Female fertility is actually influenced by your sleep patterns

Sleep is a necessity of life that can help refresh and repair the brain system, mood, and important hormones in the body, including female fertility hormones. If you have irregular menstrual cycles, chances are you have poor sleep patterns. Why is that? Check out the explanation below.

Why does sleep patterns affect female fertility?

The brain regulates the hormones melatonin and cortisol in the body. These two hormones regulate the circadian rhythm, which is the body's biological clock that controls all functions of human organs. The circadian rhythm also regulates when you are sleepy at night and when to wake up in the morning.

The hormone melatonin is produced by the pineal gland, which is located in the brain near the center of your vision. When your eyes get a little light or darkness, the pineal gland will detect that it is night and increase the production of the hormone melatonin.

When levels of the hormone melatonin increase, drowsiness will appear and trigger the release of the hormones estrogen and progesterone by luteinizing hormone (LH) and leptin which affects fertility. Reporting from Shape, a study states that too much light at night from lights or television can slow down melatonin production, causing insomnia and disrupting female reproductive hormones. It could be that your menstrual cycle is interrupted or it may even decrease your chances of getting pregnant.

Although the research conducted has not been proven much, the relationship between hormones that play a role and are produced during sleep is the link between sleep patterns and female fertility.

Apart from fertility, lack of sleep can affect several things in your body

Long-term sleep deprivation not only disrupts a woman's fertility, but also makes you irritable and moody. Over time, this can reduce sexual quality and decrease your chances of having children quickly. Diseases such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease are also more prone to occur in people with poor sleep patterns.

Reporting from Attain Fertility, dr. Tracy Latz, a psychiatrist in North Carolina, United States (US), said that lack of sleep due to insomnia has the potential to cause premature aging.

How do you manage a good sleep pattern?

Normally, the sleep requirement for an adult is about eight hours. However, sometimes you experience disorders, such as insomnia, which can interfere with sleep patterns. The following tips can help you improve your sleep patterns so that you get better quality sleep.

1. Manage stress

When you are under stress, cortisol levels in the body are high. This will prevent you from relaxing and getting good quality sleep, which can lead to worse sleep patterns. To fix this, try to do yoga.

2. Do not overtime too often

Irregular menstruation and difficulty getting pregnant, according to dr. Phyllis Zee, Ph.D., chair of the Sleep Disorder Center and professor of neurology at Northwestern University Medical School in the US, regarding work schedules (shift night) or overtime every night.

3. Avoid habits that interfere with sleep

There are many habits that can disrupt your sleep patterns. For example watching television, playing cellphones, reading books, and consuming caffeine five hours before bedtime. All of these activities make it harder for you to sleep.

4. Bask in the sun

Everyone needs at least one hour of sun exposure each day to restore circadian rhythms. "Bright light can improve ovulation, although the use of bright light to restore fertility is still under investigation," said dr. Daniel Kripke, a psychiatrist at the University of California, USA.

If you experience sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, insomnia, and other diseases that cause the quality of your sleep to decrease. It is better if you check your health immediately with your doctor to get regular treatment and medication so that your sleep pattern improves and returns to normal.