The 5 tips for better sleep to support your hormones. Did you realize that drinking actually disrupts your hormones?! And, it disrupts your sleep!
Think about your hormones flowing freely on the highway (aka your blood stream). They are putting their hands out the car window blasting Britney Spears, and then you introduce alcohol…
All the sudden, there is a huge crash on the highway and all the cars come to a screeching halt. People are yelling at each other, horns going crazy, and there are no more carefree hands out the window with the wind blowing.
That is your hormone highway with excess alcohol!
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It has taken me YEARS to figure out how to get good sleep. When I was drinking heavily, I thought drinking helped me sleep... I surely fell asleep quickly!! Though, was I wrong!
These are the top 5 tips for better sleep to steer away from that nightly drink (that could be detrimental to your hormones), and how alcohol interferes with our hormone balance!
This post is all about 5 tips for better sleep!
5 Tips for Better Sleep
How drinking disrupts women's hormones
A women's hormone system is a sacred, beautiful process that is intricate and so delicate. Consuming a lot of alcohol can disrupts this sacred process in three ways: through the brain, liver, and reproductive system.
1. Alcohol affects our brain's hormone signaling
For the sake of explanation, basically, alcohol directly interferes with a part of a women's brain that is responsible for estrogen and progesterone production.
You know the phases of our cycle are follicular (egg growth), ovulation (egg release), luteal (hormone prep), and menstruation (period). Well, studies show, alcohol actually suppresses the hormones in our follicular and ovulation stage...
Worse case scenario, drinkers can experience a cycle without ovulating or without periods due to this process!
2. Alcohol raises estrogen
Believe it or not, even a few drinks a week can lead to an increase in circulating estrogen in the body. Alcohol increases a certain system in our bodies that turn testosterone into estrogen.
You might be thinking, oh that is great! Well, hold up, because increased estrogen can lead to estrogen dominance (if severe) and result in mood swings, PMS, bloating, etc.
3. Alcohol overwhelms the liver, the hormone cleaner!
When I am about to get my period and I feel it in my low back, my thighs, and my head gets a bit groggy. So, sometimes I take Milk Thistle (an herbal supplement that supports the liver).
It helps the liver flush out the excess hormones (estrogen) stuck in my body that is giving me the PMS symptoms. Though, when I am drinking... Alcohol will take the front seat to the livers cleaning services...
Then, the estrogen will float around in my bloodstream, along with the stress hormone (cortisol), leaving me feeling fatigued, heavy, brain fog, and give me weight gain. No wonder why heavy-drinkers are prone to liver disease, they are overworked!!
4. Alcohol suppresses our sleep
When women do not get enough sleep our hormones get out of wack! Here is why we need more sleep than men. Alcohol, then, suppresses our sleep and does not allow our bodies to enter into deep sleep.
Therefore, women can experience hormonal imbalances when we drink... We don't get adequate sleep! When I learned this, a light bulb when off in my head, like okay that is why I am the way I am sometimes!
5 tips to sleep better (and support your hormones)
1. Stay away from blue light before bed
I started doing this recently and it has changed my life. Believe it or not, the blue light from our phone and our computers affect women's hormonal balances.
- Affects our melatonin secretion, an important player in a healthy cycle
- Confuses our brains on when it is daytime which throws off the natural timing of hormone secretion
- Increases cortisol
Therefore, try to stay away from blue light 1-2 hours before you plan on going to bed, turn your phone on night mode, and opt for warm colored lighting.
2. Be consistent in your rhythm
To support your sleep, you have to learn how to sleep. We are women, so you know, we are cyclical. So are men, but we have more cycles than they do!
Our bodies yearn to be on a clock, ticking perfectly, moving with the rhythm. That means being consistent in your sleep routine. Go to sleep at the same time every night, wake up at the same time every morning.
I have been practicing this and it changed my life. I wake up at 5am and go to sleep at 8:30/9pm. I do not use my phone, or blue light, 1-2 hours before sleep, I read and book, and I SWEAR, my sleep has never been better.
The best part is, that is actually helping my hormones! So, start with that simple trick. It is amazing.
3. Swap alcoholic drinks to supportive elixirs
Man, I love a good glass of wine before bed. But, it does not actually help me sleep... It might make me feel warm, cozy, and drowsy, but it's very misleading.
Therefore, opt for supportive elixirs and herbal teas instead:
Not only are you taking a break from alcohol and supporting your hormonal balance, but these herbs and mocktails offer so many other benefits!
4. Limit coffee after 12pm
A study shows, that coffee taken even 6 hours before bed time reduced the total sleep time by more than an hour. That means if you are trying to be asleep by 10pm, then drinking coffee at 4pm will disrupt your sleep.
So, to play it safe, simply limit your caffeine intake after noon. It can be hard for those afternoon coffee-drinkers. Though, the juice is worth the squeeze when you go home and fall asleep super quickly.
Plus, your hormones will thank you! Drinking excess coffee is linked to increase in estrogen levels (by affecting how the liver processes it).
5. Exercise regularly
Exercise is the most natural and productive ways to regulate your hormones AND sleep better. Another study shows that adults who exercise regularly had better sleep quality and greater consistency in their circadian rhythms!
Exercise, also, helps decrease cortisol levels which we know helps achieve a more balances hormone system!
Personally, I can tell the difference between nights when I have a thorough workout, versus nights when I don't. Can you feel the same?
Overall, alcohol can seriously alter a women's hormonal balance, in ways you probably didn't even realize! It is so important to keep our health on the top of our mind. Get good sleep, drink less, and when you do drink... Drink top shelf wines!