Shifting Hormones and Insomnia: What’s the Connection?

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Getting a good night’s sleep feels great — and there’s a really good reason why. Sleep improves your physical health and your emotional well-being, too, helping you ward off depression and irritability and decrease your risks of other serious health issues, too.

Unfortunately, high-quality sleep isn’t always easy to come by. And if you’re in menopause or perimenopause (the months and years leading up to menopause), you might find it difficult to catch those all-important Zs.

At McDowell Mountain Gynecology, Dr. Rachel Spieldoch and her team help women in Scottsdale, Arizona, get the personalized care they need to improve menopause and perimenopause symptoms, including sleep problems. In this post, learn how addressing underlying hormonal changes could improve your sleep and other aspects of your life.

Hormones and sleep

Most people think estrogen and progesterone are “sex hormones” that control menstruation and influence fertility. But these hormones also play key roles in sleep. As menopause approaches and the production of both hormones decreases, many women find they just don’t sleep as well as they used to.

Some of that is due to the physical effects of hormonal decline. Lower levels of estrogen and progesterone often cause hot flashes and night sweats, two common menopause symptoms that can dramatically affect your ability to sleep. Sleep apnea also becomes more common, causing nighttime breathing issues that can significantly affect your ability to get a good night’s sleep.

More directly, research shows lower progesterone levels can also cause sleep problems, making it harder for you to relax and unwind. Menopause can also affect your testosterone production (yes, women have testosterone, too), affecting sleep.

“Other” hormones

Regarding menopause and perimenopause, estrogen and progesterone get all the attention. But declines in those hormones can have a “trickle-down” effect that influences other hormones, including hormones that affect your sleep.

For instance, estrogen and progesterone both affect the amount of melatonin and cortisol your body produces. Melatonin helps you fall asleep, while cortisol (the “stress” hormone) helps you wake up and feel alert during the day.

During menopause and perimenopause, declining estrogen and progesterone levels can cause your body to produce less melatonin, making it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. At the same time, your cortisol levels tend to increase, interfering with your ability to relax and drift off at the end of the day. What’s more, dealing with menopause symptoms can certainly increase your stress level, affecting cortisol levels, too.

Hormone replacement therapy can help

While the hormonal changes that take place during menopause and perimenopause can cause a lot of unpleasant symptoms, the good news is hormone replacement therapy can help. Like its name implies, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) seeks to supplement your natural hormones to maintain a more stable level of these important chemicals.

Our team uses bioidentical HRT, a specific type of HRT that uses chemicals that are chemically identical to the hormones procured by your body. Prescribed at specific doses, HRT reduces or eliminates menopause and perimenopause symptoms, including the underlying problems that prevent you from getting high-quality, restorative sleep.

To ensure your therapy is effective for your specific needs, our team monitors your therapy and adjusts the dose as needed. Different HRT methods help you choose the type of therapy that suits your lifestyle and health needs.

Tailored care for your unique needs

Don’t let poor sleep take a toll on your health and well-being. Our team can help. To learn more, call the office or request an appointment online today with the team at McDowell Mountain Gynecology.