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How Quality Sleep Will Increase Your Natural Fertility Level
The National Sleep Foundation has found through studies that sleep has a powerful influence on a woman’s reproductive hormonal system.
Sleep deprivation adversely affects your BMI, your mood, and your stress level. Your Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) level is directly affected by lack of sleep. Your FSH level should ideally be at its highest level just before you ovulate.
Let’s take a look into:
- Sleep and BMI
- Sleep and Mood
- Sleep and Stress
Women averaging 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night had a 20 percent higher FSH level than those who go 6 or fewer hours – regardless of age, BMI, mood, or stress level.
Bottom Line:
Enhancing your quantity and quality of sleep will increase your natural fertility level.
- Improve your BMI
- Improve your Mood
- Decrease your and stress level
Quality Sleep Will Increase Your Natural Fertility Level
To increase your natural fertility level, you must establish a healthy sleep pattern and get your circadian rhythm – and hormonal levels – in sync. Look: When a woman’s body is deprived of rest, she can experience weight gain, mood disorders, and increased stress levels. Why is this important? Adequate sleep will improve your natural fertility level. Women in their prime childbearing years (25 to 35) need 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep every night during a work week to sustain an optimum fertility level.
Sleep and BMI
A healthy adult Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 18.5 and 24.9. Look: A 2016 review of studies shows that not getting enough sleep leads women to consume an average of 385 more calories the next day.
Here’s the real story about women who don’t get enough sleep.
- They gain weight
- The make less healthy food choices
- They eat foods higher in fat
- They eat low protein foods
Over a five year period, women can gain 2.1 BMI points for every hour of sleep they lose. Why is this important? A two pound weight gain can easily throw a woman off of her healthy BMI.
The takeaway. Sleep is an important moderator of neuroendocrine function and glucose metabolism. Sleep loss alters metabolic and endocrine alterations.
Sleep and Mood
Your quantity and quality of nightly sleep is directly connected with your mood when you wake. It can’t be emphasized enough, chronic insomnia increases the risk of developing a mood disorder – especially depression and/or anxiety.
Sleep-related mood disorders can be self-corrected through a variety of methods.
- Improved sleep habits
- Behavioral interventions
- Sleep assessments
- Mood disorder assessments
Look: Every woman realizes that she is more vulnerable to certain emotions after a sleepless night.
- More irritable
- Short-tempered
- Stressed out
It’s pretty common to realize that once you’ve had a good night’s sleep, your mood becomes stabilized throughout the next day.
A Harvard Sleep Study confirms that sleep deprivation has a significant adverse effect on one’s mood. University of Pennsylvania researchers found that limiting sleep to 4.5 hours per night for one week causes:
- Stress
- Anger
- Sadness
- Mental exhaustion
That’s not all. Making it even more difficult to sleep, disruptions in mood increase:
- Anxiety
- Agitation
- Arousal
These affects make it difficult to get to sleep and rest comfortably because you are awake and alert. These abnormally exaggerated responses to stress make one suffer from sleep deprivation.
Sleep and Stress
Stress keeps us alert and energetic. Although stress is an innate force helping us to perform at top level in our daily activities, too much tension and anxiety can cause a person to experience sleep deprivation. Stress is a natural response to daily life.
Here’s the catch. Too much stress causes:
- Sleep deprivation
- Depression
- Tension
- Anxiety
- Lack of concentration
- Apathy
- Inadvertent mistakes
You must manage your stress to enhance your reproductive health and overall well-being. The amount of stress a woman experiences while undergoing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment can be determinative of pregnancy success or failure.
That’s not all. Research has shown that stress can reduce your chances of conceiving through IVF. Stress has been linked to an egg’s ability to be fertilized and an embryo’s ability to implant in a woman’s uterine lining. Studies have shown that women undergoing IVF with anxiety had fewer eggs retrieved and fewer embryos implanting successfully.
Bottom Line: Lessening stress levels will help to increase your chances of a successful IVF cycle.
Improving Fertility with Quality Sleep
The fertility specialists at New Hope Fertility NYC recommend some simple approaches to achieve quality sleep. These measures will help with relaxation at the desired time sleep is needed.
The take away:
- Maintain a comfortable sleep environment
- Encourage a balance of nutrition and exercise
Implement a strict sleep schedule and stick to it. The human body flourishes on routine. Having a regular schedule of when you fall asleep and awake will help your body regulate its internal clock. Designate a time you normally feel tired. Making a scheduled bed time will keep you from spending a lot of time struggling to fall asleep. Keep your sleep schedule consistent on the weekends and holidays.
- Maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule
- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine – these interfere with sleep
- Make your sleeping space comfortable
- Establish a calming pre-sleep routine – avoid stimulating news or entertainment
- Go to sleep when you are tired – don’t watch the clock and procrastinate rest
- Limit your light exposure in the evening – turn off the TV
- Limit eating and drinking before retiring to bed – let your stomach rest
- Exercise regularly – 30 minutes per day – but not before bedtime
More Helpful Resources to Increase Your Natural Fertility Level
It is important to work with a fertility doctor having the experience to accurately diagnose the root cause of your infertility. To schedule your initial consultation with Dr. John Zhang at New Hope Fertility Center in NYC – call 917.525.5496.
Cord Blood Awareness Month is Celebrated in July
Cord Blood Awareness Month in July is a movement spreading the word about the phenomenal powers of newborn stem cells found in a baby’s umbilical cord blood. Cord blood banking is the preservation of a newborn’s stem cells found in the blood of the umbilical cord and placenta. Parents can donate their baby’s cord blood to a public bank – or pay to have it stored in a private bank.
Cord Blood Transplants
Inherited blood disorders can be cured by cord blood transplants. This treatment has been used since 1988 to treat over 80 diseases – like sickle cell disease and thalassemia.
Over the past decade, there have been clinical trials underway to research the treatment of cerebral palsy and autism with cord blood therapies.
American Health Council
This movement is spirited by the American Health Council to spread the powers and possibilities of cord blood therapies to families, expectant parents, and healthcare professionals.
Stem cells found in cord blood are mainly used in the treatment of disease and tissue regeneration. Stem cells come from one of three sources:
- Cord blood
- Bone marrow
- Peripheral blood
World Renowned Fertility Specialist
Dr. John Zhang is an avid supporter of cord blood banking. The Doctor makes every effort to reach out to expectant parents under his care with useful facts and tips on why and how to save or donate their newborn’s cord blood for future medical uses.
To schedule your initial consultation with Dr. John Zhang – call 917.525.5496.
Dr. John Zhang: Featured Speaker at the Fortune Brainstorm Health Conference 2017
It is my distinct pleasure to be invited to partake in two panels at this year’s Fortune Brainstorm Health Conference in San Diego, CA. They focus on the biggest and brightest ideas in the digital healthcare revolution. I am privileged to sit with titans of health care, tech, telecom, and investment arenas to debate recent breakthroughs like our 3-Parent IVF technology and what impacts they may have moving forward.
Read more: Dr. John Zhang: Featured Speaker at the Fortune Brainstorm Health Conference 2017
Congratulations to Serena Williams
A big congratulations goes out from all of us at New Hope Fertility Center in New York to Serena Williams on her pregnancy announcement! A lot of public questions are being raised about her being pregnant and winning The US Open. But we are saying, don’t worry about it!
Here’s why:
New Hope Employee Corner: Thoughts about United Airlines
Even bad news has good lessons, and we are still hearing about United Airlines in the News.
It reminds us all to look at our practices and company interactions. Dr. Zhang asks in the morning meeting, “are we going to be a 2nd United Airline?” The answer is NO. United Airlines is employee centric, profit centric, and protocol centric. They are seemingly inflexible at the ground level, which, arguably is the most important place. And to be sure, a great company is made up of happy employees with good margins and a strong foundation of how things are done.
Read more: New Hope Employee Corner: Thoughts about United Airlines
Holiday Message from Dr. Zhang
As the year comes to an end, Dr. John Zhang have the following message to everyone:
Is Mini-IVF the next breakthrough in fertility treatments?
Life certainly is full of coincidences! I was just having a discussion with a colleague of my regarding a new, prestigious study that came out comparing MINI-IVF™ and Conventional IVF Techniques. Our discussion was centered around SART’s inclusion of MINI-IVF™ as a mainstream, reportable technique. This is great news, and FOX picked the story up too, so you can read along here.
Read more: Is Mini-IVF the next breakthrough in fertility treatments?
Why It’s Important To Choose a Fertility Doctor That Understands All Your Needs
Fertility struggles are among the hardest things a couple will have to deal with. Navigating treatment options can be difficult, especially when you’re not sure what treatment types are available. Selecting the right fertility doctor can help make this process easier and can increase the likelihood that you’ll become pregnant.
Read more: Why It’s Important To Choose a Fertility Doctor That Understands All Your Needs
Dr. Zhang’s Pick of the Month: NEW! Publication on the Reproductive Potential of Mature Oocytes after Conventional OHSS for IVF
One of my latest published works is currently featured in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. It analyzes the effectiveness of medication used in Conventional IVF based on the number of eggs produced and the number of successful pregnancies. The study involved 250 participants from ages 18 to 38 undergoing their first IVF treatment.
Pregnancy and Zika Virus: Prevention and Guidelines
In the middle of February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had issued guidelines for preventing the spread of the Zika virus. According to CDC, it is spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. The most common symptoms of Zika includes:Read more: Pregnancy and Zika Virus: Prevention and Guidelines
