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00:00:00 Ever wonder what happens when you're asleep or think about why you even need sleep? A lot of people think that sleep is just this unconscious event, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Sleep is very much this active, critical, complex, and biological process that we need in order for our brains and bodies to function and thrive.
00:00:26 In fact, in certain stages of your sleep cycle, your brain is just as active as In fact, in certain stages of your sleep cycle, your brain is just as active as it is when you're awake. Sleep impacts every aspect of our health and well-being, including our physical health, our cognitive health, and our mental well-being. During the night, muscles and tissues get repaired, your immunity gets boosted,
00:00:50 and sleep helps regulate and balance your hormone levels. Sleep also contributes to your metabolic health, which refers to a person's Sleep also contributes to your metabolic health, which refers to a person's levels of blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight, and these factors directly relate to a person's risk for things like heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
00:01:12 Learning gets consolidated during sleep, and importantly, sleep is absolutely necessary for stress and overall emotional regulation. So how does this all relate to fertility? In a nutshell, you want your brain and body to be in an optimal state of health In a nutshell, you want your brain and body to be in an optimal state of health to conceive, and getting good quality sleep and getting enough sleep can help you get there.
00:01:37 On the other hand, not getting the sleep that you need may have a negative impact on fertility. While there is still a significant lack of research on the impact of sleep disorders on reproduction, there is growing evidence that indicates sleep may be essential to reproductive function in a number of direct and indirect ways. function in a number of direct and indirect ways.
00:02:03 For example, disrupted sleep patterns or insufficient sleep can interfere with hormone levels and other processes that are critical for fertility. We know that elevated stress levels and stress hormones, so things like cortisol, for example, can interfere with the secretion of reproductive hormones, and there is this really important bidirectional relationship between stress and sleep.
00:02:29 Sleep helps lower your levels of stress and anxiety, but stress can also Sleep helps lower your levels of stress and anxiety, but stress can also prevent you from sleeping. Poor sleep or chronic sleep deprivation can disrupt the menstrual cycle and lead to irregular ovulation, and not getting enough sleep can also contribute to weight gain and insulin
00:02:47 resistance, both of which can negatively affect fertility. For men, inadequate sleep can reduce sperm quality and lead to lower testosterone levels, and for both sexes, short sleep duration may lead to reduced libido, which can and for both sexes, short sleep duration may lead to reduced libido, which can decrease the likelihood of conception. Think about it.
00:03:08 If you're tired, stressed, and worn out, you're probably not as motivated to make a baby. If you're someone who is trouble sleeping at night or feeling energized during the day or are just looking at ways to optimize your sleep to help optimize your fertility outcomes, well, I have really good news for you. You can improve your sleep.
00:03:29 You can improve your sleep. As a former insomniac, I fixed mine, and as a sleep coach, I can help make your sleep better. Sleep is a modifiable behavior, meaning you can change it for the better through some really simple behavioral and lifestyle changes. Part of my job is to identify and address the imbalances that are impacting a person's
00:03:52 sleep, but I'm also a sleep educator. So, before my clients make any big changes, it's really important for them to So, before my clients make any big changes, it's really important for them to know the biological basics about how sleep happens. So, I want to share some of that info with you. What guides your sleep/wake cycle is something called your circadian rhythm and sleep drive,
00:04:14 or otherwise known as sleep pressure. You can think of your circadian rhythm as your body's master clock ticking away inside your brain on about a 24-hour cycle. This clock influences many biological processes in our body, like when we feel This clock influences many biological processes in our body, like when we feel hungrier full, your body temperature, heart rate, the release of hormones, and the sleep/wake
00:04:39 cycle. So, when you sleep and when you're awake. Now, your body loves having consistency and routine, and so if you do things like eat, sleep, move, and get the right amount of light at around the same time each day , that helps regulate and strengthen that internal body clock, which is key for sleep.
