Hormones: The Rem Sleep Regulators

Sleep is crucial for optimal well-being, and sex differences in sleep quality have significant implications for women’s health. Sleep is important for plenty of reasons. What you might not have known is that sleep impacts your hormones, and hormone levels impact your sleep. Sleep affects many hormones in the body, including those related to stress or hunger.

Too much and not enough time under the covers can influence hormones. That’s why a good night’s sleep is essential to keeping your hormones balanced.

Sleep affects the production and function of many hormones in the body, including:

- Estrogen and progesterone

- Hunger hormones, like insulin, leptin, and ghrelin

- Melatonin

- Human growth hormone (HGH)

- Cortisol

Sleep is an important regulator of metabolism, the process of chemical reactions in the body that converts food to energy. Sleep disruption or poor sleep can directly affect the production and levels of hunger hormones in the body. This can disturb hunger, appetite, and food intake, potentially leading to weight gain.

Poor quality sleep disrupts:

- Insulin

- Leptin

- Ghrelin

These hormones are responsible for:

- blood sugar regulation

- metabolism

Sleep is important for hormones to function effectively, as many are dependent on the sleep-wake cycle.

“When ignored, poor sleep will make you fall down a hormonal flight of stairs,” says Sara Gottfried, MD. “That’s true, whether you’re 30, 50, or 70.”

Sleep is important for hormones to function effectively, as many are dependent on the sleep-wake cycle.

“Getting regular sleep can help with hormone regulation,” says Abhinav Singh, MD. “Whenever we chronically disrupt sleep in quantity and quality, we disturb this balance and leave the door open to medical problems.”

Sleep regulates the level of cortisol, a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It’s also known as the stress hormone. Cortisol helps regulate other hormones in the body.

“When you relax and sleep well and wake up feeling restored, your cortisol reaches a peak within 30 minutes of waking up,” Gottfried says. “That peak sets off all your other hormones, including your thyroid and estrogen.”

Poor sleep can have a number of negative effects on cortisol release. Gottfried recommends sleeping 7 to 9 hours every night to keep your cortisol levels in check.

Estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid hormones

Estrogen and progesterone play a part in maintaining the health of the reproductive system.

“When you don’t sleep well, cortisol is high when you wake up in the morning. That can disrupt the tango between estrogen and progesterone,” Gottfried adds. “It can cause your thyroid to slow down, which can affect your metabolism by slowing it down.”

Sleep is an important regulator of metabolism, the process of chemical reactions in the body that converts food to energy.

Sleep disruption or poor sleep can directly affect the production and levels of hunger hormones in the body. This can disturb hunger, appetite, and food intake, potentially leading to weight gain.

Poor quality sleep disrupts:

- Insulin

- Leptin

- Ghrelin

These hormones are responsible for:

- blood sugar regulation

- metabolism

As good quality sleep is imperative for health and hormone regulation, excessive sleep — similar to restricted sleep — can have some negative effects on the body, including on metabolism.

The role of sleep in hormone production

Sleep plays a vital role in the regulation and production of hormones. Hormones are chemical messengers that act as signalling molecules in the body, and are responsible for maintaining bodily functions such as hunger, appetite, blood sugar, and cardiovascular function.

Sleep is essential for the healthy production and secretion of hormones. Poor sleep quality and short sleep duration can negatively impact hormone levels, how they are produced, and how they interact with each other. This can lead to a hormone imbalance, as well as comorbidities such as thyroid diseases, sexual dysfunction, and sleep disorders.

Sleep helps to regulate the following hormones:

• Melatonin is often referred to as the "sleep hormone" and is responsible for promoting healthy rest and regulating the body's circadian rhythm. It is produced in the pineal gland, which is associated with the sleep-wake cycle. Sleep disruption or poor quality sleep can negatively impact melatonin production.
• Progesterone and Estrogen are the two major female hormones. Estrogen controls the monthly menstruation cycle and is produced in a woman's eggs, adrenal glands, and fat tissue. Progesterone helps maintain pregnancy and is produced in a woman's eggs, adrenal glands, and placenta. It is known as the "relaxing hormone" and has a mildly sedative effect. Fluctuations in these hormones can affect sleep quality.
• Testosterone is produced in all bodies and is not exclusive to men. In both men and women, it supports reproductive and bone health. Testosterone levels are at their highest during REM sleep. Not getting enough REM sleep can affect testosterone levels, and reduced testosterone can be linked to snoring and insomnia.
• Cortisol, often known as the "stress hormone", is key to maintaining your sleep pattern. Cortisol levels temporarily spike when you wake up, helping you to feel refreshed, and melatonin production reduces. As you approach bedtime, cortisol production decreases as melatonin production increases, helping your body prepare for sleep. Elevated cortisol levels can negatively impact sleep and are often the result of stress and the use of electronic devices before bed, which suppress melatonin production.
• Growth Hormone levels are increased during sleep and peak immediately after sleep onset. It is secreted intermittently during sleep and is associated with the cyclic nature of slow-wave sleep.
• Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH) concentrations reach their maximum in the middle of the night and their minimum in the afternoon.

The impact of sleep on health

Disruption of the sleep cycle and poor sleep quality can have a negative impact on health. Sleep disturbances have been associated with obesity, insulin insensitivity, diabetes, hormonal imbalance, and appetite dysregulation.

Sleep is crucial for optimal well-being, and a lack of sleep can have far-reaching consequences, including:

• A weakened immune response to vaccinations
• A decline in physical performance
• A weakened ability to consolidate memory
• Impaired cognition
• An increased risk of Alzheimer's disease
• An increased risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes
• An increased risk of weight gain, insulin resistance, and glucose intolerance

Sleep regulates the level of cortisol, a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands

Sleep plays a crucial role in regulating cortisol, a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. Cortisol is often referred to as the "stress hormone" as it helps regulate the body's response to stress and is essential for maintaining overall health.

During sleep, the body works to recover from the previous day and prepare for the next. This includes regulating cortisol levels, which follow a circadian rhythm. Typically, cortisol levels are high in the morning and low at night, helping to wake you up and feel refreshed. As bedtime approaches, cortisol production decreases, aiding the body's preparation for sleep.

Cortisol affects multiple aspects of the body and is involved in various functions. It helps regulate:

• The body's stress response
• Metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates
• Inflammation
• Blood pressure
• Blood sugar
• Sleep-wake cycle

The hypothalamus and pituitary gland in the brain sense and adjust cortisol levels in the blood. The adrenal glands then fine-tune the amount of cortisol they release. Cortisol receptors in most body cells receive and use the hormone in different ways, depending on the body's needs.

Elevated cortisol levels can negatively impact sleep, often due to stress or the use of electronic devices before bed, which can suppress the production of melatonin, the "sleep hormone." Maintaining healthy cortisol levels through quality sleep is essential for overall health and well-being.

Sleep is an important regulator of metabolism, the process of chemical reactions in the body that converts food to energy

Sleep is intricately connected to various hormonal and metabolic processes in the body and is important in maintaining metabolic homeostasis. Sleep is made up of two distinct phases: REM (rapid eye movement) and non-REM sleep. Non-REM sleep is further divided into three stages, with the third and fourth stages considered slow-wave sleep (SWS), the deepest sleep phase. During SWS, metabolism is least active.

Metabolism involves two processes: anabolism, the build-up of molecules, and catabolism, the breakdown of molecules. These processes regulate the amount of energy the body uses to maintain itself. During non-REM sleep, metabolic rate and brain temperature are lowered, allowing the body to deal with any damage that may have occurred during the day.

Sleep loss and Type 2 diabetes

Several studies suggest that the association between sleep loss, obesity, and diabetes risk may be driven by factors such as altered glucose metabolism, increased appetite, and lower energy expenditure. Sleep variations, both in quantity and quality, may affect metabolic regulation in type 2 diabetes.

Sleep loss can affect the basic metabolic functions of storing carbohydrates and regulating hormones. Reducing sleep from eight hours to four hours produces changes in glucose tolerance and endocrine function. Researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center found that after sleep deprivation, participants took 40% longer to regulate blood sugar levels after a high-carbohydrate meal. The secretion of insulin and the body's response to insulin decreased by 30%. Sleep deprivation also alters the production of hormones, lowering the secretion of thyroid-stimulating hormone and increasing blood levels of cortisol. Increased cortisol levels, in turn, induce insulin resistance, resulting in raised blood glucose.

Sleep loss and appetite control

Sleep plays a vital role in regulating metabolism and appetite. When sleep-deprived, the metabolic system will be out of balance, ultimately affecting dietary choices. Sleep deprivation is a risk factor for obesity among young adults.

Leptin and ghrelin are two hormones that are important in appetite control. Leptin, released by adipose tissue, is a hormone that inhibits appetite and increases energy expenditure. Ghrelin, released from the stomach, is a hormone that increases appetite and reduces energy expenditure. In a study where subjects were restricted to four hours of sleep per night for two nights, leptin levels decreased by 18% and ghrelin levels increased by 28%. There was also an increase in hunger rating by 23%, with leptin levels being a significant predictor of hunger levels. Subjects also preferred high-carbohydrate foods, and craving for salty food increased by 45%. Sleep deprivation may cause people to eat for emotional/psychological need rather than caloric need.

Sleep loss and obesity

Chronic sleep deprivation (less than eight hours of sleep) is associated with an increase in body mass index (BMI) and obesity. In a study with 3,000 patients, it was found that men and women who slept less than five hours had an elevated BMI. In another study that followed about 70,000 women for 16 years, there was a significant increase in body weight in those who slept five hours or less compared to those who slept seven to eight hours.

Weight gain itself may also lead to a lack of sleep, as obesity can negatively affect sleep quality and increase the risk of sleeping disorders such as sleep apnea.

Sleep disruption or poor sleep can directly affect the production and levels of hunger hormones in the body

Sleep is vital to healthy hormone production and secretion. Poor sleep quality and short sleep duration can hinder not only hormone levels but also how hormones are produced and how they interact with each other. Sleep disruption or poor sleep can directly affect the production and levels of hunger hormones in the body.

Leptin and ghrelin are two important appetite-regulating hormones. Leptin is produced by fat cells and low levels of it signal starvation and a need for a bigger appetite. Ghrelin, meanwhile, is produced by the stomach and stimulates appetite. The more ghrelin you have, the more you want to eat.

Research has shown that people who consistently slept less than five hours a night had significant differences in the hormones leptin and ghrelin as compared with people who slept an average of eight hours a night. The study subjects suffering a lack of sleep had 16% less leptin and nearly 15% more ghrelin than those who were well rested.

These differences in leptin and ghrelin are likely to increase appetite, possibly explaining the increased BMI observed with short sleep duration. In Western societies, where chronic sleep restriction is common and food is widely available, changes in appetite regulatory hormones with sleep curtailment may contribute to obesity.

Sleep impacts the amount and production of growth hormone in the body

Sleep has a significant impact on the amount and production of growth hormone in the body. This is because growth hormone (GH) is released during deep sleep, with the most significant pulse of GH secretion occurring shortly after the onset of sleep. In fact, 75% of GH is released during sleep.

GH is vital for protein production and synthesis, and it plays a crucial role in the body's ability to heal and repair itself. It also promotes a healthy metabolism and enhances physical and mental performance.

A lack of sleep can lead to a growth hormone deficiency, which can have negative consequences for health. Similarly, age-related growth hormone decline can occur, and this cannot be rectified by increased sleep. In this case, growth hormone replacement therapy may be prescribed by a doctor.

Therefore, it is clear that sleep plays a critical role in the regulation of growth hormone in the body, and a good night's sleep is essential for maintaining overall health.

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