Can Hormones Affect Sleep?
Hormones are important for many body processes, including ensuring a proper night’s sleep. Fluctuations or changes in hormone levels can impact sleep quality and patterns.
For example, it is common for women to have trouble sleeping during pregnancy and through menopause, when their hormone levels may be significantly different from usual. But many other sleep hormones can impact your ability to get a good night’s rest.
Below, we explore how hormones can affect sleep and which sleep hormones are mainly responsible for poor sleep. We also share some tips to promote healthy sleep habits and explain how we can provide insights into your hormone levels to help you understand if an imbalance could be contributing to your sleep problems.
What are the sleep hormones?
Hormones are chemicals produced by glands in the endocrine system and released into the bloodstream. They are responsible for many body processes, including helping to regulate sleep.
The key hormones linked to sleep quality include:
Melatonin
Melatonin is often called the sleep hormone because it regulates sleep cycles. It is the hormone responsible for sending signals to the brain that tell it it’s time to sleep, and it is released into your bloodstream in response to darkness.
However, the production of the sleep hormone melatonin naturally decreases as we age, which is why many older people start having trouble sleeping.
Cortisol
Often referred to as the stress hormone, cortisol is released in response to stress or anxiety. While this is a protective mechanism designed to help with the natural flight or fight response, consistently high levels of cortisol can start to prevent you from falling or staying asleep.
Oestrogen and progesterone
Although the hormones oestrogen and progesterone are present in both males and females, the levels of both are significantly higher in females. These hormones are thought to play a role in the difficulty some women experience sleeping during pregnancy or menopause.
Other hormones linked to sleep problems
As well as the above hormones, some other hormones can impact sleep quality, this includes:
- Growth hormone
- Leptin (satiety hormone)
- Ghrelin (hunger hormone)
Sleep quantity and hormones
Most adults need between seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Getting more or less than this regularly can disrupt your hormone levels, which in turn can impact your overall health and wellbeing.
It’s important you get good-quality sleep, meaning sleeping long and deep enough to enter rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Light sleep or frequently interrupted sleep can result in sleep debt, which can disrupt your body’s hormone balance and lead to health issues.
Too much sleep and hormone levels
Having too much sleep can lead to an imbalance in hormone levels that can cause:
- Grogginess
- Fatigue
- Slower metabolism
- Impaired focus
- Disrupted sleep cycles
Too little sleep and hormone levels
Having too little sleep can lead to:
- Lower levels of growth hormone which can impact your body’s immune response to injuries and impact your metabolism
- Reduced melatonin production
- An imbalance of your hunger hormones, which can lead to weight gain
- A negative impact on cortisol release
- Disrupted oestrogen and progesterone production
All the above can result in:
- Reduced immunity
- Frequent infections
- Spikes in appetite
- Higher calorie consumption
- Weight gain
- Disruption of menstrual cycle in women
It’s important to note that it is not possible to ‘catch up’ on sleep. So, for example, if you persistently sleep less than the recommended seven to nine hours per night during the week, even if you sleep more at weekends, your body can’t sufficiently catch up on the sleep debt you’ve accumulated. For this reason, having a regular bedtime routine and waking up time are the key to optimal sleep.
Tips for sleep healthy habits
Hormones and sleep are inextricably linked. Hormones not only play a vital role in regulating your sleep, but the amount you sleep can also affect your body’s ability to regulate hormones, which can affect many bodily processes. So, getting between seven to nine hours is important for your overall health.
If you are struggling to sleep, you can try some of the below tips:
- Implement a regular sleep cycle with a regular bedtime and waking-up time
- Establish a wind-down routine before bed
- Avoid accumulating sleep debt by staying up late several nights a week
- Keep electronics, phones, and lights out of your bedroom
- Make sure your sleep space is cool and well-ventilated
- Use blackout blinds or a sleep mask
- Invest in a good-quality mattress
How can I check my hormone levels?
It is possible to check many hormone levels using a simple blood test that analyses the levels of specific hormones circulating in your blood. This can help provide you with insights into whether hormones and sleepiness are causing unwanted symptoms like weight gain or reduced metabolism.
At Bluecrest Wellness, we offer a range of private blood tests, including hormone tests, to help you gain vital insights into your general wellbeing. Our health MOTs packages deliver the most comprehensive insights into your health by including all the tests needed to enable you to take a proactive approach to monitoring and improving your health.
We use the latest technologies to ensure accurate results, and all our tests can be booked at a time and location that’s convenient for you. In addition, every full health assessment comes with a comprehensive Results Report and free access to a 24/7 GP helpline for a year for complete peace of mind following your health assessment.
