How to Overcome Sleep Troubles in Peri-Menopause

Peri-Menopause is often a confusing time for hormone balance, especially for maintaining great sleep quality.

Here are the two key hormones at play:

Cortisol produced by the adrenal cortex can serve as a measure of a healthy circadian rhythm. Cortisol and the autonomic nervous system act as a bridge between our internal clock (hormone secretion) and the external clocks (light, time).

However, when cortisol does not maintain a normal pattern of output, the result is a dysfunctional curve that could be either high or low in total cortisol output. Either way results in poor quality of sleep. Disruptions in estrogen production common in peri-menopause are impacted by this dysfunctional curve.

The chronic stress response occurs when the stressors that trigger the sympathetic nervous system and the HPA axis surge. Inflammation, blood sugar imbalances, infections, lack of sleep and mental/emotional stressors can result in chronic stimulation of the stress response leading to a disrupted circadian rhythm.

Melatonin:

As natural light dims in the evening, the signal to suppress melatonin decreases allowing melatonin to rise. Melatonin has two roles in the circadian rhythm. First, it trains and shifts the circadian rhythm to align with the environmental cue of darkness. Secondly, it promotes sleep and induces a hypnotic state throughout the night.

Testing Your Circadian Rhythm

Both cortisol and melatonin can be easily measured to provide insight into the mechanisms that have an influence on the circadian rhythm.

Here’s a quick 5 min tutorial —> on what an abnormal circadian rhythm looks like AKA BAD SLEEP PATTERNS!

Why should you care?

RESET: Sleep resets our physiological processes and allows the body to conserve energy, repair, rebuild and detoxify. Sticking to a regular sleep schedule that is aligned with our natural circadian rhythm supports these much-needed processes. During sleep, growth hormone increases to repair tissues while blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, glucose and insulin decrease.

FOCUS & CONCENTRATION: We consolidate memories and dream during REM sleep while we deeply relax during quiet sleep. Better REM = Better AM Energy

HEALTHY PATTERN: Supporting a healthy sleep cycle requires a bedtime somewhere between 9-10 pm. YOU MUST reduce your activity and limit exposure to blue light otherwise the signals for appropriate hormone secretion mix.

CAN YOU HELP ME ?

Yes, even if you've been dealing with these problems for years and consulted with many other health professionals, I can help improve your sleep quality in my peri-menopause or hormone balance program. I have an approach that has shown excellent results for all my patients. Let me walk you through it.

BACKGROUND: 

I learn all about your medical history and what might have led to this situation.

DISCOVERY: 

I take the time to get to know you and understand your unique situation. This process helps me find the correct combination of labs to discover the reasons for your symptoms. I test and don't guess to help you get back on track.

PROGRAM: 

I elaborate a step-by-step program to solve your health issue based on the clinical background information we worked through. After the first two consultations, you'll walk away with a specific step-by-step strategy so you can begin to take action. My program’s main focus is achieving optimal function so you can enjoy an excellent quality of life!

FOLLOW-UP:

As you follow the steps of the program, I will make adjustments and changes to the strategy to get the best results possible based on your progress. What's unique about my practice is that I take a deep look at your neurotransmitters as they relate to adrenal function. This is a more advanced way to correct adrenal function quickly.  Of course, I make changes to your diet as this will give your long term support.

GET HEALTHY, GAIN POWER, BE EXTRAORDINARY | DR. VERA SINGLETON

If you have been dealing with these issues for a long time without any positive change, I can help you! I have first-hand experience helping hundreds of people just like you! I am a naturopathic doctor who has been in private practice for over 12 years. I have a wealth of experience helping people with adrenal fatigue, peri-menopause, sleep problems, and other health issues. We'll work together to identify the root of your problems and how to correct it on your first visit. Schedule your appointment today, or call me at (510) 230-2282.

Looking for Non-Alcoholic Herbal Red Wine? Grab your 🍷!

Need a Sober Holiday? Or is your body demanding a 🍷 break!

This Non-Alcoholic Herbal Red Wine is what to drink when you're not drinking.

I created this herbal blend for those who really need to take the edge off + trying to cut back on alcohol intake and reduce the addictive need for alcohol.

Herbs are nourishing and soothing for the nervous system and will actually relax your body without the horrible next day hangover.  

With this Herbal Red Wine you're actually doing something good for your body!

While the possibilities are endless, here's what we're mixing today:

·        Start by mixing 1/2 teaspoon of Mixed Berry Extract in 4 oz of chilled water. Mix well.

·        Next, choose how strong you’d like your Herbal Red Wine by using tinctures.

• Add your base: 2 dropperfuls of L- theanine. Stir. Then drop in your choice of herbal support

• Strong Support for the rough days: 10-20 drops of Kava-Kava or Alcohol Free Kava-Kava

-Or-

• Medium Stress Support: Lemon Balm- Alcohol Free

·        Add a splash of carbonated water if you like, or enjoy still

     (Yes, you can add all three, but get ready for a knock-out!)

Now, sit, relax and wind down your day in your favorite glass!

Here’s where to purchase the Libation: Herbal Red Wine Blend. Each month’s supply will give you 2-3 glasses/day every day of the week for one month!  

The science:

·        Mixed Berry Extract: Huge source of natural anthocyanin antioxidants, which supports cardiovascular disorders, age-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and reduction of IL-6. These anthocyanins are actually why wine is “good for you”.

·        L-Theanine: Has been shown to reduce anxiolytic-like behavior and decreased withdrawal symptoms, and safe for stepping down from opioid, alcohol abuse and treating anxiety-related disorders.

·        Lemon Balm- Used since ancient times to calm the heart and the body, Melissa officinalis,  also has powerful antimicrobial activity (antiparasitic, antibacterial, antiviral, etc), antispasmodic, and insomnia properties.

·        Kava-Kava- Piper Methysticum is a non-addictive medicinal South Pacific plant species belonging to the pepper family. For centuries, Pacific Islanders have used kava as a medicinal plant because of its sedative, anesthetic, euphoriant, and psychotropic properties. (In other words: It can calm you down and make you feel good.)

You can easily enjoy 2 or 3 glasses of this without the guilt or the hangover and your liver will love you for it ! 💞 💞 💞 💞

Grab your Herbal Red Wine Blend for the holiday!

Enjoy!

 XOXO

 Dr. Vera

Want better sleep? Do something different

The jury is out as to whether melatonin is the silver bullet, but if you’ve tried melatonin or other sleep products in the past and noticed “it didn’t work” or stopped working, this can be because of two reasons:

1. A 2017 study of 31 different over the counter melatonin preparations found that, when analyzed, the dosage of 71% of the products didn’t match what was stated on the label. And 70% had a melatonin concentration that was less than 10% of what was claimed.

2. You are using the wrong type of melatonin or sleep support for your sleep issue

Insomnia especially with hormonal imbalances like thyroid, adrenal and in peri-menopause is characterized by struggling with falling asleep and staying asleep, or both. Either way, it’s important to get control of your sleep/wake cycle to improve your balance of hormones.

Try this:

• Change Product

• Change Forms

• Change Dosing

Melatonin is best taken anywhere from 30-90 min before desired bed time. Chewable, liquid and liposomal formulations seem to be faster acting as they bypass the digestive tract.

• When it comes to sleep issues in Peri-Menopause, melatonin may be your best choice because it helps to lower your body temperature.

• My advice is to start with a low dose and watch for side effects before working up to a higher dose.  

Melatonin, in my opinion, always works better when you have herbal support for your underlying hormonal condition.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

L-theanine-A 2011 study in the Journal of Functional Foods found that L-theanine decreased heart rate, enhanced alpha-band activity and improved attention, performance and reaction-time responses in anxiety prone students.

Lemon Balm-Lemon balm has been in use as a calming herb since the Middle Ages. It is typically used to treat anxiety, reduce stress and relieve insomnia. A 2010 study found that it worked very well as a treatment for mild to moderate anxiety and showed improvements in calm and focus.

Passion flower-A 2017 study in Medicina Oral found that passion flower capsules showed a similar anxiolytic effect as the prescription drug midazolam. In the study, both were used for conscious sedation and produced the same rate of lowered anxiety, but passion flower was found to have less interference with memory, after the fact.

Ashwagandha-The Ashwagandha plant originates from India, where practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine hold it in high regard. Also known as “Indian ginseng,” the dried and crushed plant matter provides you with a calm feeling that soothes the nervous system while boosting energy. Ashwagandha is an integral part of Indian culture and has a 3,000-year legacy of use among the Indian people to relieve stress. A wonderful herbal adaptogen that has been used to support the immune system, reduce anxiety/depression, improve mental clarity and enhance sexual function.

If you need support re-balancing your sleep/wake cycle, or picking the right combination of sleep supports to help you, reach out to me anytime.

Waking up at 3 am in the winter months? Here's how to fix it

The cold winter months is a great time to catch up on sleep, but if finding quality sleep is troublesome for you, check-in with these sneaky disruptive habits

• Build your sleep hormones naturally. If you are taking an SSRI or anti-depressant, it may actually deplete your levels of melatonin- a main hormone that initiates sleep. The fact is many people have no idea how to build sleep hormones. Not to worry, I’ll share with you in my next blog post on how to do just that.

• Avoid exciting or stimulating activities before bed especially those involving bright screens or electronics. Too much exposure to light at night can disrupt the timing of the sleep cycle. Also eliminating reading and responding to emails close to bedtime lowers the possibility of reading something urgent, which might make it harder to fall asleep.

• Don’t have caffeine after lunch and avoid alcohol near bedtime as both can disrupt sleep and wreck havoc on your blood sugar levels throughout the night. No bueno!

• Practice rituals that help you relax before bed such as taking a warm bath with Epsom salts, drinking nervine teas or journaling about your day

In the meantime, if you’ve tried everything but still having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, you likely need to build up sleep hormones. A huge ( but pesky) problem impacting good sleep quality. Curious about what this means? Book a free consult, let’s talk about it.

XO,

Dr. Vera