, in my opinion, it’s best not to have tea or coffee after 2pm!
How might your hormones be affecting your sleep? And how do you know where your hormones are at?
As you progress through life, your levels of estrogen fluctuate. However, as you move on through your thirties, forties and fifties, ie you approach menopause) your levels of this hormone can plummet which brings about a number of undesirable symptoms such as irregular periods, hot flushes, mood swings and muscle and joint pain.
Unsurprisingly these symptoms themselves can impact your sleep pattern. Night flushes can disturb your sleep and mood swings may make it difficult to unwind before bed. It doesn’t help that estrogen also affects how your body utilises magnesium, a pivotal mineral for sleep!
Progesterone, another female sex hormone helps to sustain the lining of your uterus in the case of a pregnancy which is why women experience high progesterone levels after ovulating. Progesterone levels however, begin to decline rapidly as we near the end of our child bearing years
Progesterone plays a vital role in healthy brain function sometimes being classed as a neurosteroid. It has a natural anti-anxiety effect as it helps to metabolise the metabolite allopregnanolone, which can have a calming effect.1 It’s believed progesterone may help you to fall asleep faster and to experience fewer sleep disruptions.
Cortisol is often known as a ‘stress hormone’ and it’s produced by your adrenal glands. As part of your circadian rhythm, there is usually a cortisol spike in the early hours of the morning that helps you to wake up feeling refreshed. As the day progresses, your levels of cortisol will gradually decline as melatonin is released in the hours before you go to bed.
Unfortunately however, in this busy life we often lead our cortisol levels are not altogether desirable and they greatly affect not only our production of melatonin but also our estrogen and progesterone levels
Melatonin, or the sleep hormone, is made by your pineal gland and works with cortisol. When your optic nerves detect natural light diminishing, they will send a message to your hypothalamus, which will the trigger the release of melatonin to help you relax and feel drowsy in preparation for sleep. Generally, as melatonin levels increase, cortisol levels decrease and vice-versa.
A saliva test will provide you with an accurate reading of not only your estrogen, progesterone and cortisol levels but also your estrogen:progesterone ratio which is super important in terms of not only sleep but many other areas of your health such as cardiovascular health; bone density, sometimes cancer risk; your metabolism and much, much more
Now I admit, this is all a fairly simplified dive into the confusing web that often surrounds quality sleep and I truly hope that some of you have found some answers here.
If however, you’d like to delve deeper into your own personal sleep concerns I’d like to offer you a free 30 min review call. Simply hit the link here to make a time that suits you
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