Wake Up Call: The Link Between Sleep and Hormonal Balance

I have been intrigued by the topic of sleep and why it matters since high school biology class, when I chose “sleep” as a topic for an assignment. I remember being a bit discouraged and feeling I was left with more questions than answers. In recent years, I’ve continued to dig deeper and in doing so, found that hormonal imbalance was at the root of something I thought was a flaw in my personal health! I think the most important fact to embrace is that sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s a biological reset button. Let’s move backwards from there.

The study of sleep and its benefits dates back to ancient Greece, 460 BC. According to the American Academy of Sleep, Hippocrates (who is also credited with stating the importance of food as medicine) identified sleep as one of the six prerequisites to maintain health. Ancient findings that modern medicine confirms; while asleep, the body is doing some of its most important work, especially when it comes to hormones. While we know that important work of any kind is best accomplished in a distraction free, supportive environment, we expect the body to take care of automatic functions like sleep on its own. After all, we’ve been sleeping since day one, right? Without creating the proper environment for sleep, we unknowingly set ourselves and our hormones up for a rollercoaster ride that presents itself in a variety of ways.

Hormones act as the body’s chemical messengers, even small disruptions in sleep can affect mood, energy, metabolism, and stress levels. So let’s identify some of those hormones that depend on consistent quality sleep and what happens when they’re out of whack. 

Cortisol- often referred to as the stress hormone. A rise in cortisol is notorious for aiding in the storage of belly fat. An overabundance of cortisol raises blood sugar, causes cravings, and increases appetite. Cortisol is supposed to rise in the morning to help us feel alert and gradually fall at night so we can rest. When we’re sleep-deprived, that rhythm is disrupted. Cortisol can stay elevated, leaving us feeling anxious, or “exhausted-but-can’t-sleep” tired.

Melatonin- the hormone that signals it’s time for bed. Exposure to late-night light (especially from screens) can suppress melatonin production, affect our quality of sleep or make it harder to fall asleep. Side note: melatonin supplements when taken regularly can be counterproductive by interfering with the body's natural ability to produce melatonin.

Leptin and ghrelin- these two go hand in hand and I can personally attest for the power an imbalance in these hormones can have. Leptin signals the body to know when it's full and ghrelin signals hunger. When we don’t sleep enough, leptin decreases and ghrelin increases. This results in being hungrier, less satisfied and craving quick carbs! As mentioned earlier, because I never heard anyone else describe that happening to them, I thought it was just me. Learning otherwise was empowering, helping me to avoid that awful feeling by making better “sleep routine” choices.

Insulin- studies show that lack of sleep may result in insulin resistance. It is reported that even one short night of sleep can make the body less sensitive to insulin, which may lead to energy crashes and stronger sugar cravings the next day.

As we sleep, we enter in and out of 90 minute cycles designed in a perfect rhythm to restore the body and refresh the mind. When we set the proper setting for this to happen, these hormones are balanced, can communicate properly and serve us well! Poor sleep doesn’t just make us tired. It can affect mood and resilience, cravings and appetite, focus and productivity, stress tolerance, and weight regulation. Poor sleep habits can be what’s sabotaging your health goals even if it seems everything else is on point. When sleep is off, everything is off. If you’re working on your health, drinking more water, managing stress, improving nutrition, but ignoring sleep, you are actually skipping the foundation

But here comes the silver lining…sleep is incredibly responsive to small changes. The body runs on a 24-hour internal clock influenced largely by light and consistency. The more regular your sleep-wake pattern, the more stable your hormones become. You don’t need a perfect routine, just a predictable one. With a predictable routine, it is possible to reset your rhythm! Are you ready for a reset? If so, reply “ready” to [email protected] to receive some helpful tips to get started!

JoAnn Begley is a Nutritionist, Health & Lifestyle Coach & a Holistic Wellness Practitioner. As a former family caregiver who also spent more than a decade as a family caregiver consultant, she knows how difficult it is to take the first step towards self care and how essential it is to do so.