One of the most common complaints I hear from my menopausal patients, is the problem of poor sleep.  After a lifetime of sleeping like the proverbial baby, it’s common for perimenopausal and menopausal women to suddenly battle with insomnia for the first time.  Often it’s the problem of frequent night waking, and of course this is not helped by hot flushes or night sweats.  Not only do broken nights leave you feeling like a zombie, it would appear that they also contribute significantly to that other bane of the menopausal years…. weight gain. 

A new study in the International Journal of Obesity had the benefit of assessing participants over a lengthy period of time.  This contrasts with most other research that has looked at sleep and weight issues at a single point of time.. making it difficult to determine, which cane first, the sleep problems or the weight gain?  This latest study suggests strongly that it’s the sleep problems which eventuate first, and over time, contribute to excessively high weight gain.

The Finnish researchers followed 7,300 people aged 40 to 60 (both men and women) for seven years.  They found that a third of women with sleep problems at the start of the study gained an average of 11 pounds over the seven years, compared with only one fifth of their soundly sleeping counterparts.  And the cruelest twist of all for us mid-life women?  Men showed no such link between weight gain and sleep!

The study authors do comment that while an association between poor sleep and weight gain looks fairly strong, it is impossible to prove an absolute “cause and effect” relationship at this time.   It’s possible that other factors account for the observed relationship. 

Why would insomnia affect our weight anyway?  It seems that a lack of sleep alters our levels of the appetite suppressing hormones leptin and ghrelin, which could lead to overeating.  That makes sense to me.  I always notice that if I’ve had a really bad nights sleep, or been very late to bed, the next day I can’t get enough carbs to satisfy my hunger.

If you’re a woman and battling the bulge, even though the research is not 100% definitive, I would strongly suggest getting some help to sort out your sleep issues, as well as addressing the weight more directly through sensible diet and regular exercise.

It’s been an interesting week in the bedroom… but not in a good way.  It’s been a week of broken sleep, followed by alarm clocks ringing at dawn, and a body determined to pull up the duvet and keep on slumbering.   Between cat fights, teenagers and the full moon, sleep deprivation has been the order of the day.

That’s why I was so interested to read a new study from the University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, looking at the effect of sleep deprivation on our health.  In particular, the effect that not enough shut eye has on our body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels.

Here in New Zealand type II diabetes (once upon a time called “old age onset diabetes) is reaching epidemic proportions, and costing our country a fortune.  Type II diabetes is now effecting children in their early teens, instead of the once usual old age onset.  Experts tell us that this crippling disease is the result of obesity, lack of exercise and a poor diet.  While all that remains true, this latest study got me wondering about the part played by poor sleep habits.  Could it be that the modern phenomenon of staying up late into the night playing on computers, or watching TV, and the resulting chronic sleep deprivation, is partly driving our type II diabetes epidemic?

This form of diabetes occurs when our body is unable to effectively respond to the hormone insulin.  Insulin is responsible for moving sugar out of our bloodstream and into our cells, thus regulating blood sugar.   When we become resistant to the effects of insulin, sugar levels rise and wreak havoc with our eyes, blood vessels, kidneys and nerves.

This latest study found that even after one night of inadequate sleep (4 hours, instead of the ideal 8 hours), blood sugar regulation is markedly effected.  Nine healthy people were examined, once after a good 8 hours of sleep, and once after only 4 hours of sleep.  After the short nights sleep, the sensitivity to the blood sugar regulating effects of insulin was reduced by between 19 and 24%. 

An American study published last year found that people who slept less than six hours a night were 4.5 times more likely to develop abnormal blood sugar readings, in the following six years, compared with those sleeping 8 hours a night regularly.

So, the obvious take home message… turn off the tv and computer, ignore the stack of work waiting to be done, and slide beneath the duvet on the right side of midnight.

Lynda Wharton is a Registered Acupuncturist and Naturopath, health researcher and writer with over 20 years experience.  She is the author of three woman’s health books, the latest of which is “Wellbeing” published by Harper Collins, available online at www.lyndawharton.com

The most common solution to female hormone imbalance is to impose artificial balance by using the Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill. While this may seemingly offer a solution, it comes with an array of minor and sometimes major side effects. Taking the pill to remedy hormone imbalance, fails to address any of the underlying physical, mental and emotional imbalances which often lay at the root of hormone imbalance.

Holistic healing addresses causal imbalance rather than merely treating symptoms. So what are the common causes of female hormone imbalance, and what can you do to really remedy the problem?

The main organs involved in balancing a woman’s hormones are the hypothalamus (a tiny organ in the brain), the pituitary gland and the ovaries. The hypothalamus is like the conductor in the hormonal orchestra, directing the pituitary gland to start the hormonal process which in turn stimulates ovarian function. This interaction can be negatively effected by long term or intense emotional or physical stress, irregular sleep patterns, nutritional deficiency, excessive consumption of alcohol, cigarette smoking, obesity or underweight, amongst others.

For many women, remedying hormonal imbalance involves a “whole life” approach including stress management, dietary change, exercise, along with specific corrective therapies such as acupuncture, homoeopathy, herbal remedies etc.

The typical western diet is far from “hormone friendly”. For example PMS, dysmenorrhea (period pain) and endometriosis are all aggravated by the typical high saturated fat consumption. If you consume red meat regularly, drink your two glasses of milk a day, or eat cheeses, fried foods, takeaways etc regularly, you could be causing some of your hormonal problems.

An overabundance of saturated fats stimulates your body to produce an inflammatory prostaglandin (local hormone) which worsens these conditions. Try cutting down on saturated fats while increasing your intake of monounsaturates such as olive oil, flax seed oil, canola oil and avocados. This way your body produces a anti-inflammatory prostaglandins which will reduce your PMS, period pain or endometriosis. Supplementing with Evening Primrose Oil will also stimulate this change in prostaglandin production.

Other quick fix nutritional changes for hormonal health? Reduce your meat intake, and wherever possible buy organic meats which have not been fattened with estrogen. Eat more fish especially salmon, herrings, pilchards; Increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables which are high in soluble fibre, and help reduce excessive levels of circulating estrogen which aggravate endometriosis and PMS.

Stay away from the wine bottle and other alcohol. Make alcohol a once or twice a week treat rather than a nightly accompanyment to dinner. This has a great impact on PMS, especially fluid retention and breast tenderness.; reduce your caffeine intake by drinking herbal teas or water decaffeinated tea and coffee. Caffeine increases excretion of many of the hormone friendly nutrients including B vitamins and magnesium. It is also a stimulant which will aggravate tension and irritability symptoms of PMS.

“Phytoestrogens” have become almost a nutritional panacea for hormonal health of late. Phytoestrogens are plant based estrogen like substances which are approximately a thousand times weaker than the estrogen produced in your own body.

Many female hormonal problems are thought to be caused or aggravated by excessive exposure to environmental estrogen or estrogen like substances (collectively known as xenoestrogens. We ingest these substances through agricultural sprays used on our food; through plastics we use in the home every day such as plastic kettles and food containers and even cling film we wrap our food in.

We can limit our exposure to xenoestrogens by using organic foods wherever possible, and by avoiding plastics in the home. We can also increase our bodily resistance through eating a diet high in phytoestrogens. When we ingest these estrogen like substances they fit into the estrogen receptor sites on our cells, effectively filling the site and making it unavailable for much stronger potentially toxic estrogens. This process is thought to explain the cancer protective effect of phytoestrogens. Increasing phytoestrogens in your diet can also reduce PMS and endometriosis symptoms, and help support the transition through menopause when the body’s production of estrogen slowly declines.

Boost phytoestrogens by stocking up on soy milk, tofu, flax seed oil and linseed (try delicious soy and linseed bread), apples, oats, carrots, pulses and legumes, alfalfa sprouts. Try drinking red clover tea daily. Phytoestrogen rich herbs include black cohosh, motherwort, licorice, burdock, wild yam and dong quai.

Take a look at the balance in your life. Female hormones are all about rhythm, flux and balance. Do your hormones mimic your life… chaotic? If the answer is yes, take some time to find ways of reducing stress. Take up tai chi or yoga, practice meditation daily, or simply make time for quiet contemplation in a busy world. Try journal keeping, affirmations, visualisations… whatever it takes to bring harmony back to your life and hormones

Lynda Wharton is a health researcher, writer and natural health practitioner with a special interest in women’s health.  She is the author of three women’s health books including “Wellbeing” by Harper Collins.

More at www.lyndawharton.com