About 30 percent of adults around the world report one or more of the symptoms of insomnia: difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, waking up too early, and in some cases, non-restorative or poor quality of sleep. Sleep is involved in the optimal health of many bodily systems, including the digestive, immune and cardiovascular systems. Yet, in the hectic pace of modern-day society, where we feel as if we don’t have enough hours in the day, many people have come to consider sleep almost optional. Others suffer from sleep disorders such as insomnia—difficulty in falling or staying asleep—and sleep apnea, a disorder characterized by the cessation of breathing or in some cases under breathing during periods throughout sleep.
Scientists and researchers are now linking sleep loss to weight gain and disrupted levels of the hormones that control appetite and weight gain. Insulin resistance and blood sugar disturbances are also linked to lack of sleep.
Without enough quality sleep, the natural restorative cycles of the human body are disrupted, along with levels of several regulatory hormones—namely leptin, ghrelin, adiponectin and melatonin. Lack of sleep may down-regulate the satiety hormone leptin and up-regulate the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin, thus increasing hunger and food intake. Another hormone, adiponectin, is essential for normal weight, blood sugar and cholesterol control.
Research indicates that melatonin plays a similar role, responsible for maintaining both a healthy weight and a healthy lipid profile—not to mention proper glucose metabolism. The bottom line: Cutting back on sleep, may set your body up for metabolic imbalance and eventual weight gain.
For more information about our hormone-based medical diet, call Southern California Center for Anti-Aging today for you preferred appointment at 424.247.4962.
A hot flash is a feeling of warmth that usually begins in the head neck area and spreads over the body. Hot flashes are a characteristic symptom of perimenopause and menopause but they can result from other medical conditions. Not all women experience hot flashes and many normally menstruating women experience hot flashes years prior to the cessation of menstrual periods. While it is true that hot flashes are more common in women, hot flashes can occur in men too.
About 3 out of 4 women experience hot flashes as they go through menopause. Hot flashes are brief, lasting from about 30 seconds to a few minutes. The frequency of hot flashes can vary from only a few times each week to constantly throughout a day. Hot flashes are commonly associated with other symptoms including redness of the skin known as flushing, excessive perspiration, chills, rapid heartbeat, nausea, dizziness, anxiety, headache, weakness, or a feeling of suffocation. Hot flashes at night accompanied by sweating are referred to as “night sweats” and frequently prevent restful sleep.
In women, hot flashes are thought to be the result of hormonal imbalance, usually low estrogen. However, they can also be due to “relative estrogen deficiency” a condition in which the estrogen level appears low because of other factors, such as excessive progesterone.
In men, hot flashes are due to declining levels of testosterone.
Factors which increase the likelihood of experiencing hot flashes:
· Lack of circulating air or poor air quality
· Intense exercise
· Hot or spicy food
· Refined carbohydrates and sugar
· Caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants
· Alcohol
· Hot drinks
· Smoking
· Being overweight
· Anxiety or stress
· Saunas, hot tubs and showers
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy can help replace the hormones lost during menopause and andropause and help alleviate hot flashes, call today for a comprehensive consultation at 424.247.4962.
