2. Sleep and Hormones
• Basically, hormone imbalance resulting from
peri menopause, menopause, adrenal fatigue
or any of its other symptoms, may cause
sleeplessness which in turn worsens the
hormone imbalance.
3. Sleep and Hormones
• Sleeplessness also has many other non-
hormone related causes. These hormonal and
non-hormonal causes of insomnia include:
– Chronic Stress
– Night Sweats
– Adrenal Fatigue
– Anxiety
– Dietary habits
4. Sleep and Hormones
• Insomnia in women causes hormone imbalance and
worsens the symptoms of menopause because the
body needs sleep for the body's hormones to do
their job properly. Sleep is absolutely essential for
repair and rejuvenation. Poor sleep habits can
predispose people to an early death by way of
obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
5. Sleep and Hormones
• Hormones have no chance to do their healing
work without sleep. When you lose sleep, you
really can't catch up. Your hormones just don't
spring back like that. Sleeping less than you
need affects at least 10 different hormones
causing them to shift and disrupt appetite,
fertility, mental health as well as cardiac
health. Sleep is essential to maintain proper
hormone balance and health. Insomnia
hormones include estrogen and testosterone.
6. Sleep and Hormones
• Estrogen is a sleep-maintaining hormone. It is
common to have an estrogen deficiency in
perimenopause and menopause and when your
body is not producing enough natural estrogen,
your ability to get a full night's sleep suffers as a
result.
• A lack of testosterone is also an issue for women.
Diminished testosterone is linked with snoring
and sleep apnea (a repetitive interruption of
breath during sleep).
7. Sleep and Hormones
• Developing healthy sleeping habits also help prevent
insomnia. Developing a bed time routine and going
to sleep around the same time each night helps your
body form good sleep tendencies. It is also a good
idea to remove distractions or anything likely to
disturb sleep from your bedroom; this could include
a television or pets.
8. Sleep and Hormones
• Though it seems strange, it is important to get up
and walk around when you find that you are tossing
and turning and having a hard time getting to sleep.
This is because it is important not to allow your body
or mind to associate your bed with sleeplessness.
9. Sleep and Hormones
• Relief from insomnia and balanced
hormones provides several benefits. Sound
sleep grants a reduced risk of high blood
pressure, diabetes, obesity, and Depression.
10. Sleep and Hormones
• When testosterone is balanced, slow wave or
deep sleep is easier to achieve. If you sleep
enough each night, you can lose weight as a
result of a decrease in your cortisol level.
11. Sleep and Hormones
• Furthermore, greater sleep length is
associated with a reduced incidence of breast
cancer and people who nap for 30 minutes at
least three times a week had a 37 percent
lower chance of heart attack.
12. Neurological Repair During Sleep
• Some experts believe sleep gives neurons used
while we are awake a chance to shut down and
repair themselves. Without sleep, neurons may
become so depleted in energy or so polluted with
byproducts of normal cellular activities that they
begin to malfunction.
• Sleep also may give the brain a chance to exercise
important neuronal connections that might
otherwise deteriorate from lack of activity.
13. Sleep Apnea and Insomnia in Men
• The cause of insomnia in men often varies
significantly from the causes of insomnia in
women. The low testosterone associated
with andropause or the male menopause can
contribute to sleep apnea in men, leading to
insomnia or sleeplessness.
14. Sleep Apnea
• Sleep apnea is the interruption of or difficulty
breathing during sleep. It affects
approximately 9% of adult males and is more
common in obese males. The inhibited
breathing and loud snoring common of sleep
apnea tends to disrupt sleep many times
throughout the night.
15. Sleep Apnea
• When testosterone levels are in the optimal
range, slow wave or deep sleep is easier to
achieve. Thus, there is improvement in sleep
in various ways when testosterone levels are
optimal in men.
16. Sleep Apnea
• Insomnia in men resulting from low
testosterone and sleep apnea can lead to
several other problems including fatigue,
reduced insulin sensitivity, low human growth
hormone levels and high cortisol levels.
17. Cortisol
• Cortisol, the stress hormone, will increase
with prolonged insomnia because of the stress
on the body. Constant high levels of cortisol
can create a hormone pattern that further
reduces testosterone production. It can also
lead to adrenal fatigue which often worsens
the fatigue and insomnia.
18. Human Growth Hormone
• Human growth hormone is naturally made
during the first 90 minutes of sleep. Therefore,
if your sleep is disrupted, your growth
hormone production is reduced. This can lead
to lower levels of testosterone and reduced
lean muscle mass!
19. Blood Sugar Regulation
• Sleep is also very important for proper insulin
sensitivity and glucose control. If sleep is
disrupted, the body stops utilizing insulin as
effectively and the body begins to need more
and more insulin to control blood sugar. This
leads to weight gain and a pre-diabetic state
that, if not well managed, can lead to
diabetes.
20. Sleep Apnea
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is caused by
obstructed breathing, either due to too much
tissue as seen in obesity or decreased muscle
tone which may be seen with low
testosterone. This inhibits the air flow in the
mouth and nose which causes snoring and
decreased ability for adequate oxygenation
during sleep. As a result, men often wake up
numerous times during the night and rarely
achieve deep sleep.
21. Helpful Natural Sleep Supplements
• Melatonin - is a natural hormone that helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle (circadian
cycles). Find a supplement that combine melatonin with 5htp and L-theanine (we use
IDLife Sleep Strips)
• Bedtime or Sleepytime/Cammomile Tea - Use two or three tea bags. Then put a lid on
the pot to keep oils in the water -- so you get the medicinal effects of the tea."
• The Kava plant is a member of the pepper family, and has been shown to help relieve
anxiety. Both kava and valerian improved sleep in people with stress-related insomnia.
• GABA - activates the major calming neurotransmitters, promoting relaxation and
reducing anxiety, but the body has difficulty absorbing supplements containing
synthesized GABA. That's why experts recommend theanine, which the body can easily
absorb and, ultimately, use to boost levels of GABA.
• Valerian Root - has been used as a sedative and anti-anxiety treatment for more than
2,000 years.
• Magnesium - Along with contributing to a good night’s sleep, this light, silvery metallic
element is an oft-overlooked nutrient that helps maintain normal muscle and nerve
function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps
bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, and promotes normal
blood pressure, according to the NIH. Lack of magnesium inhibits nerve cell
communication, which leads to cell excitability.
22.
23. Helpful Sleep Hints
• Keep noise and light to a minimum. Use earplugs, window blinds, heavy
curtains, or an eye mask. Make sure the room is cool (below 68 degrees)
Small night-lights in your bedroom and bathroom are a good idea.
• Avoid large meals two hours before bedtime. A light snack is fine.
• Don't drink caffeine (including tea and soft drinks) four to six hours before
bedtime.
• Regular exercise like walking will reduce stress hormones and help you
sleep better. But don't exercise within two hours of bedtime. You may
have more difficulty falling asleep.
• Don't nap late in the afternoon.
• Stop working on any task an hour before bedtime to calm your brain.
• Don't discuss emotional issues right before bedtime.
• Keep pets outside your sleeping area if you can.
• Make sure your bedroom is well ventilated and at a comfortable
temperature.
• Learn a relaxation technique like meditation or progressive relaxation.
24. HEC in Check
Let’s review what to do:
1) HEC and Check and Fat Loss – Do Nothing!
2) HEC not in check – add 10 grams of fat
3) HEC still not in check – Subtract fat, and 3 to 5
bites of carbs, ½ cup brown rice, ½ sweet potato
4) HEC Still not in Check, add fat back in
5) HEC Still not check – Add 1 to 2 Protein Snacks
25. Fat Loss
• HEC is in Check, but not losing weight
• 1) Remove Carbohydrate in breakfast or lunch
• 2) Increase walking to 1 hour Daily
• 3)Resume Eat Less and Exercise Less Model
• 4) Move to Metabolic Workout and Burst training
verses traditional workouts
• Next week, we will move into a Eat More Exercise
model, look for notes before next weeks meeting!
