Are Hormones Keeping You Awake At Night?

As women, we are significantly more at risk than men of experiencing insomnia and sleep issues throughout our lives. Studies from the National Sleep Foundation show that women are not only more likely to suffer from insomnia but also more likely to experience daytime sleepiness AND find it harder to break poor sleep habits.

A woman’s ever-changing hormones and biological conditions can have an immense impact on sleep. Women are born onto a rollercoaster of hormonal ups and downs which (as I’m sure you well know) can sometimes make navigating through life quite challenging!

Estrogen and Progesterone fluctuations throughout the different stages of our life such as menstruation, pregnancy and menopause,  significantly change biochemical processes in our bodies, sometimes making us cranky, short-tempered, overwhelmed, forgetful, more emotional, sensitive to alcohol, anxious, impact our food cravings and the way we store and metabolize the food we eat and heavily influence our ability to get to sleep, stay asleep and the quality of our sleep!

Many women believe menopause and hormonal imbalance symptoms such as sleeplessness, weight gain, abdominal pain, headaches, fatigue and hot flushes are all “to be expected” and are generally accepted symptoms of the hormonal rollercoaster we are constantly on. But that’s not true. There are a number of strategies you can implement to help keep your hormones balanced and happy.

These include;

• Eating a wholesome diet of healthful, nourishing foods rich in both Omega 3 and 6’s
• Exercising regularly
• Prioritizing and ensuring you get the full 8 hours of good quality sleep
• Managing your stress levels
• Limiting alcohol because it impacts on Estrogen metabolism
• Limiting caffeine so that your liver can more effectively break down and process hormones and toxins in the body

Take charge of your own health today and prioritize your sleep so you can get back to being your usual empowered, happy and healthy self.

The article was written by Kirsten Taylor for M2 Magazine. Click here to read