6 Strategies for Better Sleep to Improve Reproductive Health
Ah, sleep.
The thing most of us don’t get enough of and should be prioritizing.
The part of your day that can impact every other part of the day and you’re not even awake.
It’s no secret that sleeping is important for your health. But did you know that it can alter your hormone health, which impacts your reproductive health?
This happens in both direct and indirect ways.
The direct way sleep deprivation impacts your reproductive health is by decreasing your melatonin production.
Melatonin is a hormone that regulates your sleep cycle or circadian rhythm. It is produced during the darkest hours of the day. Not only do light sources, both natural and artificial alter melatonin production, but disrupted sleep can as well.
Melatonin is also an antioxidate that is found in the follicular fluid in your ovaries. It is believed to help reduce oxidative stress on your eggs, which can cause premature aging and damage, both of which can lead to fertility issues.
Studies have found that women who took melatonin supplements improved their chances of conceiving during IVF. Showing the importance of this hormone not only for sleep quality but egg quality.
The indirect ways sleep impact your reproductive health are: weight gain and insulin resistance.
Sleep deprivation has been linked to a 50% higher risk of obesity with less than 5 hours of sleep a night. This may be due to several factors that researchers have found. One, is higher levels of a hunger hormone, ghrelin, & lower levels of satiated (or all done) hormone, leptin. The second is more cravings for salty, sugary and starchy foods.
A study has also revealed that one single night of sleep deprivation induces insulin resistance in healthy subjects. Why is this important? Insulin resistance has been found to cause the following:
shift hormone production to testosterone over estrogen
inhibit ovulation
delay egg maturation
compromise egg quality &
is linked with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)
While there can be other factors at play with both weight gain & insulin resistance, sleep should be a priority.
Sleep is when your body heals, digests and rests. Prioritizing the quality and quantity of your sleep can improve your reproductive (& overall) health, increasing your chances of conceiving.
Here are 6 strategies to improve your sleep:
01 Get outside before noon
Your circadian rhythm is controlled by light exposure, which tells the body to stop producing melotonin. When you get outside in the morning [the earlier the better after wake up], you are exposed to sunlight which in turn tells the body it’s time to be awake and starts to produce dopamine, noepinephrine and histamine. This balance of shutting off melatonin and increasing the “feel good” neurotransmitters helps your circadian rhythm stay balanced.
02 Yoga
There has been extensive research showing the benefits of yoga on sleep. This is from the relaxation and meditative properties of yoga.
Yoga can calm the mind, ease tension and center yourself from a long day. In a national survey over 55% of adults who practiced yoga found it helped with sleep. You can either practice yoga during the day or do sleep specific poses right before bed. These are more restorative or yin style yoga poses like child’s pose, reclined bound angle or legs up the wall, among others.
03 Meditation
Just like yoga meditation can be a powerful way to calm the mind. Stress plays a primary role in sleep disturbance and meditation can help reduce the body’s response to stress as well as improves control of the autonomic nervous system (your fight or flight response).
Some studies also believe that meditation can improve melatonin & serotonin levels, reduces heart rate and blood pressure and activates parts of the brain that control sleep.
04 Exercise
Exercise impacts sleep in a variety of ways, both directly and indirectly.
Like sunlight exercise produces responses in the body that tells it to “wake up.” The two most notable are increased body temperature and increased endorphins. This is why the general rule of thumb is to exercise no later than 2 hours before bed. So that your body has the chance to “wind down.” However, this depends on your definition of exercise and what you choose to do as exercise. Yoga to me is exercise, but it can be used in a calming way. Same with stretching or diaphragmatic breathing.
Exercise indirectly impacts your sleep through weight regulation. Excessive weight gain is linked to obstructive sleep apnea.
The recommendations for exercise to improve sleep is 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity activity. The great news is you can see results in just one day of exercising!
05 Avoid electronics at least 2-3 hours before bed [or at least use blue blocking glasses at a minimum]
Since your melatonin production is based on light exposure, especially blue light, you want to avoid this form of light before bed. Blue light used in electronic screens suppressed melatonin production twice as long as other light and delays the circadian rhythm twice as long.
If you are unable to avoid blue light before bed, at least wear blue-light blocking glasses, which have been shown to diminish the impact on your melatonin.
06 Perform a body scan in bed
Just like meditation and yoga, performing a body scan in bed can help calm your mind and relax your body. A body scan allows you to notice sensations in your body. When you notice a tension sensation, you allow it to relax. In some body scans you only notice while in others you can contract the tense muscle to then allow it to relax more deeply. You need to do what works for you.
A body scan to help with sleep starts at the top of the head and works down the head into the rest of the body. You may or may not reach all the way to your toes and that is okay. It just means you were able to fall asleep.
If you want to start a better-sleep routine, but feel overwhelmed by choosing what may work for you. Start with what feels attainable, then move on. You can choose the combination of strategies that feel right for you. And you can always switch or adjust them.