This document discusses the connection between hormones and sleep quality. An estimated 60 million Americans suffer from insomnia due to disturbances in their circadian rhythms and melatonin and cortisol levels. Melatonin is the master sleep hormone that should be high at night when cortisol is low, but many factors like stress, aging, menopause and shift work disrupt these natural rhythms. Short and long term effects of sleep deprivation include fatigue, mood issues, weight gain, disease susceptibility and premature aging. The document recommends getting proper light exposure, exercise, nutrition, sleep environment and considering natural supplements or hormone testing to support better sleep balance.

1. THE MISSING LINK
TO SLEEP BALANCE
Uncovering the Truth about
Sleepless Nights

2. Tossing & Turning All Night
 An estimated 60 million Americans
suffer from some form of insomnia,
whether it be early waking, inability
to get to sleep and/or stay asleep
 Over 90% use caffeine or other
stimulants on a daily basis
 Millions take sleeping aids to get
through the night
 Yet many are unaware of the vital
connection between hormones and
sound sleep

3. Hormones Rule the Sleep-Wake
Cycle
 In a perfect world, Melatonin the master sleep hormone, should
be in-sync with Cortisol, the master stress hormone
 Counter-balancers : when melatonin is high, cortisol should be
low and vice/versa
 Disturbances in these normal circadian rhythms both contribute
to, and affect, sleep quality

4. Sleepless? Blame it on
Your Hormones
 Can’t fall asleep
 Frequent or early waking
 Morning or evening fatigue
 Feeling tired but wired
 Stressed /depressed/irritable/moody
 Hunger and/or sugar cravings
 Weight gain/Can’t lose
 Poor concentration/memory lapse
 Hot flashes &/or night sweats

5. Biological Downtime
 Sleep vitals: as essential as food for survival
 Sleep restores: the only time the
body gets to do its maintenance and
repair work
 Sleep reboots: brains need sleep
like trains need tracks to work properly
 Sleep smarts: memory, mood, cognition
 Sleep burns: faster metabolism overall
 Sleep heals: immune reserves, cell repair

6. Sleep Myths: Seriously?
 You snooze, you lose
 Your body and brain shut down during sleep
 We need less sleep as we get older
 If you’re not tired when you wake up in the
morning, you must be getting enough sleep
 We can easily adjust to different sleep
schedules
 Naps are a waste of time
 The main cause of insomnia is worry

7. Night Plight: Got Sleep?
 Best research says: for optimal
health, we need at least 8 hr vs.
the average 6.5 we get
 Short term effects: headaches,
irritability, anxiety, confusion, poor
judgment, memory, mental and
physical fatigue
 Slow reaction times: when tested on a
driving simulator sleep deprived
people perform as badly or worse
than drunk drivers

8. Losing Sleep Over Losing Sleep
 Long-term: those who sleep less than 6 hours a night are prone to:
 Depression, 4 out of 5 suffer from sleep deprivation before
the onset of depression
 Overeating/Obesity/Type2 diabetes
 Premature aging
 Susceptibility to Infections
 Stress-related illness
 Weakened immune defenses
 Heart disease, stroke, breast cancer

9. Architecture of Sleep
 How well rested you are and how well you function depends
not just on total sleep time, but whether you get through
distinct stages that cycle throughout the night in predictable
patterns:
 Sleep latency: the time it takes to fall asleep
 1: drowsy; light sleep
 2: slow waves, rest for the brain
 3 &4: deeper restorative/healing sleep
 REM Sleep: the deepest sleep – a must for true rest

10. The Sleep Committee
 The “committee” is billions of neurons,
all laying down patterns and
connections
 Paul McCartney wrote Yesterday,
Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein…
“It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is
resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has
worked on it.” – John Steinbeck

11. I Will Sleep When I Die
Not sleeping is not merely making you more
agitated than an out-of-balance washing machine.
It could be killing you. – Dr. Oz

12. Hormone – Sleep Connection
 Stress: the Better Sleep Council says 65% of U.S. adults are
losing sleep due to stress
 The hormone connection: elevated cortisol especially at night,
disrupts sleep patterns
 Aging: The majority of sleeping aids are prescribed for those 50
years and older
 The hormone connection: the natural decline of melatonin as
we age triggers imbalances directly related to sleeplessness

13. Sleep Robbers
 Peri-menopause: hot flashes/
night sweats; sharp drop in
melatonin ages 40-44, >50yrs.
 Obesity: over ½ of those with
sleep apnea
 Shift work: Circadian rhythm
problems with 2/3 feeling sleepy
or difficulty sleeping
 Stimulants: caffeine, alcohol,
sugar, tobacco
 Blue light: TV, iPad, iPhone
before/in bed

14. Melatonin: Master Sleep Hormone
 In addition to being a super soporific: melatonin is a powerful
immune system supporting anti-oxidant, which helps explain
why so much healing occurs during sleep
 Produced by the pineal gland when the retina of the eye
registers darkness. If our eyes are exposed to light, production
halts

15. Melatonin Rhythms
 Melatonin rises at night, peaks
during early morning hours, drops
with onset of daylight, rises again
towards bedtime
 Adequate melatonin production
during the night, and its
suppression during daylight hours,
is vital to regulation of S/W cycle

16. Cortisol: Master Stress Hormone
 Cortisol, is produced by the adrenal glands in response to
stress, and is also known for its diurnal variation linked to the
sleep/wake cycle
 It is the “get up and go” hormone in the morning and the calm
down and sleep hormone at night
 Big player in the utilization of carbs, fats and proteins into
energy, distribution of stored fat, normal blood sugar regulation,
and immune support

17. Cortisol Rhythms
 In a healthy person, cortisol has the
opposite pattern to melatonin
 Levels are highest after waking, and
gradually reach their nadir at night
 High night cortisol runs interference
on melatonin and leads to
hyperarousal
 Chronically elevated levels translate
to that “tired but wired” state of
sleeplessness

18. Getting Back In Sync
 Body clock stays remarkably accurate
IF we get enough light and dark
 Decide what time you want to get
up and count back 7 to 8 hours
 Dim the lights several hours before bed
 Set an evening ritual to wind down
 If you can’t sleep try deep breathing.
Music or meditation work best to get
back to sleep.
 Surrender to sleep…let go of waking

19. Create the Perfect
Sleep Environment
 A cool dark room
 Set a standard wake time
 Set a standard bedtime
 No laptops, no TV
 White noise (esp. if partner snores)
 Loose bed clothes
 Invest in the right mattress and pillow
 Block allergens with a 1-micron cover

20. Darkness – The Best Soporific
 Make your sleeping environment
as dark as possible (heavy
curtains, sleep masks)
 Even very dim light makes your
brain think its morning, throwing
off circadian rhythms
 A 2010 study found countries that
generate the most light at night also
have higher rates of breast cancer
(J. Cancer Causes and Control)
 Bottom line: if you don’t get
enough darkness at night you
won’t make enough melatonin

21. Deep Sleep Prep Do’s
 Morning light: 15-30 minutes
strengthens body clock; up’s
serotonin pathway to melatonin
 Aerobic exercise every day: increases
restorative slow-wave sleep
 Meditation: release of melatonin
to soothe
 Protein snack before bed: turkey, fish,
nuts, spinach, are rich in tryptophan,
the amino acid precursor of melatonin

22. Deep Sleep Prep Don’ts
 No alcohol or nicotine 1-2 hours before bed
 No vigorous exercise
 No caffeine at least 3 hours before bed
 No artificial blue light 1-2 hours before bed
 No sweets/dark chocolate before bed
 No scary movies/bad news/angry words
 No brooding: creative visualization, progressive
relaxation, empty your mind…

23. Consider Natural Sleep Aids
 Melatonin
 Progesterone
 Gaba
 Tryptophan/5HTP
 Bvitamins
 Vitamin D3
 Calcium – Magnesium
 Omega-3s
 Valerian root

24. A Little Extra Help
 Sleep apnea: weight loss,
pressurized mask fittings
 Teeth grinding: de-stressing,
mouth guard
 Restless Leg Syndrome: iron
supplements and pre-bedtime
yoga, anti-seizure meds

25. Still Counting Sheep?
 Solving the insomnia riddle
without taking hormones into
account is like trying to get a
good nights sleep with all the
lights on
 If you’ve already tried coffee
substitutes, sleeping pills,
relaxation exercises, hypnosis,
and counting sheep and you
STILL can’t get to sleep or stay
asleep…have you considered
testing your hormones?

26. Your Sleep Balance Profile
 Don’t let sleep disorders go undetected
 Testing can identify how hormone
imbalances of cortisol and melatonin
are affecting sleep patterns
 The Sleep Balance Profile can be
combined with testing of steroid
hormones (estrogen, progesterone,
testosterone, DHEA) for a more
comprehensive picture of hormonal
triggers to sleep loss

27. Q&A

28. Thank You!
Merci!
Gracias!
Grazie!
Danke!