It can feel like torture to fall in bed exhausted from a long day only to toss and turn for hours, unable to fall asleep. Or to fall asleep but later bolt awake and not be able to fall back asleep.
Although sleep difficulties can have many causes, fluctuations of female hormones before and during the transition to menopause can be a major contributor to sleepless nights.
Female Hormone Imbalances Affect Your Sleep
When a woman enters perimenopause, her production of estrogen and progesterone doesn’t just slowly decline but can be become erratic. In a healthy state, the adrenal glands take over production of these hormones to ensure a smooth transition into menopause.
Unfortunately, most women today enter perimenopause (pre-menopause) in a depleted state from years of chronic stress. Since the adrenals glands are responsible for making stress hormones they don’t have much left over to handle the production of estrogen and progesterone.
That’s when sleep issues can kick in, as balanced levels of estrogen and progesterone are necessary for healthy sleep. Other symptoms may include hot flashes, night sweats, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and more.
Women may also experience sleep issues during certain times of the menstrual cycle when hormone levels fluctuate.
How To Test if Your Adrenal Glands
If you think that your sleep difficulties are caused by hormone fluctuations there is a test which can be very revealing. Testing sex hormones is not always helpful since they are all over the chart. Looking at your adrenal function using the Adrenal Stress Index test can illuminate the real cause.
One of the best ways to improve your health is to understand which underlying nutritional imbalances could be contributing to your symptoms. Dr. Rose has created a quiz to help you figure out which foods and nutrients you have trouble digesting and which you are deficient in.
Click here to take Dr. Rose’s Nutritional Profile Quiz and get an overview of what your nutritional imbalances could be. You’ll get your results immediately.
Dr. Marina Rose has a Chiropractic and Functional Nutrition practice in Los Altos, CA and helps women with perimenopause symptoms and other challenging health conditions to find natural solutions.