Hormone levels are something we don’t generally have at top of mind, do we, as we race through our days? Until our face breaks out, or it’s THAT time, or some other uncomfortable symptoms arise that seem mysterious. It can feel like all hell breaking loose. Or, we experience incessant insomnia, aggravations out of nowhere, or just a sense of overwhelm. These may be hormonal — or not.
Either way, if you haven’t had your hormone levels checked in the last few years, it will put you at a huge advantage to get a base-line now so you have something to compare to as your internal biosphere shifts down the road. Especially if insomnia becomes a regular occurrence.
Have your physician check for “leaky gut” syndrome, as this can affect the nervous system with inflammation. If you have a healthy gut, then there are several hormones, including your adrenals, to check:
- Progesterone — this calms the brain and decreases anxiety, and declines in women entering perimenopause.
- Low Melatonin — the circadian rhythm hormone known as the “sleep hormone”, this can be impacted by too much light at night or not enough during the day, throwing your sleep rhythms off.
- Low Cortisol — if your adrenals are exhausted, then there is not going to be enough cortisol produced to do its primary job of reducing inflammation. Too much inflammation can truly irritate the mind, as well as the body, thus keeping us awake.
- Overactive or under-active Thyroid — the thyroid affects all cells in the body, and the brain receptors for seratonin (the brain chemical that affects sleep). If the thyroid is overactive, you may feel jittery, anxious, and eventually sleep-deprived from many nights of this. If under-active, you may feel sluggish, quite fatigued, and depressed.
- Low DHEA – associated with muscle weakness, including the pelvic floor, which could be waking you to urinate in the night.
So, if you’re noticing your mind racing in the middle of the night, and your hormones have been checked with a green flag given, a more global look at your lifestyle could help. Just click here to have a quick chat with me. I can help you take a good look at your sleep habits, sleep zones, daily and nightly routines to see what you can do to take back your sleep. It could be a game-changer for you!