08/26/2025
Sleep - Progesterone, Magnesium, & Melatonin. Quoting a good article here. More links in comments.
"How to sleep well
Because good sleep is essential to your health, it is worth doing all you can to maximise some much¬ needed downtime and let your brain work it’s magic while you sleep.
HRT
HRT is the first line treatment for symptoms of perimenopause and menopause [3]. By optimising your hormones you’ll treat the hormonal cause of your sleep disturbances plus reduce symptoms that might wake you up, for example, night sweats, stress and anxiety, or frequent urination. Women often notice they can fall asleep quicker and wake up during the night far fewer times (or even not at all). Testosterone can also often be beneficial for sleep.
A Newson Health study of 510 women – who had already been using HRT (transdermal oestrogen with or without a progestogen) – who were treated with transdermal body-identical testosterone for four months, found 21% of women reported an improvement in symptoms of feeling tired or lacking in energy [4].
Many women take micronised progesterone (Utrogestan) as the progestogen part of their HRT. Utrogestan is a natural sedative and is usually taken at night time, so can cause drowsiness for some women – an added bonus if you’re struggling to sleep.
RELATED: Utrogestan (micronised progesterone) explained
Magnesium
Magnesium is a very important mineral and is found in all of your tissues, especially your bones, muscles and brain. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the system responsible for getting you calm and relaxed to help prepare your body for sleep, and it also regulates the hormone melatonin, which guides sleep-¬wake cycles in your body.
A good-quality magnesium supplement with vitamin B can improve sleep, as well as lower stress levels. Drinking alcohol and coffee and experiencing stress can reduce your body’s ability to absorb magnesium."
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