5 ways sleep deprivation affects your hormonal balance

Not getting enough sleep can harm you in numerous ways and affect the functioning of the body. Sleep deprivation impacts your hormones, your appetite and even your insulin levels. Proper sleep is not only important in keeping your energy levels high but also keeps your hormonal balance in check.

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Sleep deprivation and hormonal imbalance go hand in hand. No sleep means hormonal imbalance and hormonal imbalance means no sleep. A vicious circle, it affects the master hormone system and the nervous system.

Every individual has their own natural sleep/wake cycle which helps in regulating numerous important biological activities such as the release of certain hormones (including melatonin and cortisol), blood pressure, body temperature, blood sugar levels, digestive secretions, and so on.

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Here are 5 ways sleep deprivation can cause trouble for your hormones:

Imbalance in insulin level

Insulin is an important hormone that helps in sustaining sugar and glucose in your body. Sleep deprivation increases adrenal stress and cellular resistance to insulin, which, according to studies, leads to abnormalities and disruptions in sugar and insulin regulation. Continuous disruptions can lead to an increased risk of contracting type 2-diabetes.

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Irregular eating cycles

Poor sleep cycle lowers leptin levels, which can affect your appetite. Leptin helps in suppressing the appetite and signals the body when it’s time to stop eating. Sleep deprivation will disrupt leptin levels, making you feel vulnerable to overeating. Lack of sleep affects the functioning of ghrelin, a hunger hormone that controls and stimulates appetite.

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It raises cortisol

Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone. When you are sleep-deprived, you feel tensed and stressed, which, in turn, increases cortisol levels and leads to a whole other level of trouble for your health. Melatonin, commonly known as the sleep hormone, has to be in sync with cortisol for a good night’s sleep. High cortisol levels can lead to melatonin imbalance. When high anxiety and stress levels are not controlled, it can lead to a traumatic cycle, when you feel tired getting into bed but cannot fall asleep.

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Lowers your sex hormones

Sleep deprivation can affect your sex hormones. When the body is sleep deprived it undergoes a lot of stress and cortisol levels are high which leads to low testosterone levels, estrogen, and progesterone, which are your main sex hormones. Imbalanced sex hormones can affect your libido, impact performance and lead to poor sex drive.

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Affects thyroid functioning

Your sleep cycle also impacts your thyroid functioning. Lack of sleep can increase the TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) levels. High TSH levels lead to slower body metabolism and an under-active thyroid. This can lead to problems such as fatigue, feeling cold, and hair loss.