I hope you enjoy reading this info on how to get better sleep. If you’d like to learn my favorite sleep tips, you can get a free eBook and video by clicking here.

All too often, in my psychological practice, people label themselves as “lazy,” having “no self-control,” or been self-critical because of weight gain, trouble controlling urges, feel unmotivated and can’t sleep. As I ask questions, we often figure out that hormone imbalances and sleep deprivation have been feeding off of one another to cause insomnia, weight issues, cravings, depression, anxiety and so many other issues. Ultimately, especially at certain points in peoples lives, they ask with regards to andropause or menopause insomnia: How long does it last and what can be done to bring relief?

Changes may come from treating the body or from changing mindset. Either way, approaching things at foundational levels tends to create deep healing. Additionally, because the endocrine system functions in cycles and waves, resting at certain times of day and in certain ways can make a huge difference in weight, hormone regulation, how to get to sleep quicker, and in having more energy. You can find out more about that here.

Table of Contents:

• What’s more foundational than overcoming insomnia and getting better sleep?!

• Hormones That Affect Sleep and Menopause Insomnia

• Hormones are especially important to the relationship between weight and sleep

• Anxiety and Sleep Meditation Can Help Calm Insomnia Caused by Hormone Imbalances Including Menopause Insomnia

• A Breathing Exercise to Balance Hormones and Energy

• Hormone and Insomnia Self-Hypnosis and Guided Meditations

What’s more foundational than overcoming insomnia and getting better sleep?!

Pretty much every single system in our body gets out of whack when we don’t get good sleep.
Sleep is crucial to a healthy brain, heart, mood, endocrine system and metabolism.

• A lot happens in our brains when we sleep: Information that we take in during the day gets organized and “filed away” to form memories and support our thinking while we are sleeping. Great sleep helps us with problem solving, attention and focus, making decisions, with creativity and so many other important neurological functions.

• The immune system and the heart love sleep! As we sleep, our bodies produce proteins that reduce inflammation. A recent study showed that consistent lack of sleep – losing just an hour and a half per night – negatively impacts immune stem cells and increases inflammation and risk of heart disease.

“Catch up sleep” doesn’t repair the damage done by these nightly sleep deficits so it’s extremely important to get regular, healthy sleep. Some people need more and some need less sleep. In general, however, getting less than 7 hours of quality sleep per night on a consistent basis can contribute many different types of problems. These include heart disease, high blood pressure, increased cortisol, weight gain and can heighten insulin resistance which can lead to type 2 diabetes.

Hormones That Affect Sleep and Menopause Insomnia:

Progesterone – This hormone decreases during menopause. Progesterone supports good sleep because it increases GABA, a chemical that helps the brain to sleep. Progesterone helps us relax and feel calm and happy. When the body makes less of it, there can be an increase in anxiety and more difficulty relaxing and sleeping soundly.

Estrogen – Estrogen has an impact on quality and quantity of sleep. In menopause it decreases, often leading to daytime fatigue, cognitive fog, headaches, weight gain, depression and anxiety. Reductions in estrogen levels, as happens with menopause or other hormone imbalances, often result in sleep disturbances, disorders and insomnia.

Melatonin – Melatonin, a hormone produced in the brain, gets released in response to darkness and helps regulate the body’s natural internal 24-hour clock (circadian rhythm). Some studies have linked deficiencies in melatonin to sleep and circadian rhythm disorders and thus also to weight gain.

Testosterone – Low testosterone correlates with lower feelings of wellness and reduced energy, vitality, libido, strength and muscle mass. Even one week of sleep deficits (less than 5 hours of sleep per night) has been shown to significantly decrease testosterone.

Cortisol – Cortisol keeps us awake, alert and drives our energy when we encounter a threat. It affects nearly every bodily function and is the key hormone regulating the stress response. When we feel threatened or stressed, we produce more cortisol.

When we feel exhausted, that is the body’s way of saying it wants to rest. When we ignore that message and override our body’s symptoms by staying awake or pushing through, we are riding our adrenals. The body then produces more cortisol to keep it going and help us get things done. This can be helpful in certain circumstances but at a cost!

When the body creates excess cortisol to stay awake and active for longer periods or due to stress or powering through, it means has to produce more energy than normal. That creates dysregulation in the nervous system and upsets the natural body rhythm which makes it harder to sleep and regulate energy moving forward.

Two more hormones are especially important to the relationship between weight and sleep. Ghrelin and leptin are the hunger hormones.

Ghrelin – Ghrelin, the hormone that makes you feel hungry, also increases non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM) which is our deepest, most restful sleep. Excess ghrelin, however,  increases feelings of sluggishness and being overtired as well as hungry. Additionally, it can throw off the body’s normal circadian rhythm, metabolism and neural regulation.

Leptin – Leptin is the hormone that makes you feel full. Studies show that getting less sleep lowers leptin levels, increases ghrelin and elevates body mass index.