Sleep and hormones are critical to each other. Proper sleep encourages proper hormone function, and proper hormone function encourages deep, restorative sleep.
Our body has a natural circadian rhythm which is influenced by various factors. For example, light stimulates cortisol which causes use to be awake, while darkness stimulates melatonin which causes use to get sleepy and promotes deep sleep. Physical activity, or lack of physical activity, our diet and meal timing, stress and inflammation are some other things that influence our sleep quality and our hormone health.
To encourage deeper, high quality sleep we need to get our hormones balanced and functioning properly. This will help us sleep better, which in turn will encourage even better hormone function.
It is beneficial to go to bed and wake up at the same times every day to promote a good natural rhythm. It helps to have a ritual before bed that triggers your rest and digest system (parasympathetic nervous system). This will tell your body it's time for sleep. Turn off electronic devices a while before bed because using screens can have the opposite effect and stimulate your fight or flight system (sympathetic nervous system) which can cause you to be alert and energetic. Exercising too late, eating a large meal too late, watching news before bed or drinking caffeine too late can do this as well.
The goal is to turn on the parasympathetic nervous system before bed. Do things that calm and relax you. Meditate, take a bath, listen to calming music, read or just focus on slow, deep breathing. Find what works for you. Do it every night to teach your body to prepare for sleep. Make it a consistent, daily routine.
Getting a handle on stress and anxiety is also very important. It's difficult to sleep well when your stress hormones are elevated and your mind is in a constant state of worry.
The "Take Back Your Mojo" digital download course will teach you about how this works and help you create your personalized plan to get your hormones working optimally.