Deprived of Sleep? Your Baby Plans May Hit A Roadblock; Details Inside

Role of Sleep in Fertility, Hormonal Balance

In today’s busy day and age, many of us often struggle to get quality sleep for even a few hours. The reasons can be taking too much stress, long and busy working schedules, or excessive screen time. But, eventually, it leads to sleep deprivation.

According to Dr. Jyoti Gupta, lack of sleep can silently disrupt your body’s natural balance, particularly the hormonal system.

"Your hormones are responsible for controlling various key functions such as mood, energy levels, metabolism, and most importantly, reproduction. If you are someone who is dealing with problems like irregular periods, low sperm count, difficulty in conceiving despite continuous efforts, or frequently feeling tired, your sleeping pattern may be the culprit," she added.

Dr. Gupta pointed out that one's sleep plays a vital role in efficiently balancing the hormones that can help support fertility.

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"During deep slumber, your body works effortlessly to regulate important hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and luteinizing hormones that are essential for the production of sperm and regular ovulation. Not getting enough sleep for an extended period can easily confuse your internal clock, causing imbalances," she highlighted.

5 Ways Lack Of Sleep Can Impact Your Fertility

As we can understand, metabolic hormones and sleep are interconnected and this is how:

1) Stress Hormones

Production of stress hormone called cortisol gets increased in case of sleep deprivation. This negatively interferes with reproductive hormones, lowering fertility further.

2) Impacts Melatonin

Lack of sleep is more likely to reduce melatonin, a hormone that protects the eggs and sperm from getting damaged.

3) Irregular Cycles

Disturbed sleep patterns can lead to irregular menstrual cycles or problems with egg release.

4) Insulin

Poor sleep is also linked with insulin resistance, which can affect fertility.

5) Thyroid

Chronic sleep deprivation can impact thyroid hormones and can lead to irregular periods or ovulatory issues. In men, it can lower their testosterone levels, reduce sperm quality, and also affect libido.

2 Steps To Take To Tackle Sleep Deprivation

If you are actively planning for a baby, focusing on improving your sleeping pattern can be helpful, suggests Dr. Jyoti Gupta.

Prioritise your sleep by taking the following 2 steps:

1) Blue Light Exposure

Many people use mobile phones or laptops late at night. The blue light exposure from screens can reduce melatonin production and delay sleep onset, further disturbing fertility hormones. Reduce screen time 1-2 hours before bedtime.

2) Avoid caffeine and heavy meals at night

This can help your body rest, reset, improve hormone flow, reduce stress, and also naturally boost your fertility.

"Both women and men need enough sleep to ensure that their reproductive hormones are working smoothly. One must understand that good quality sleep not only helps boost fertility but also supports your overall health," wraps up Dr. Jyoti Gupta.

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