If you are experiencing difficulties sleeping, you may well be suffering from imbalances of your female sex hormones. Progesterone is an important female sex hormone that can raise your body temperature and help induce sleep. Researchers have linked low levels of progesterone (consistent with perimenopause & menopause) with a longer time period between Stage One sleep and REM sleep, causing a drop in the time spent in a deep restful sleep. Estrogen deficiency may cause shortages of important brain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, which may then trigger insomnia.

To test this assumption, researchers tracked a group of menopausal women with chronic sleep problems after supplemental treatment with estradiol, the body’s primary estrogen. They found that over 70% of the women reported sleeping well after treatment. And all the women noticed an improvement in symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, which often disrupt sleep during perimenopause and menopause.

If you think your hormones may be causing you not to get a full night’s rest, please contact us.