If you are like me, a good night’s sleep is the key to having a day with mental clarity versus walking in a brain fog. Sweet, restful sleep contributes to my confidence, joy, and positive mood and means I wake up energized and pumped for the day, rather than groggy and grumpy. My decision-making is less impaired and so is my memory and recall. Overall, I look and feel better when I get quality sleep!

But alas, good sleep often eludes me and I bet it does you too. As we age, our hormones dip as our internal manufacturing plant stops producing the hormones we had in our younger years. We step into menopause and face various symptoms of “the change” including sleep struggles.

What can we do to combat our sleeping woes? First, let’s look at what sleep deprivation can do to our health. As mentioned above, it can significantly impact our physical and mental well-being, causing irritability and difficulty concentrating. Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to serious health issues such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes and make us more susceptible to illnesses and infections.

I have a friend who averages four hours of sleep per night. She is remarkably joyful and energetic and seems to function fairly well, yet I know without exception this is not healthy for her.

But there are factors that we can address to bring my friend and us back into sweet, sweet slumber.

Hormones

In my late 30s, I started having severe sleep issues and knew it was hormone-related. I had gone off birth control and began my spiral into sleepless nights. A friend suggested I read Suzanne Somers’ book about hormones and this started my journey into bio-identical hormones. I started taking progesterone and this was a game-changer when it came to how I slept and how I functioned.

Now many years later, I still take progesterone and have added estrogen and testosterone creams to my nightly routine. The hormones have benefited me in so many ways (such as slowing the aging process, helping with joint pain, and increasing libido) but there are nights that I struggle with insomnia.

Recently, a nurse practitioner recommended we do a test to check my cortisol levels and the results were interesting. My cortisol levels were all over the place! They were high when they needed to be low and low when they needed to be high. Cortisol is the stress hormone that makes you feel alert in a fight or flight mode, helps control your metabolism, and sleep-wake cycle, and regulates your blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Cortisol levels are a key component of how we react to stress…the higher the stress, the higher our cortisol levels become. It’s a tough cycle of co-dependence.

But there are steps we can take to regulate our hormones. First, you need to take the tests to check your hormone levels. These should include progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, and yes…cortisol. From there you and your doctor can decide if you’re a candidate for bio-identical hormones.

Since discovering my wacky cortisol levels my nurse prescribed an adrenal support supplement and I feel a difference. My sleep has improved and I have more energy in the morning when before I was dragging.

Stress

It’s tough to talk about sweet sleep without broaching the subject of stress. Maybe some of you can turn off the tumultuous trial you’re enduring or the whirling activity of a hectic week and enter into a deep night of slumber. Then there’s the rest of us. Our thoughts swirl as we toss and turn unable to flip the switch from anxiety to peaceful sleep.

“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8

We all experience stressful seasons, and our sleep and health often suffer. In these times we can look to our Good Shepherd for peace. We can meditate on His word, pray, and seek wise counsel.

We can also take steps to alleviate stress wherever possible. Whether it’s an unhealthy relationship, a toxic work environment or simply watching the nightly news, we can make changes to reduce the stress in our lives. Walking, breathing exercises, and time away from the daily grind is key to decreased stress and a better snooze.

Caffeine

Some of us are caffeine-aholics. We chug our morning coffee to give us a boost and grab Starbucks or an energy drink for an afternoon pick-me-up. We might not be making the connection that as we age we can become more sensitive to caffeine and how it affects our rest.

In my love-hate relationship with coffee (love the taste and warm comfort, but not the jitters!) I’ve discovered that sometimes I can handle the caffeine and other times I can’t. I’m not sure if this is a hormone-related issue but it’s something I’m still figuring out! Perhaps you’ve had the same experience or you are one of those people who can have a cup of Joe at 7 pm and still fall into a coma at bedtime. Good for you, friend!

Often, I will switch to decaf or have regular coffee every other day to make sure the caffeine is not building up in my body and affecting my shuteye.

Whatever your sleep issues are I hope you will take the steps necessary to improve your slumber. We may not sleep perfectly every night, but taking strides to have more quality hours of deep sleep can dramatically improve our overall health and mindset.

Sweet dreams, my friends.