Sleep Is More Important Than Exercise When It Comes to Your Hormones
Hopefully you have time in your day to prioritize both sleep and exercise, but if you have to choose, choose sleep! This is particularly true if you are at a stage in life where hormone health is very important, such as coming off of the pill, struggling to regulate your menstrual cycle or dealing with other period problems, or are trying to conceive.
Exercise is also important for hormone health, but without adequate quality sleep and sufficient fuel from high quality foods, it can do more harm than good.
I know that this is easier said than done, but getting 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night will do more for your hormone health than any supplement on the market. I also know that this can be a double-edged sword....Not getting enough sleep can affect hormone levels, but hormonal changes can also cause sleep struggles. So what can you do?
Enter: Sleep Hygiene
Sleep hygiene is basically a bedtime routine. It’s about establishing good sleep habits that can help you get a better nights sleep. Some of these habits include keeping consistent wake/sleep times, keeping your room dark and quiet, and keeping TVs/computers out of the bedroom.
Here are my 4 favorite sleep hygiene strategies:
Avoid blue light 1-2 hours before bed
This is SO HARD, I know. Especially now, during COVID, when we are so limited in what we can do. But if you’re going to do ONE thing to improve your sleep, make it this. Blue light interferes with your body's melatonin production. Melatonin is what makes you sleepy! And trust me when I say your own melatonin is much better than the supplement form. We need time to transition from “doing” all day, to falling asleep. Limiting blue light before bed cuts down on the amount of “stimulation” our brain gets at night and instead allows to start winding down and getting sleepy.
“Candle down” 1-2 hours before bed
This pairs perfectly with avoiding blue light! Candling down basically means changing your environment into one that is more conducive to sleep, and less focused on the hustle and bustle of the day. Switch from overhead lights to lamps, dim your lights if you can, maybe even light candles! This signals to your brain that it is night time, and getting closer to sleep time. This is the time to switch from doing, to relaxing. Put on soft muscle, read a book, put your phone on airplane mode, plug it in and set your alarm for tomorrow, and then leave it for the rest of the night. Let your brain know it’s time to switch gears.
Take a hot bath or shower
Research shows that a hot bath or shower an hour or so before bed can actually help you fall asleep faster, and stay asleep, because it lowers your core body temperature. This drop in temperature signals to your brain that it’s time for sleep. You can incorporate this into your candling down time! A hot bath is a great place to read a book by candlelight.
Consider a magnesium supplement before bed
In addition to being an important mineral for hormone health, magnesium can also aid in getting quality sleep. It can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system which tells your body it’s safe to relax, it helps regulate melatonin, and it binds to GABA receptors (GABA is a neurotransmitter that can help quiet down nerve activity - it’s actually the same neurotransmitter used in drugs like Ambien!) Always consult with your doctor before adding in a new supplement!
When/if you have a baby, you’ll spend so much time creating the perfect bedtime routine for them. We don’t expect a baby to go immediately from playing or watching a movie, to laying down and falling asleep for the night, but for some reason we expect that of ourselves. Even if this seems too simple, try these steps in earnest for 2 weeks and see how you feel. Even though we’re adults, we still need a “bedtime routine” to help lay the foundation for quality sleep.
