HORMONES & SLEEP
As we age, physical and hormonal changes make getting a good night’s sleep rather difficult. Adding in factors such as stress, illness, lifestyle and environment can exacerbate the problem.
The hormonal fluctuations of pregnancy, PMS, peri-menopause and full-blown menopause can affect sleep patterns, mood and reactions to stress. So much so, that they interfere with work, school and family activities.
Unfortunately, we see that sleep disturbances become more common during the menopausal years. Women who experience insomnia, sleep apnea or wake up several times at night because of hot flashes, night sweats and bathroom visits (due to hormonal imbalances) often complain of daytime sleepiness which not only interferes with quality of life, but has inherent safety issues as well. Who of us hasn’t felt the urge to take a nap while sitting at a long traffic light, or thought “I really need to clean the gutters today”, only to start feel drowsy while teetering at the top of a ladder?
Over time, sleep loss takes a toll on our health and if you are struggling with sleep issues, it may be caused by hormone imbalances. By working with you and your physician, we can help resolve this problem.
EFFECTS OF SLEEP LOSS
- Accidents (auto, on the job, at home…) caused by falling asleep or slow reaction times
- Impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning, problem solving and short term memory
- Can lead to serious health concerns including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression and adrenal fatigue
- Decreases energy and increases stress and moodiness, all of which can have a negative effect on libido
- Rapid aging effects such as puffy eyes, sagging skin, fine lines, dark eye circles, etc.
- Causes us to look for energy sources in other forms like sugar filled snacks, high carbohydrate foods and caffeinated drinks, all of which can cause weight gain which, in turn, increases our risk factors for more diseases