Getting optimal sleep is one of the cornerstones of good health and it is critical for hormone balance.

A large percentage of women experiencing hormone imbalance really struggle with difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep and therefore, getting a quality full night’s sleep. If this is a consistent issue, night after night, then you are experiencing chronic sleep deprivation which is scientifically shown to have far-reaching effects on the human body:

• It weakens your immune system
• It leads to brain fog, memory issues and a lowered ability to perform mental tasks
• Greatly impacts body weight and metabolism (just 30 mins less sleep a night has been shown to increase risk of obesity and insulin resistance – crazy right?).
• Interferes with growth hormone production and can therefore lead to premature aging

Common Causes of Sleep Issues

Blood Sugar Imbalance

If you are not eating a balanced diet, with protein, healthy fats and fibre at every meal, or you are eating too much sugar, you can experience imbalanced blood sugar and possibly low blood sugar during the night while you are sleeping. The body will wake up when blood sugar dips low, basically wanting you to eat.

Cortisol Excess

Cortisol is a hormone secreted by your adrenal glands in response to stress. If you often feel “wired but tired” at bedtime, have trouble winding down and falling asleep and don’t feel rested upon waking, you likely have a cortisol issue related a high level of stress in your life.

Perimenopause & Menopause

Declining hormones (particularly progesterone) can cause issues with sleep. In addition, hot flashes and night sweats can make getting adequate sleep quite difficult for some women.

Thankfully, there are some things you can do to improve your sleep. Try these 3 easy sleep hacks. Try these and let me know if they helped.

3 Easy Sleep Hacks

1) Start Supplementing With Magnesium

Seriously, Magnesium is like a miracle mineral. It’s known as the relaxation mineral – it helps to relax muscles and calm the nervous system. It also helps to regulate the hormone melatonin which is responsible for your circadian sleep-wake cycle. Start with 200-400mg of Magnesium Glycinate an hour or so before bed. These are two products that I really like: CanPrev Magnesium Bis-Glycinate or Designs for Health Magnesium Glycinate Chelate. Both of these are available in my Fullscript Dispensary right now.

2) Expose Your Eyes to Natural Daylight In the Morning

Your body runs on a circadian (a sleep-wake cycle) that runs about every 24 hours. This cycle is governed by daylight and darkness. Many people have disrupted circadian rhythms from being exposed to unnatural light (blue light/ screens), stress and not sleeping/ waking at natural times. If you are struggling with your sleep, expose your eyes to sunlight within the first hour of waking up. Getting outside is best (going for a morning walk is perfect!) but if that’s not possible, standing by a window while your sip your morning tea or coffee will also give you some benefits.

3) Sleep in a Cold Room

The best bedroom temperature for sleep is 65F…I know… that seems cold doesn’t it?! It truly works though. It’s better to pile on the blankets and be in a cold room than to be in a warm room. And let’s be honest, if you are perimenopausal or menopausal, chances are you could use some cooking down! Sleeping in a cold room can also help us lose weight, stabilize healthy blood sugar levels, boost immunity, and trigger healthy production of melatonin!

In my BodyWISE online program, our second module is all about Sleep and how to optimize it. We go much more in depth. It’s a critical aspect of hormonal health!