When was the last time you enjoyed a truly restful night’s sleep? You know the kind: drifting, deep and restful, where you wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. If you have to think about it, it’s been way too long. Sadly, all too often many adults, especially women, can’t even recall the last time they had a good night’s sleep.
American’s rampant sleep problem is evidenced by the number of sleep aids currently sold on the market. In fact, it’s highly likely that you are one of the millions that currently have a sleep aid in your medicine cabinet.
Instead of addressing the underlying cause of sleep disturbances like insomnia, we settle for medicated sleep, which at best gives us poor quality sleep often accompanied by a host of side effects. You don’t even realize how much you depend on restful sleep until you have trouble sleeping. Sleep is absolutely essential to your health.
Did you know that hormonal imbalance can be the underlying reason to why you have trouble sleeping? As a child, good, sound sleep came so naturally that it never really even crossed our mind. . However, as we age, the hormone balance of childhood, which kept us sleeping soundly, declines. Whether your sleep issues involve insomnia, you experience difficulty falling asleep, you wake up frequently throughout the night, or you simply wake up not feeling refreshed despite a full night’s sleep, correcting hormonal imbalance could be the key to getting back into a regular pattern of refreshing sleep.
Progesterone has a soporific or sleep effect and generates a sense of calmness when taken before bedtime. Low progesterone is often a culprit behind insomnia and anxiety.
Estrogen – Oftentimes, estrogen deficiency can cause sleep disturbances mainly due to night sweats and hot flashes. The use of bioidentical estrogen must be balanced with bioidentical progesterone.
Testosterone – In men, testosterone is important for quality deep sleep and the less sleep a man gets, the lower his testosterone levels become. It’s a vicious cycle. Low testosterone can also play a role in sleep apnea.
Thyroid – In addition to giving people more energy as well as regulating your metabolism, thyroid hormone also improves the quality of sleep, allowing you to spend more time in the deep phases of sleep. Thyroid hormone is also beneficial in helping those who wake up frequently during the night from snoring or sleep apnea.
Adequate levels of melatonin are essential for a good night’s sleep. Your body releases melatonin mostly at night and it declines as you age. If you have trouble sleeping, because you are restless throughout the night and suffer from agitated sleep, supplementing with over-the-counter melatonin could be just what you need.
If you have trouble sleeping, there are also a few natural sleep aids that can help you sleep soundly including magnesium, 5-HTP, calcium citrate and inositol.
