The term “sleep hygiene” refers to the practice of ensuring that your environment is primed and ready to help you fall and stay asleep. According to the Center For Disease Control (CDC), your habits during the day and before bedtime can make a significant impact on how well you catch your zs.
To increase your chances of getting the quality sleep you require, you can develop beneficial habits. Frequently, people who have trouble sleeping don’t attach sufficient importance to their sleep hygiene, which means they don’t establish the ideal conditions for a good night’s sleep.
And there is a link between sleep quality and your hormones as well. If your hormones are out of harmony with your body for any reason, be it weight, a medical condition, or an imbalance, your level of quality sleep can be affected.
Hormone imbalances can be caused by sleep disorders and vice versa; hormonal abnormalities can exacerbate sleep problems.
Let’s discuss the relationship between hormones and sleep and how working with RxBODYFx to maintain a healthy weight can have great benefits.
What Is Good Sleep Hygiene?
No, sleep hygiene has nothing to do with how clean you are when you go to bed (although a warm shower or bath is always calming!) It has to do with the set of habits that make sleeping optimal.
How much sleep we need depends on several factors, including age, overall health factors, and the environment where we sleep. Suggestions for getting a good sleep include:
- Limiting exposure to bright light in the evenings
- Turning off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime
- Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet
One of the things on this list directly points to how physical activity and a balanced food intake impact sleep patterns.
When we sleep, our body produces hormones, and if said hormones are affected by any condition that impedes them, sleep issues can arise.
How Sleep Impacts Your Hormones
Your circadian rhythm, often known as the sleep-wake cycle, regulates the release of nearly every hormone in your body. If you have trouble sleeping regularly, your hormones may become unbalanced, resulting in a reduction in your metabolism, the body’s process for converting food into energy.
Sleep deprivation or inadequate sleep can directly impact the body’s hunger hormone production and levels. This might cause a change in appetite and food intake, leading to weight gain.
According to Abhinav Singh, MD, medical director of Indiana Sleep Center, chronically disrupted sleep can lead to medical problems, both in terms of quality and duration.
Which Hormones Are Released While We Sleep?
From infants to the elderly, everyone produces human growth hormone (HGH) when sleeping. The hormone induces sleep and aids in the repair and rejuvenation of your body while you sleep. Like the first stage of sleep, this hormone declines dramatically as the body matures.
Muscle mass, lean muscle, belly fat, weariness, depression, lack of stamina and strength, and other issues are all addressed by growth hormone. HGH insufficiency is also linked to sleep problems and a lower quality of life in adults.
Thyroid-stimulating hormones are at their highest levels between 1 and 2 a.m. Because sleep is so essential for our metabolism, it’s no surprise that lousy sleep has an impact on it.
Ghrelin and leptin are hormones that control hunger and fullness.
Stress hormones like cortisol, as well as insulin and adiponectin, should be at their lowest levels while we sleep as well.
Change Your Sleep Habits To Achieve Healthy Hormone Levels
The first strategy for improving your sleep? Change up your routine.
- Every day, go to bed and wake up at the same hour (including the weekends).
- Exercise daily.
- It improves the fitness of your body the functioning of your endocrine glands.
- After all, a sedentary lifestyle is linked to low estrogen levels in women and low testosterone levels in males, not to mention insulin resistance
- Make a bedtime regimen that includes a warm shower before bed (it helps you fall asleep faster and enhances deep sleep, which is when your growth hormone levels are at their highest).
- Turn off your electronics — blue light from displays delays melatonin production and lengthens the time it takes you to fall asleep.
Can Hormone Therapy Help Sleep?
Those who have hormone deficiency may benefit from hormone therapy for more than just curing sleep disturbances and exhaustion throughout the day.
As people age, their endocrine glands slow down due to slower metabolism and lose hormonal volume. On the other hand, endocrine glands and hormones are influenced by a variety of health and mental factors.
A poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, lack of sleep, and stress are the most common causes of hormonal changes. Weight gain, sleep problems, and hormonal changes can cause mood swings.
We have hormone replacement solutions for both men and women at RxBODYFx that can help increase young vigor, muscle mass, and bone density.
We hope reading this article will help you think about the importance of sleep, and remember, we’re here to help with hormone balance, weight loss, nutrition, and much more. Get in touch if you have any questions about our services!