I’m one week into my personal 30 day “Just Sleep” Challenge. I committed to going to bed early and getting more sleep for the month of April. My goal has been to go to sleep by 10pm. I accomplished that most of the week. I stayed up a bit later over the weekend and am definitely feeling it today.
What I am noticing about my sleep pattern is that my body is accustomed to about 6 to 7 hours of sleep and wakes up after that amount of time, no matter what time I go to bed. So, annoyingly enough, I have been waking up WAY TOO EARLY this week. I’m talking 4:30-5 am. And I haven’t been able to get back to sleep. I am realizing that I have to try to “relearn” to sleep for longer periods of time. In order to “catch” up after not sleeping enough for so long, I have to get more sleep than just the recommended 7-9 hours a night. My guess is that it is a hormonal thing for me. Too much cortisol and too little melatonin.
My plan for the week:
In order to “relearn” to sleep longer, I’ve decided to concentrate on reducing my cortisol levels.
What is cortisol?
Cortisol is the primary stress hormone that is secreted by the 2 small glands that are located on top of our kidneys in response to stress. The purpose of this hormone is assist us in “fight or flight” situations to give our bodies enough energy to survive dangerous situations. A spike in cortisol triggers the release of amino acids from the muscles, glucose from the liver, and fatty acids into the blood stream so the body can access a tremendous amount of energy. It is secreted naturally in the body throughout the day, peaking at around 8 am to help us to get going in the morning and dropping off at night between 8 and 10 pm to help us get to sleep.
Unfortunately, our modern lives are full of stressful situations like work related stress, relationship worries, dehydration, poor diets, over-exercising, and lack of adequate sleep that this natural rhythm is disrupted and we are walking around with high levels of cortisol all day (and night) long. High cortisol levels have been linked to sleep disturbances, adrenal fatigue, hormonal imbalances, elevated cholesterol, elevated blood sugar level, heart disease, decreased sex hormones, early aging, mood swings, depression, weight gain, impaired immune system, and weight gain.
Tips to reduce cortisol levels
- Avoid stimulants ~ stimulants like caffeine and energy drinks shift your body into “fight of flight” mode. One 12 oz cup of coffee (200 mg of caffeine) increases blood cortisol levels by 30% in one hour. Cortisol can remain elevated for up to 18 hours in the blood. If you MUST have your caffeine, make sure that you have it only in the early part of the day (before noon.)
- Keep your blood sugar stable ~ avoid sugar and simple carbohydrates in your diet. Excessive carbohydrate intake creates cortisol release in response to constantly elevated insulin levels. Avoid skipping meals, as this will create a cortisol release as well. If you go more than five hours without eating, your cortisol levels increase.
- Go to bed early ~ try to be in bed by 1030 at the latest to be in rhythm with your body’s natural hormonal cycles.
- Exercise regularly but don’t overdo it ~ regular exercise increases brain output of serotonin and dopamine, brain chemicals that reduce anxiety and depression. However, keep workouts under an hour because at the 1 hour mark, your testosterone levels begin to decline and cortisol levels rise.
- Practice stress relieving techniques ~ We all are aware of our most stressful times of the day. Find tools to ground yourself and unwind. Deep breathing, restorative yoga, meditation, art, reading, etc can all bring your body back down to a relaxed state. Find what works for you.
- RELAX and enjoy life ~ take time out your busy life to just enjoy being alive. Set time aside to just do nothing. Take a walk in nature. Try restorative yoga instead of your high intensity workout. Take a nap.
How would you rate your quality of sleep? How much sleep do you get a night? And what time do you usually go to bed?
This post was picked up by the elephant Journal last week. See article HERE
photos by: RelaxingMusic & Vvillamon, Alyssa L. Miller
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Rebecca says
June 3, 2013 at 10:47 pmThis is so hard. My cortisol levels spike at night and I cannot get enough sleep no matter what. Very hard to recover from adrenal fatigue when I am unable to sleep. My cortisol levels are very low during the day (still in the normal range) but spike at night.
I have been given some supplements to try helping — from my ND, but I am still unable to sleep past 7am, even on weekends. It is better than waking at 5:30 am every day (or earlier) like I am used to, so there is SOME improvement. And, I am sleeping more thoroughly during the night, but I wish I could be like my teen years when I was able to sleep in until noon if I wanted.
I don’t eat stimulants nor do I eat sugar. I am in bed and asleep by 10pm almost every night. There is always a meditation CD going on — sometimes I even use the binaural beat meditation CDs to put me into a Theta stage of deep sleep, with the headphones. But they don’t allow me to sleep past 7am!
Any recommendations? I need it! Thanks, glad I found your site.
Katja says
June 4, 2013 at 8:14 pmSounds like you are on the right track. I totally get it. I have the same issue. IF only I could sleep past 7am 🙂 What I have learned about this all (high cortisol levels) is that is is connected to metabolic rate. In order to address the issue, we have to look at how our bodies are functioning on a metabolic level. It means instead of taking a supplement (which can help in the short term) or focusing just on cortisol levels, we address nourishing our metabolic functions (how our body processes and uses energy.) Core body temperature is a good indicator of metabolic function (low temp=low metabolism.) I can point you in the direction of learning more. The best book I have read on the topic is NOURISHED METABOLISM. Elizabeth really breaks it down on how to look at the big picture. And how to increase our metabolic rate to improve our health. You can find the book here—-> https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=237114&c=ib&aff=250113
Matt Stone is also awesome. His big thing is increasing metabolic rate as well by balancing the fluid concentrations in the body. I am reading his book EAT FOR HEAT right now. He is a very well researched writer with some great ideas. Check him out here—-> http://180degreehealth.com/
If you want to chat more, please feel free to email me privately at savorylotus@gmail.com Hope that helps….
Sarah Rhee says
September 13, 2013 at 8:16 amI highly recommend Dr. Daniel Kalish, a pioneer in treating adrenal fatigue– he fixes the root cause of this widespread condition. He has written books and helped thousands of patients and trains other doctors in the Kalish Method.
Katja says
September 14, 2013 at 11:34 amI haven’t heard of him. Will have to check him out. Thanks.
Linda Ann says
June 7, 2013 at 2:29 amI have the exact same problem with my cortisol levels. I have days where I am in bed at a good time. But, since I have been living with pain for so long (many reasons) I just learned – this week – how lousy my quality of sleep was until I had my compression fractures in my back taken care of. I am working on my sleep. My water intake. And, soon, more exercise now I am able to move without pain!
Katja says
June 7, 2013 at 3:53 amI think it is a common problem these days. If you haven’t already, check out Matt Stone at 180DegreeHealth —–> http://180degreehealth.com/ He has some great things to say about it all. Especially hydration. Good to drink water but too much will leave you overhydrated and your electrolytes/minerals off balance which make the cortisol thing even worse. Good luck to you on your road to health.
Julie says
June 10, 2013 at 5:20 pmAlso, make sure the sleep you do get is not fractured by a sleep disturbance like snoring, apnea, or restless legs, etc.
Katja says
June 11, 2013 at 1:14 amyes….good advice.
B says
June 11, 2013 at 4:09 pmHow do you do that???
Katja says
June 11, 2013 at 7:49 pmAre you referring to the above comment? If so, I believe that what she meant was to explore underlying reasons for sleep disturbances and to create a quiet restfull environment. Did you have a specific question about a certain topic?