Does Sleep Affect Female Hormones? Learn Why Lack of Sleep Is Affecting Your Body

Does sleep affect female hormones?

A lot of research has been done on this topic, and the results are clear as crystal: Yes, your sleep (or lack thereof) affects your hormone levels, and vice-versa (your hormones affect how you sleep).

Hormones are chemicals that are produced by different glands in the body. They play an essential role in regulating many bodily functions, including mood, growth and development, and metabolism.

They also play an important role in sexual function, heart rate, body temperature, appetite, blood pressure, and sleep-wake cycles.

Can Lack of Sleep Affect female hormones? — Image source

In this article, we’ll discuss how sleep and hormones interact, as well as some tips for getting a good night’s sleep.

Keep in mind that sleep isn’t the only state that significantly impacts your hormones. For more information, we suggest visiting hghfor-sale.com to learn more about other factors that can affect your hormonal balance.

Table of Contents

How Does Sleep Affect Female Hormones?

Different hormones interact differently with sleep. Adequate sleep regulates hormones, including leptin, ghrelin, insulin, cortisol, melatonin, estrogen and progesterone, growth hormones, and thyroid hormones.

Many hormones depend on the sleep-wake cycle, also known as the circadian rhythm.

Leptin, ghrelin, and insulin are hunger hormones that are regulated by sleep. Cortisol is a stress hormone that helps the body respond to physical or emotional stress, while thyroid hormones help regulate metabolism.

Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate the body’s internal clock, and estrogen and progesterone are sex hormones.

*Lack of sleep might be affecting how you feel deeper than solely being ”tired”. Your mood swings might be hormone-related.*

Which Female Hormones Are Most Affected By Sleep?

At La Belle Society, we always repeat the importance of having a good bedtime ritual for your beauty care. But a good night’s sleep is so much more than feeling good on the outside.

If we don’t feel good within, it doesn’t matter how beautiful we look, there will be a mismatch in feelings. And taking care of yourself internally is more important than externally.

Let’s understand which female hormones are being affected by how you sleep.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate the body’s internal clock. It also plays an important role in regulating sleep-wake cycles by helping us fall asleep at night when it gets dark outside.

Melatonin production decreases during daylight hours, which is why we tend to feel more alert during daylight hours than at night.

Growth hormone

The pituitary gland produces growth hormones. This hormone plays an important role in regulating muscle development, metabolism, immunity, protein production, and synthesis.

The production of growth hormone follows a circadian rhythm with higher levels during sleep than during wakefulness. Sleep deprivation can reduce the growth hormone, making it more difficult to repair injuries and quick to gain belly fat.

Leptin, ghrelin, insulin (oh my)

Leptin, ghrelin, and insulin are hunger hormones that are regulated by sleep. Leptin is a hormone produced by the fat cells in the body. It helps control energy balance by inhibiting hunger. While ghrelin is a hormone that stimulates the release of stomach acids and increases appetite.

Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels by helping the body turn sugar into energy for cells. Insulin production follows a circadian rhythm, with higher levels in the morning and lower levels in the evening when we are asleep.

Estrogen and progesterone

Estrogen is a sex hormone that regulates reproduction and sexual development in women. Progesterone is a hormone that plays an important role in pregnancy, menstruation, and ovulation.

Progesterone is produced in the testes in men and helps maintain muscle mass. Inadequate sleep causes cortisol to go high, disrupting the balance between progesterone and estrogen.

Cortisol

Cortisol is a stress hormone that helps the body respond to physical or emotional stress. It also plays a vital role in regulating blood pressure, metabolism, and immune function.

The production of cortisol follows a circadian rhythm.

It peaks in the morning and declines during the day, reaching its lowest levels at night when we are asleep. Sleep deprivation leads to higher cortisol levels and can cause stress, anxiety, and other health problems.

How to get enough sleep so that you balance your hormone levels

It’s clear by now why hormones affect your mood. But it is also possible to control it by getting more sleep.

Managing mood swings in women due to hormone imbalance — image source

You can do several things to get the required amount of sleep. Here are some of them:

Establish a regular sleep schedule and stick to it as much as possible.
Aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.
Don’t accumulate a sleep debt.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bedtime. Alcohol can disrupt your sleep cycle, while caffeine can keep you awake.
Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. You can limit the light by using blackout curtains or a sleep mask.
Avoid working or using electronic devices in bed.
Get a quality mattress so you can sleep comfortably at night.
Have a consistent sleeping schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.
Try tracking your sleep to get an estimate of your total sleep time.

Find The Sweet Spot Between Your Sleep & Your Mood

Sleep plays an important role in regulating hormones. You should ensure you get a good night’s rest every day so you can function properly the following day.

If you are constantly getting inadequate sleep, try talking to a sleep expert. They will help you get on track and improve your sleep quality through various options.