Sleeping Issues Tied to Low-T
Testosterone has a complex and
widespread affect on physiological function. Most people think of
Testosterone strictly as a hormone related to sexual function, but
Testosterone plays a role in a variety of other systems. One area
where Testosterone (or the lack of Testosterone) can have a major
impact is sleep.
Have You Been Having Trouble
Sleeping?
Many men report that, as they get
older, they start having more and more trouble sleeping. Have you
caught yourself laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, more often
than you'd like to admit? Do you wake up in the middle of the night,
unable to fall back asleep? This may actually be a symptom of
Testosterone Deficiency.
Testosterone and Sleep Quality
Low-T may not only affect your ability
to stay asleep, but the quality of your sleep as well. As we sleep,
the human body goes through different phases of sleep, all of which
are important.
What Are the Normal Sleep Phases?
There are five stages of sleep, all of
which are important to getting the most restful night possible. When
we first fall asleep we enter Stage-1, which is characterized by a
pattern of falling in and out of light sleep. During this phase, we
are most prone to waking, and also to being jolted awake by the
feeling of falling. During this phase, the muscles and the eyes are
still active, but minimally.
As we fall deeper into rest we enter
Stage-2, which is characterized by a combination of suppressed brain
activity combined with occasional flourishes of neuronal activity.
Stage-3 is comprised primarily of Delta Waves, the slowest rate at
which our brains operate under normal circumstances. The brief bursts
of activity from Stage-2 slow down, but remain far more active than
Delta Wave. During stage three, all muscle and eye movement ceases.
Stage-4 is the deepest form of sleep, and consists almost completely
of Delta-Wave activity.
The first two phases of sleep are
considered light sleep, whereas the latter phases are considered deep
sleep. There is fifth stage of sleep, which is incredibly important.
It is known as REM Sleep, REM an abbreviation for Rapid-Eye Movement.
The first half of the normal sleeping pattern is characterized by a
slow progression to deep sleep, while the latter half of the night is
a shift back and forth from REM Sleep and an increasingly lighter and
shorter reversal of the other four phases. REM Sleep is strongly
associated with memory and learning, and is the period in which we
dream.
Testosterone and Sleep Phases
Testosterone Production is tied
directly to sleep phases. Testosterone Levels during sleep peak
around the time that the first phase of REM-Sleep begins, and remain
elevated for the rest of the night under normal circumstances.
Testosterone Production ramps up as we enter stages three and four of
deep sleep.
If poor sleep prevents us from
sustaining deep sleep for a sufficient period of time, then
Testosterone Levels fall. As men enter their fifties and sixties,
sleep issues become more and more common. Recent research suggests
that Low Testosterone Levels may account for as many as one in five
men's sleep issues. The normal pattern of sleep is the result of a
complex interplay of cerebral and physiological sequences, and
Testosterone Deficiency impairs the body and mind's systems and
aspects from working together in appropriate synchronicity.
Testosterone and Insomnia
Another sleep-related condition which
impairs normal Testosterone Secretion is insomnia. Insomnia is a
condition where it is incredibly hard to fall asleep, leaving some
patients up all night, perhaps falling into occasional periods of
light, fitful sleep at best. Insomnia is a spectrum condition, with
some patients experiencing minor, occasional bouts, and others
struggling with the condition for days, months, years, or even their
entire life.
Testosterone Production is very
sensitive to periods of inadequate sleep. One study suggests that
even a single week of insomnia can impair Testosterone Production by
around 15%. Sometimes Insomnia is the result of poor sleeping habits,
other times it is the result of underlying physiological or
neurological issues. If you are worried about your Testosterone
Levels, it's important to take steps to improve your sleeping habits.
Some steps that you can take to improve your sleeping habits are to
avoid caffeine at night, install blackout curtains, turn the
television off in the bedroom, and simply have a more rigorous
bedtime. If insomnia isn't impacted by your efforts at improvement,
you should see a sleep specialist.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep Apnea is a
common condition in which your body doesn't get enough airflow while
you sleep. This can result in shallow breathing for some patients,
while others stop breathing for brief periods of time throughout the
night. The range at which breathing can pause varies due to the
severity of the Sleep Apnea and other factors. Breathing can stop for
simply moments at a time, or much longer periods of time, even
minutes. In severe cases, breathing can stop more than thirty times
each hour.
When oxygen
supplies drop to a certain level in the blood stream, the body
recognizes that its choking and reinitiates breathing with a start,
often associated with a choke or a snort. Sleep Apnea severely
impairs sleep quality, because it prevents the brain from naturally
moving along the normal pattern of sleep phases. As a result, Sleep
apnea often causes significant fatigue and exhaustion throughout the
day.
Testosterone and Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea's lengthy pauses in
breathing lead to repeated awakenings as the body struggles to
recover oxygen in order to stabilize its functions. Sleep
fragmentation leads to chronic sleep deprivation and excessive
daytime sleepiness, as well as other sleep disorders, like insomnia.
While we are sleeping, the brain and
body go into a total repair mode. It is while we sleep that our
bodies recover from the previous day and get us ready for the next
day. Sleep enhances functions from the cell to cell and from system
to system, providing us with energy and keeping us healthy.
One of the vitally important aspects of
sleep is hormone maintainence. The body releases the highest
quantities of many of the most important hormones while we are
asleep. Testosterone and Human Growth Hormone are primarily released
at night. The body releases the majority of its Testosterone while we
are in deep sleep. Sleep Apnea prevents deep sleep, causing
Testosterone Levels to plummet. Testosterone Levels drop as the day
proceeds to a close, and the body restores Testosterone back up to
peak levels as we sleep.
Testosterone Deficiency can also
contribute to sleep apnea. Patients with Low-T are more likely to be
overweight, and they are also more likely to have diminished muscle
mass, both of which can cause your airways to be impaired while you
sleep.
Sleep Apnea Treatment to Increase
Testosterone Levels
So Sleep Apnea and Testosterone
Deficiency combine to create a double-edged sword. Low-Testosterone
Levels make Sleep Apnea more common and more problematic, and Sleep
Apnea suppresses Testosterone Levels. Getting tested and treated for
Sleep Apnea is one way to help support healthy and normalized
Testosterone Production. There are breathing machines, breathing
masks, and other tools which can create air flow and prevent Sleep
Apnea. Some patients may even benefit from surgery.
Testosterone Replacement Therapy for
Better Sleep
As you can tell,
Testosterone plays a strong role in your ability to get healthy and
restful sleep. Testosterone Deficiency causes so many problems for
patients, and not enough men seek a Hormone Specialist that can get
them the Prescription Testosterone that they deserve. We are a
Licensed and Board Certified Hormone Clinic which operates in all
fifty states. If you believe that Testosterone Therapy can help
improve your life, we encourage you to contact us by phone or by form
to get in touch with one of our professionally trained Hormone
Doctors.
We also offer a
variety of other HRT Programs that may interest you, including Human
Growth Hormone Replacement Therapy, HCG Injections for Weight Loss,
Sermorelin Acetate HGH Booster, among others. If you have any
questions or comments, we look forward to hearing from you!
Want to learn more about low testosterone and treating it with TRT testosterone replacement therapy?
Want to learn more about low testosterone and treating it with TRT testosterone replacement therapy?
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