Let’s talk about hormones and sleep
Are you going to bed exhausted, only to feel wide awake when your head reaches the pillow? Perhaps your sleep quality changes before your period, or you wake in the early hours and struggle to drift off again.
We know how frustrating this can feel. Poor sleep can leave you feeling exhausted, irritable and struggling to get through the next day. If your sleep has suddenly changed, it’s worth considering whether your hormones could be playing a part, even if you have good sleep hygiene.
Struggling to switch off, waking hot and restless or feeling unrefreshed despite spending enough time in bed are experiences women frequently describe in appointments at Newson Clinic.
Disturbed sleep can occur across different hormonal conditions and stages of life. Read on to find out why your sleep might be changing, how hormones could be involved and what can help.
How do hormone changes affect sleep?
During perimenopause, estradiol levels fluctuate and ovulation becomes less consistent, affecting progesterone production.
After menopause, estradiol and progesterone remain at lower levels. These changes can influence temperature regulation, mood and sleep, leaving your nights unpredictable. You might sleep well one week, then wake hot and restless or find yourself wide awake in the early hours the next.
Estradiol helps regulate temperature, while progesterone can support relaxation and sleep through its breakdown product, allopregnanolone, which acts on the brain’s GABA system.
Melatonin is often called the ‘sleep hormone’. Your brain releases it as darkness falls, signalling that it’s time to prepare for sleep. Levels fall again towards morning as your body prepares to wake. Melatonin works alongside other hormones and signals in the brain.
If you’d like to discuss your sleep-related symptoms with an expert, book an appointment today with one of our clinicians.
Sleep and your hormones
Night sweats may wake you suddenly, while changes in the vaginal and urinary tissues associated with lower estradiol can contribute to discomfort or needing to pass urine more frequently. Poor sleep can then make tiredness, difficulty concentrating and mood changes feel worse.
Read more about the link between fatigue and menopause.
Sleep can also change across your menstrual cycle. If you experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS), you may be particularly sensitive to the hormonal changes that occur after ovulation and before your period. These changes can affect mood and sleep, while cramps, headaches or breast tenderness may make settling at night more difficult.
With premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), symptoms are thought to involve increased sensitivity to normal changes in estradiol and progesterone. Difficulty sleeping, or sleeping much more than usual, can form part of this pattern. Symptoms typically develop after ovulation and improve shortly after your period begins.
Endometriosis is responsive to hormones, and symptoms may change across the menstrual cycle. Pelvic pain can prevent you from getting comfortable or wake you during the night, adding to the fatigue that often accompanies the condition.
After childbirth, estradiol and progesterone levels fall rapidly, and allopregnanolone levels also drop. Sensitivity to these changes may contribute to mood difficulties in some women, alongside sleep loss, physical recovery and other pressures. With postnatal depression, sleep can become difficult even when your baby is asleep. If you’re struggling to sleep when you have the chance and are also feeling low or anxious, speak to your GP, midwife or health visitor.
Dr Louise Newson’s article explains more about sleep and hormones.
What does good sleep hygiene involve?
Sleep hygiene means the everyday habits and surroundings that support sleep. It starts before you get into bed. Your waking time, daytime activities and evening routine can all influence your nights. Good sleep hygiene can support your sleep alongside treatment for symptoms such as night sweats, pain or anxiety.
Keep your waking time reasonably consistent, including after a difficult night. Getting outside in daylight and making time for movement during the day can also help support a regular sleep-wake routine.
In the evening, choose a manageable way to unwind. Try reading, listening to quiet music or writing down tomorrow’s tasks if they tend to run through your mind at bedtime. Dim the lights and put bright screens aside as you approach bedtime.
Make your bedroom dark, quiet and comfortably cool. Lighter bedding, breathable nightwear or a fan may help if you tend to feel hot.
Notice whether an afternoon coffee or evening alcohol coincides with more unsettled nights. Moving caffeine earlier and reducing evening alcohol are practical changes to try. You don’t need to change everything at once. Start with what feels achievable.
Advice about sleep hygiene also needs to reflect the realities of looking after a baby, including opportunities for rest and practical help.
If you’re interested in reading more about magnesium and sleep, take a look at Dr Louise Newson’s article on magnesium and hormone health.
How we can help at Newson Clinic
Our expert clinicians will ask what has changed about your sleep and when those changes happen. Exploring these patterns alongside your menstrual cycle, other symptoms, sleep hygiene and current medicines helps us assess whether hormones could be contributing and discuss appropriate treatment options.
Many of our patients report meaningful improvements after bioidentical hormone treatment. Our patient-led data shows how average symptom severity scores changed after three months of treatment at Newson Clinic.
- Difficulty sleeping reduced by 37%
- Night sweats reduced by 54%
- Waking to pass urine at night reduced by 44%
Each figure reflects the average reduction in patient-reported symptom severity among women who reported that symptom before treatment. Individual experiences vary.
At Newson Clinic, our research team continues to explore how hormones affect women’s health, using patient-led data to help close gaps in understanding. Find out how we reinvest clinic profits into research, education and support for women.
Let’s talk about what’s keeping you awake
Whether your sleep changes before your period, after childbirth or around menopause, you don’t need to work out the cause before making an appointment.
At Newson Clinic, we’ll take time to understand your nights and the impact on your days. If you already take hormone treatment but your sleep remains disrupted, we can review how you’re responding and whether your prescription needs adjusting.
Book an appointment to discuss your sleep and symptoms.
