Lack of Sleep

INSOMNIA

Here is an excerpt from Dr. Schwarzbein, a leading endocrinologist from Santa Barbara on  The Schwarzbein Principle.

Any of the factors that contribute to a low serotonin state can also contribute to a low- melatonin state. You also need cholesterol (found in butter, meat, eggs and shellfish) to make hormones such as cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone, which help regulate melatonin production. Also if you do not eat food, this will contribute to insomnia by decreasing serotonin production and increasing adrenaline levels.”

In an interview that Dr. Schwarzbein gave to Suzanne Somers for The Sexy Years,  she said:

“I started treating women with diabetes in 1991, and I prescribed Prempro to those in menopause. Luckily, I noticed right away that their blood sugar control worsened. This was a group of patients were not improving despite how hard they were working at eating well and exercising. In fact, some of them were getting worse. That’s when I realized Prempro was the problem. Then I switched these women to estradiol and progesterone, thinking the bioidentical hormones would be the answer. However, I still prescribed them in a continuous combined way (no periods), and their blood sugar remained elevated.

Then I (Dr. Schwrzbein) thought, about the four rules that I use for replacement of any missing hormone:

1. Don’t take a hormone that’s not low or missing.
2. Take only bio-identical hormones.
3. Mimic normal physiology as much as possible
4. Track the hormone levels and their effects.

Starting with rule number one- in menopause you are low in estradiol and progesterone. Rule number two; give back the same hormone in its bioidentical form. I realized that Premarin was being substituted for estradiaol, and Provera was being substituted for progesterone, and this was not the right thing to do. So I prescribed bioidentical estradiol for and bioidentical progesterone for progesterone.

Then, because of rule number three, I realized that continuous combined therapy was not the way the body made these hormones. To mimic normal physiology as much as possible, thee hormones would have to be taken in a cyclical manner, and then women would have to have withdrawal menses. (monthly periods) again.

Then rule number four, I followed my patients by tracking the hormone levels through blood work and the effects of these bioidentical hormones.

When I followed my four rules of hormone replacement that I used in treating all types of  hormone deficiencies, the blood sugars of the women with diabetes improved and their hormone levels came back into balance.”

More on Lack of sleep

Menopause is your body giving you a report card of how you are really feeling. At this juncture in time, it’s impossible to turn off the sirens in your brain that tell you that something is wrong. This is the sound of your own wheels driving you crazy at night. Not that all the things you are worrying about aren’t real issues and have to be addressed. More than likely they are real issues that you will have to come to terms with, sooner or later. But you need your rest.

Consider this formula for metabolic aging offered by T.S. Wiley in Sex, Lies and Menopause.

“Imagine a clear a clear glass filled with clear marbles. If you could reach into the middle and pluck out a marble, all the other marbles would move, would re-adjust themselves to compensate for the missing one. The marbles or variables that control the positioning of all the marbles- sleeping, eating, and reproducing – we will call 1,2, and 3, respectively.”

“How much you sleep(1) is reported by melatonin to cortisol and prolactin; (2) or how much carbohydrates you eat is determined by (1)  and reported insulin levels to (3) ; (3) is how fast you age or your reproductive status in terms of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels. The formula for existence is then, 1+2=3. Sleeping and eating equal how fast time passes metabolically.”

Natural Sleep Aids

1. Natural progesterone –  is a bioidentical hormone that you can get in a cream or suppository, and  has a calming effect
2. Melatonin- The hormone melatonin is secreted by the brain’s pineal gland. It produces drowsiness .Our natural melatonin secretion is affected by depression, shift work, seasonal affective disorder, and jet lag.

1. Avoid caffeine
2. Avoid alcohol
3. Avoid the evening news
4. Avoid stressful phone conversation just before bedtime

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