how sleep affects your hormones [podcast 67] · defective hormones and sleep. and we'll put a...

How Sleep Affects Your Hormones [Podcast 67] © 2019 Steven Y. Park, MD

How Sleep Affects Your Hormones [Podcast 67]

Dr. Park’s Breathe Better, Sleep Better, Live Better Podcast

KathyPark: 00:16 WelcometoDr.Parksbreathebetter,sleepbetter,andlivebetterpodcast,whereourgoalistohelpyougetthesleepyouneedforthelifeyouwant.MynameisKathyPark,yourco-hostfortodayandI'mhereinthestudiowithmyhusband,Dr.StevenPark.HeySteve,howareyoudoingtoday?

Dr.Park: 00:33 I'mdoingwell.Thanks.Howaboutyou?

KathyPark: 00:35 Doingprettywellhere.Inourlastpodcast,Stevetalkedaboutwhynotsleepingwellcanaffectourabilitytoloseweightandkeepitoff.Andifyouhaven'tlistenedtothatyet,Ihighlyrecommendthatyoudo,especiallyifyou'retryingtoloseweightthissummerbecauseitcontainsinformationthat'sgoingtohelpyouturbo-chargeyourdietregimen.Butontoday'spodcastasafollow-uptothat,Steveisgoingtotalkaboutanotherissuethataffectshowwellwecanstaythin,happyandhealthy.SpecificallyonhowsleepdeprivationandOSAaffectourhormones.Now,Iknowthatwhenyouhearhormones,mostpeoplealmostinstantlythinkthatit'sallabout


menopausalwomen.Butletmeassureyouthathormonalimbalanceisaffectingallofus.Whetherornotyou'reaman,awoman,orevenifyou'reasmallchild,yes,evenchildrenarebeingaffected.Soifyou'refeelingalittlefat,fuzzyorfrazzled,thisisthepodcastyoudonotwanttomiss.Butbeforewebegin,Iwantedtoremindourlistenersthattheinformationyouheartodayisforgeneraleducationandinformationpurposesonlyandshouldnotberelieduponaspersonalmedicaladvice.Pleaseconsultyourdoctorbeforefollowinganyadviceorregimengivenontheshowasyourparticularcasemaybedifferentthantheonesgiven.Okay,Steve.Sowhydon'twestartoffbyhavingyouexplainwhyhormonalissuesarenotjustafemaleissue,butsomethingthat'saffectingeveryone,bothmenandwomen,andevenourchildreninthiscontemporarysocietythatwelivein.

Dr.Park: 02:25 Sure.Solet'sstartoffbydefiningwhatahormoneis.Ahormoneisachemicalthat'sproducedinyourbodybyvariousdifferentorgansthatsendssignalsthroughyourbloodstreamtoaffectadistantorgan,orpartofthebody.Soforexample,thebrainsendshormonestoyourovaries,yourtestes,yourpancreas.Soithastogothroughthebloodstreamasopposedtothenervoussysteminformation,butthenervesensinggoestotheorganstomakecertainchemicalstoo,sothat'sdifferentthananervoussystemconnectionversushormones.Allright,obviouslyallofushavehormonestoliveproperlyandyouneedtherightbalanceofhormones.Andwehaveliterallydozensifnothundredsofdifferenthormones.Andthemostpopularonesareinsulin,growthhormone,testosterone,estrogen,thyroid


hormone,theonesthatyouhearaboutinthemedia.Buttherearelotsofotherhormonesthatyoudon'treallyhearaboutthatoften,likeatrialnatriureticpeptide,prolactin,thosekindsofthingstoo.Butyourbodyisinthisreallyintricatestateof,it'skindoflikea,likeasymphony,right?Right.It'ssodelicateandfinetuned.Anylittlelikeinstrumentthat'sofftuneandyourbody'sgoingtofeelit.

KathyPark: 03:48 Andyou'veidentifiedninespecifichormonesthatareaffectedbylackofsleepbecausethat'swhatyouspecificallyseedayinanddayoutinyourpractice.AndhowthesleepbreathingproblemslikeOSAandUARSareaffectingourhormonebalance.Right.

Dr.Park: 04:06 Right.ActuallyIgotenlightenedonthistopic,whenIfirstreadDr.Robert'sSapolsky'sbook,WhyZebrasDon'tGetUlcers.Andittalkedabouthowanykindofstress,physiologic,psychologicaloremotionalstresscausesmajorhormonalimbalances.Soitlowersyourthyroidhormones,yourstresshormonesgoup,reproductivehormonesgodown,andhasthiscascadingeffectonyourhealthandwellness.

KathyPark: 04:32 OK.

Dr.Park: 04:33 Soifyouextrapolatethatconcepttowhathappensinsleepapneaandsleepbreathingdisorders,bydefinition,you'regoingtohaveahormonedisturbance.Nowonapractical..

KathyPark: 04:45 Ifwe'renotsleepingwellbecausewe'renotbreathingwellatnight.Okay.


Dr.Park: 04:48 Andonapracticallevel,wehadaninterviewwithDr.RichardShames,afewyearsagoabout,defectivehormonesandsleep.Andwe'llputalinkontheshownotesforthatinterviewaswell.AndhisbookiscalledFeelingFat,FuzzyorFrazzled,whichisvery,appropriatetoourtopictoday.

KathyPark: 05:08 Yup.Andinthepastyou'vealsoidentifiedninespecifichormonesthatarebeingaffectedbylackofsleepandsleepbreathingproblemslikeOSAandUARS.Canyougothroughnineofthoseandwhatspecifically,whatfunctiontheyhaveonthehormones.

Dr.Park: 05:27 Ifyouhavesleepapneaorupperairwayresistancesyndrome,bydefinition,yourbodyisgoingtobeunderstressandthat'sgoingtocausethiscascadeofhormonalchangesandessentiallyalmosteveryhormoneyourbody'sgoingtobeaffecteddirectlyorindirectly.Butthemostcommonones,I'mgoingtolisttheseoutreallyquicklyhere,there'sastronglinkbetweensleepdeprivationandthyroidfunction.Sopoorsleeporlackofsleeplowersyourthyroidhormonesanditactscentrallyinyourbrainsothatthere'ssomethingcalledathyroidstimulatinghormone,TSH,andalsothehormonesbeforethatinsideofthebrainthatmakeTSHgetsaltered.Sothat'swhywhenyouhave,um,hypothyroidism,lackofthyroidhormones,theningeneral,you'regoingtogainweight.

KathyPark: 06:19 Right.WhichIpersonallyhaveexperienced.

Dr.Park: 06:24 AndalsoImentionedbeforethatanydegreeofstresswillloweryourreproductiveorgans.Soagain,whenyou'reinafightorifyou'rerunning


fromatiger,thelastthingyouwanttodoistohavesexandreproduce.Sobydefinition,yoursexhormoneswillgodown,estrogen,testosterone,notjustthehormonesmadebytheovariesandtestes,buthormonestosendfromyourbraintomakethehormones,um,toproducehormonesinyour,inyourreproductiveorgans.

KathyPark: 06:51 Okay.Sopoorsleepaffectsthyroidhormonesandalsoestrogenandtestosterone.Okay.Anythingelse?

Dr.Park: 07:00 Andwhenyou'restressed,bydefinition,youradrenalinegoesup,right?Socortisol,whichisahormonethat'syourmajor,stresshormonegoesupandthatisalsogoingtoaffectotherhormones.Um,soallthehormonesbasicallyaffect,um,otherhormonesaswell.

KathyPark: 07:21 Okay.Causetheyworkintandem,right?

Dr.Park: 07:23 Yeah.Andalsocortisolis...oneofthethingsaboutcortisolisthatit'scontrolledbyyourcircadianrhythm.Soit'sreallynotthatmuchaffectedbyyoursleeppatterns,butit'smoreeffectivebyyourcircadianrhythm.Soit'sgoingtobehighestwhenyoufirstwakeupanditgoeslowerthroughouttheday,butnotsleepingwell,byincreasingyourstresshormones,stresslevels,willtendtoincreasedcortisolingeneral.

KathyPark: 07:49 Isee.Okay.Whatabout,that'sone,two,three.Whataboutthefourth?

Dr.Park: 07:56 Melatoninisaverywellknownhormoneandit'smadeinthepinealglandinthe,inthebackofyourbrainandit'sactuallyaffectedbylight.Lightinhumanssuppressesmelatonin.Alittlefactoidin


ratsandmice—it'sareverse.Itstimulatesmelatonin.That'swhythey'renocturnalandwefunctionduringthedaytime.

KathyPark: 08:19 Oh,interesting.Doallnocturnalanimalsfunctionallikethat?

Dr.Park: 08:23 I'mnotsureaboutthat.Probablyisbecausethisresearchisbasedonmice.

KathyPark: 08:28 Sowhilewesleepthemiceareatplay.Okay.

Dr.Park: 08:31 So,lightasamajor,suppressantformelatonin.That'swhywhenyouuselightatnight,it'ssuppressesmelatonin.Soit'shardtofallasleep.Andalsogoingbacktothewholestressresponse,I'vementionedthismanytimesinthepast,thatthepathwaythatproducesmelatoningoesfromyoureyetotheretina,tothehypothalamus,downtothespinalcord,anareacalledthesuperiorcervicalganglion,anditgoesbackuptothebraintothepinealgland.Andso,thesuperiorcervicalganglionispartofyoursympatheticnervoussystem.Soifyouhaveanykindofmedicationthatsuppressesyoursympatheticnervoussystem,likethebloodpressuremedications,it'sgoingtoloweryourmelatoninlevels.

KathyPark: 09:21 Melatoniniswhathelpsussleepbetter,right?

Dr.Park: 09:24 It'soneofthemanysleephormones,butit'samajor,majorone.Helpsustofallasleep.Anditstartstogouplongbeforeyoufallasleep,itrisesabouttwohoursbeforeyoufallasleep.Sothat'swhyItakingmelatoninjustbeforeyoufallasleepisnotgoingtobethathelpful.


KathyPark: 09:39 Isee,okay,sosleepaffectsthosefour.Whataboutthefifth?

Dr.Park: 09:47 Nowwe'vetalkedaboutthisinthepastandthisisrelatedtoupperairwayresistancesyndromeorUARS.Nowthere'sbeenacoupleofpaperswrittenaboutthisbyDr.DebWardley,We'llhaveacoupleoflinksontheshownotesaboutthat.BasicallyshepulledtogetherallthesestudiesandresearchshowingthatwhenyouhaveupperairwayresistancesyndromeofUARS,thisisaconditionwhereyoustopbreathingalot,butyoudon'thaveapneaonthesleepstudy,

KathyPark: 10:11 Youdon'tstopbreathinglongenough,right?

Dr.Park: 10:14 Lotsofpartialobstructionsorfullobstructionswitharousals,theyarenot10secondsorlongertobeclassifiedasanapneaorhypopnea.

KathyPark: 10:22 Yeah,butit'sprettysignificanttoyoursleep.

Dr.Park: 10:24 Soyoudon'thavelackofoxygen,butyouhaveinterruptedbreathingandsleep.Butintheprocess,andthishappenswithsleepapneapatientstoo,becausewhenyoustopbreathing,youstretchyourheart.Theheartthinksthatthere'stoomuchbloodcomingintotheheart.Soitmakesahormonecalledatrialnatriureticpeptidethatgoesyourkidneystomakeyouurinatemore

KathyPark: 10:44 ANP.

Dr.Park: 10:45 ANP,right.Andsothat'swhyalotofpeoplewhohavesleepbreathingproblemswakeuptogotothebathroomatnight.Soingeneral,beforeyouthinkaboutenlargedprostatesformenorbladder


problemsforwomen,thinkaboutasleepbreathingproblem.They'veshownthatnocturiaornighttimeurinationcanbeasgoodofapredictorforsleepapneaassnoring.

KathyPark: 11:05 Really?Okay.Soifyou'renotsleepingwell,thinkaboutANP.Ififyouhave,ifyou'reurinatingmoreoftenthannotatnight,

Dr.Park: 11:15 Right,andevenduringthedaytime,theyfoundthatincreasedfrequencyofurinationisalsoassociatedaswellbecauseeverythinggetsalittlebitmoreirritable,andmoresensitive.

KathyPark: 11:27 Allright,sowhat'sthenexthormone?

Dr.Park: 11:29 Andthisisahugeissuewiththeobesityepidemic.Insulin.Soinsulinisahormonethatsignalsyourcellstoabsorbglucoseandstoresthemasfat.Sothisdependsonifyouhavesleepdeprivationthat'sgoingtoincreaseyourdriveforsugaryfattyfoods.Soinsulinlevelsgoupbecausehadthisgushofsugarorglucoseinyourbloodstream.

KathyPark: 11:57 Andthiscouldjeopardizeyourchancesoflosingweightnomatterhowmuchyouexerciseanddiet,right?

Dr.Park: 12:02 ThisgoeshandinhandwiththenextcombinationofhormoneslikeGrehlinandLeptin.Leptinisyourappetitesuppressantorsatietyhormone,meaningthatyoufeellikeyou'vehadenoughfood,orglucose,andthat'smadeinyourfatcells,whereasGhrelinismadeinyourstomach,that'sbasicallythehormoneforhunger.AndIfyousleepdepriveyourself,thenyourleptingoesdownandGhrelingoesup.


KathyPark: 12:28 SoIcouldjustimaginethis,allthesehormonesareaffectingallofus,notjustwomen,right?Anditdoesn'tjusthappenduringmenopausalyears,obviously.Sothisisbeingaffectedifwe'renotallofus,ifwe'renotgettingenoughsleepandifwe'renotgettingqualitysleep,asyoumentionedaboutUARSandOSAconditions,okay.Sowhatisthenexthormonethat'saffected?

Dr.Park: 12:53 Thisactually...thenameofthishormoneisnotnamedahormone.It's,it'savitamin.Andwetalkedaboutthismultipletimesinthepast.VitaminD,whichisactuallyahormone.Okay.Um,andthismadeby,uh,byyourkidneys,um,andyourskin.Um,youhaveprecursorsofvitaminDthat'sconvertedbylight,um,andthekidneysandlivertosomedegree.Okay.Um,andsothisisahormonethataffectseverypartofyourbody,includingyourbrain,yourbones,yourgut,yourskin,everything.Andso,unfortunately,Iseethisallthetimeinmypractice.MostofthepatientsIseeareseverelydeficientinvitaminD.

KathyPark: 13:34 Sowe'renottalkingaboutvitaminDlikecalciumthatwegetfrommilk.We'retalkingaboutlightinducedDHA.

Dr.Park: 13:41 Well,it's,it'sthe,um,it'stheprecursortoVitaminD.ThatyouhavetoingesttogetconvertedintotheactiveformofvitaminDthatconvertsintoahormone.

KathyPark: 13:50 Isee.Okay.

Dr.Park: 13:52 Andthat's,andthereasonforthisisthatwehaveverylimitedsunlightexposure,becausemostofusworkindoors.Andwecoverourselvesbecausewe


thinkwe'regoingtogetskincancer.Butyoucouldprobablyarguethatnotgettingenoughsunlightoverallmaygiveyouahigherriskofgettingcanceroverallasopposedtoyourlowerriskofskincancer.

KathyPark: 14:13 Right.Becauseyou'reimmuno-compromisingyourself.

Dr.Park: 14:16 There'ssomecancersuppressingpropertiestovitaminD.

KathyPark: 14:21 AndIthinkthatyoudidapodcastwithDr.Gominik.

Dr.Park: 14:26 Thatwasactuallyoneofthemostpopularpodcaststhatwe'vedoneinthepastcoupleofyears,

KathyPark: 14:29 ...onvitaminDandalltheeffectsthatit'shavingonourbodies

Dr.Park: 14:33 ...andinteractionwithalltheBvitaminsinthegutandthegutbiome.It'sareally,reallyfascinatingdiscussionthatwehad.

KathyPark: 14:41 Yeah.Um,whatisthelasthormonethatgetsaffectedthatyou'regoingtotalkabouttoday?

Dr.Park: 14:47 Thisisahormonespecific...thisisalittlebitdifferentinmenversuswomen...growthhormone.

KathyPark: 14:53 Yeah.

Dr.Park: 14:53 Andnotjusttomakeyougrow,buthasbeneficialeffectsineverypartofyourbody.


KathyPark: 14:57 Hair.

Dr.Park: 15:01 Andsowithmen,typicallyit'ssecretedmostwhenyou'reindeepsleep,slowwavesleep,whichistypicallyhighestlevelintheearlierpartofthenight.AndthatgetsshorterandshorterwitheachsleepcycleasREMsleepgetslongerandlonger.Butinwomenitactually,itcomesinspurtsthroughouttheday.It'salittlebitmorespreadout.Whereaswithmen,it'smoreconcentratedinslowwavesleep.Butyouneeditforeverythingtoworkproperly.

KathyPark: 15:28 Wouldyousaythatthisalsoaffectsourrepairsystematnight?

Dr.Park: 15:34 Yeah,it'spartoftheimmunesystemrepair,restorativesleep.Um,allthesehormones,they'renotjust....unfortunatelywehavethese...welinkahormonewithjustonefunction,likegrowthhormonemakeyougrow...toomuchinsulinmakesyoufat.Buteachofthesehormoneshavemultiplefunctionsthat'snoteventalkedabout.

KathyPark: 15:55 Right.Wefocusonthemostsignificantfactorandthenwekindofignoretherest.Butyou'resayingthatalloftheseninehormonesthatyoujustlisted,theyallinteractwithoneanother.Poorsleepjustwreakshavoc,onhowtheywork.

Dr.Park: 16:10 Islikethatdeliphenomenon.Rememberthatdeliphenomenonwhereyouorderasandwichwithfivedifferentingredients,andtheyonlygetthefirstone,right.

KathyPark: 16:22 Yeah,Ihadthathappenmany,manytimes.Sowehavetothinkaboutallofthesedifferent


hormonesthatareaffectingusandnotjustonepickoneandworkonthat,inotherwords.

Dr.Park: 16:32 Andalso,unfortunatelywegetlabeledasdeficientinoneoftheseconditions.Sohyperthyroidism.SoalotofpeoplewillsayI'mhyperthyroid.Um,soitwaslikesayingIhavechronicfatiguesyndromeorLymedisease.WellI'manemic,butthatdoesn'tdefineyouasaperson.It'sjustoneoutofathousanddifferentthingsthat'soutofbalance.

KathyPark: 16:54 AndIthinkthat'sareallyimportantpointforourlistenerstothinkaboutbecauseIrememberIwentdownarabbitholewhenmydoctordiagnosedmewithhyperthyroidismwhenIwasinwhenIwas18,andthenthateventuallybecamehypothyroidism.SoeverythinginmylifeandmyhealthjustrevolvedaroundtheseconditionsandIdideverythingtoregulatethat.SoofcourseIwastakingmedications,butlittledidIrealizethatitwasaffectingmy,um,myreproductivehormones.AndsoIhadtobeonbirthcontrolpills,whichwetalkedaboutinthepreviouspodcastsaboutthemedicationsthatareharmingus.AndthatinturnaffectedthewayIgainedweightandmyinsulinlevels,mycortisollevels,everythingjustwenthaywire.Andsoit'snotjustaboutcontrollingyourthyroidhormones,it'saboutreallyalifestyleissue.Thinkingaboutyourbodyasawholeandjusttreatingitasifyouhavetogetitinbalanceandhowitfunctionsnaturally.Right,right.Andsleepseverelyaffectsallofthesehormonesthatareworkinginourbodies.Okay.Sowhatcanthoseofusdowhoarenotreallygettinggoodsleep?Whataresomethingsthatyourecommend?


Dr.Park: 18:19 Now,unfortunatelyI'mnotgoingtogiveyoutheonesolutionorcureorasupplementthat'sgoingtotakecareofallyourhealthproblems.

KathyPark: 18:25 Oh,you'renot?Youjustlostallofourlisteners.They'rejustleaving.They'regoingoutthedoorcausetheydon'twanttolistenanymore.Forgetyou.Okay.Sowhatarethey?

Dr.Park: 18:36 There'salonglistofthingsandjustbearwithmehere.

KathyPark: 18:38 Okay.

Dr.Park: 18:39 We'vecoveredmanyofthesetopicsinthepastcoupleofpodcasts.Numberone,andthis,thisisthebeginningorthestartofyourwholelifestylechange,whichisthenaturalsupplementsandfoodstosupportyourhormones.

KathyPark: 18:53 Yes.

Dr.Park: 18:54 There'ssomuchresourcesoutthereonthesewaysofsupportingyour,yourhormonesinahealthywaythat'snatural,

KathyPark: 19:01 Right.

Dr.Park: 19:02 Andtrytoavoidprescriptionmedicationsingeneralbecausetheseprescriptionmedicationsarenotnaturaltoyourbody,justliketoxins,right?


KathyPark: 19:12 Andthere'scertain,forexample,there'scertainthyroidmedicationsthataremorelikehumanhormones,butum,sometimestheyhaveother


addedmaterialsalso.So,howyoueatisprobablythemostimportantthingtostartwith.


Dr.Park: 19:28 Thisisbesidesbreathingproperly,wecoveredthatinourlastpodcast...


Dr.Park: 19:32 Andaddressinganysleepapnea,UARSissues.Butwhatwe'retalkingabouthereiscomplimenttheformalmedicaltreatmentoptions,uh,byoptimizingyourhealth,byeatinghealthy,okay.AndasaresultoftheseissueswetalkedaboutwiththatDominicGutbiome,thebacteriaanditsabilitytosynthesizeproteinsandvitaminabsorptionandcalciumabsorptionisreally,reallydiminishedasaresultofthis.Soyou'regoingtohavenutritionalimbalances,vitamindeficiencies,Vikiguideforexample,causeyouhavemoreinflammation.Andsothat'swhyyoureallyhaveto,um,weevaluatewhatyou'reeating,whatkindofstuffareyouputtingintoyourbody?Andthat'llhelpwithsleeptoo.Yeah.Ohyeah.Right.Andyoudon'tsleepwellifyoueatgluten.Right?

Speaker3: 20:19 No,absolutely.Andeventhoughitmakesmeexhausted,Ijustcan'tseeandstayasleep.Right?Yup.Anythingelsethatpeoplecando?

Dr.Park: 20:27 Thisisarecommendationthat’sprettycommonlymade,inholisticfields,especiallyforperipreorperimenopausalwomen,istousebioidenticalhormones.Andparticularlybioidenticalprogesteroneincommonlyrecommended.Andsomewomendoitbeforetheirperiods,forPMSsymptoms,uh,butforpostmenopausewomen,


theycandoitthroughout.Andprogesteroneisaninterestinghormone.It'sarespiratorystimulant.Itactuallydrivesbreathingandrespiration.Sobeforeyourperiodsprogesteronedrops,soyourtonguemusclesgetweaker,morerelaxed,butthenitgoesbackupagainafteryourperiods.Sothisisanormalcyclethatallwomengothrough.Butduringmenopause,duringyourlatethirties,earlyforties,that'swhenitstartstodropslowly.Whereasestrogendoesn'tdropuntilmuchlater.

KathyPark: 21:17 OK.

Dr.Park: 21:24 Sothat'soneofthereasonswhywomeningeneraltheirsleepqualitygoesdownslowlyintheperimenopausalyears.Andalsoifyoudon'tsleepwell,yougainalittleweightandthataddstothewholesleepbreathingproblemtoo.

KathyPark: 21:29 Soaddingalittlebitofbioidenticalhormonesperaphysician-guidedapproachwouldbeonewaytokindof,

Dr.Park: 21:37 alongwithpropernutrition

KathyPark: 21:40 Right,wouldhelpbalanceourhormonalimbalances.Okay.Anythingelsethatwouldhelp?

Dr.Park: 21:48 Alotofwomenaregivenhormonereplacementtherapy.Iknowthere'salotofcontroversyaboutthat.Um,Ithinkthejury'sstilloutastowhatthemostidealhormoneis.Butwehadcoveredthisinourlastpodcastacoupleofpodcastsago.Youknow,ideally,youdon'twanttotakethesemedicationsbecauseit'snotnaturaltoyourbody.Um,butthisisstill,youknow,standardofcareinthiscountryandmillionsofwomenaretakingit.Butunfortunatelyit'sreallyhardto,removethese


medicationsbecausesomanywomenhave,youknow,alloftheseproblemsnow,partiallybecauseofourdiets,partiallybecauseofourbreathingissues,becauseofourlifestylesandit'sreally,reallyhardtopullawayfromthesemedications,includingthehighbloodpressuremedications,cholesterolmedications,alldiabetes,um,psychiatricmedications.SoIkindathinkofthesehormones,synthetichormonesasjustanothervariationofthesebloodpressure,cholesterolmedications.

KathyPark: 22:49 Soit'salastresorttobalancingoutyourhormones.Imean,ifthisiswhat'snecessarytoatleastgetajumpstartonyourwaytohavebetterhealthandbettersleep,thenyou'resayingthatthat'soneofthepros.Itcanhelpyoudothat,buttrynottogothatrouteifpossible.Foodasmedicine,right?Andusingmaybebioidenticalhormonesasanotherapproach.Butthereare,likeyousaid,thereareinformationoutthere.Youjusthavetogoaheadanddotheresearchandreaduponitandfindoutpersonallywhatwouldworkbestforyouandtakethatapproach.Okay.Anythingelsethatwouldhelpusbalanceoutourhormones?

Dr.Park: 23:35 Sowetalkedaboutthisinthepodcastwedidontoxins.Rememberthattoxins,manyofthetoxicsubstancesthatwereexposedtomimicestrogen.AndIthinkthere'sahugeproblemwiththeBPAs,phtalates.It'seffect,it'sinourfoodsupply.It'sinourwatersupply,plastics,ourcashregisterreceipts.Andsoifyouhavetoomuchestrogen,thisisnotregularestrogen,thisissyntheticestrogen.Soitstimulatesyourestrogenreceptors.


Andthat'swhyagain,girlsaredevelopingbreastsmuchearliernowthan20yearsago.

KathyPark: 24:10 Soyeah,aswementioned,thisisnotjustanissuethat'sisolatedtomenopausalwomen,right?Butthisisaffectingallofus,evenourchildren.Right?

Dr.Park: 24:19 Andsojusttakethestepsthatweoutlinedinourpastpodcaststominimizeexposure.Youcan'tgetridofitcompletely,buttrytominimizeexposuretothese,um,toxicsubstancesinyourenvironment.Andyourfood.

KathyPark: 24:32 Okay.Andjustalittlebitofasidenotetothisisthatourpediatriciansarejustamazedathowwellourchildrenaregrowing.AndIhavetosay,Idoseriouslybelieveit'sbecausetheysleepwell.Imean,comparedtosomeoftheirpeerswhoonlysleepmaybeatmostfourhoursanight.Imean,twohoursisagiven,um,forhighschoolkids.Andthat'swhatoursontellsusallthetime,thathisfriendsarestayingupuntil2:00AMandthey'llwakeupatsixinordertogetreadyforschool.Andthesamethingishappeningwithour10yearold'sclassmates.Right,right.They'renotgoingtobeduntiloneortwoandthat'sthenorm.There'ssomethingwrongwiththat.AndI,Iseeit,seeevidenceofthat.Ifourkids,andwe'retalkingaboutAsianshere,ifourkidstendtobetallerandhealthierthanmostofthekidsintheirclasseswhocomefromfarbettergeneticprofilesforgrowth.Right?Um,Ithinkthere'ssomethinggoingon,youknow,andIthinkthatsleephasalottodowithitbecausewe'veenforecedgoodsleephabitsandourfamily,right?


Dr.Park: 25:45 Soit'snotjustthetoxinsandexposuretobutyourhabitsandtoprioritizesleep.ActuallyletmeputapluginforDr.Trasande'sinterviewendocrinedisruptorsandchildren.

KathyPark: 25:56 Yes,thatwasanincredibleinterview.Um,hisbookiscalledSicker,fatter,Poorer,andwe'llhavealinkintheshownotestothat.Um,it'sareally,reallyincrediblereadbecauseitwillbeeyeopeningforalotofparents,especiallyifyouhaveyoungchildren.It'samustread.Youmustreadhisresearch.Imean,Iwasjustbowledover.IthoughtIknewalittlebitaboutthistopicofendocrinedisruptors,buthejustgoesintofulldetail.He'sdoneconsiderableresearchinthisareatoo.Right?Okay.Sowhat'sthenexthormonethatgetsaffected?Um,whenwedon'tsleep?

Dr.Park: 26:35 Well,wementionedthisbefore,howmelatoninisaffectedbyhowmuchlightyou'reexposedto.Soit'sfunny,wehavetoomuchlighterandtoolittlelight,right?Sowespendnotenoughtimeoutdoorsduringsunlighthours,butwespendindoorswhenitshouldbedark.Wehavetoomuchlightshiningintooureyes.Soit'slikethiswarpedcatch22,Idon'tknowhowwouldyoucallit,butit'saffectingoursleepbecauseofthese...everythingisflipflopped.

KathyPark: 27:03 Itis.Sodoyouhaveanyotherresourcestosuggestourlistenersonhowtheycancombatthesehormonalimbalancesandnowthattheyknowthatsleepdoesaffectourhormones,anythingelsethattheycanlookinto?


Dr.Park: 27:18 Well,firstofall,letmejustplugmybookbecauseyouhavetobebreathingwelltosleepwell,right?SomybookSleepInterrupted,it'sonAmazon.

KathyPark: 27:27 Ifyouhaven'treadthatyet,andit'savailableonaudibletothoseofyouwhowouldprefertolistentoit.It'savailableinmostofthe...IthinklasttimeyoucheckeditwasavailableonHoopla,whichisadigitalservicefromthelibraries,andit'savailableonAudible,AmazonandKindle.Okay.

Dr.Park: 27:49 SothereareacoupleofbooksI'mgoingtorecommend.We'vehadsomeoftheseauthorsonourshow.Dr.Mao'sbook,SecondSpring.I'llputitagain,linktotheshownotes.

KathyPark: 28:01 Whichisreallygearedtohelpmenopausalwomen,right?Toexperiencebetterhealthintheirmenopausalyears.Right?Okay.

Dr.Park: 28:08 AndthenDr.ChristianeNorthruphasanumberofbooksforwomen,goingthroughtheirperimenopausalyearsalso.Sheisalsotheonethatendorsedmybookonmycover.

KathyPark: 28:20 Right.AndIalsowantedtoaddonemorebooktothisespecially,right.Okay?Forthewomenwhoarelisteningtotheshow,evenifyou'renotmenopausal,likeyou'repremenopausalagebetweentheagesof20tomaybe45,50,.Ireadthisbookawhileback,it'scalledTheWomanCodebyAlyssaVitti.Idon'tknowifI'mpronouncingherlastnamecorrectly,butit'sagreatbookthatgivesyouaprimeronawoman'sbodyandhowhernaturalcyclesinteractwithherhormones,withhersleepandwithherfertilityissues,whateverissuesthatyouhave,health


issues.She,shecorrectedPCOSwithfoodandlifestylechangesandthat'sallshedidwithoutmedications.Andherdoctorswerejustflooredbecauseshehadbeensufferingwiththisforyears.Andjustbychangingthewaythatshelivedandwhatsheate,shewasabletoovercomethisandhaveachildnaturally.Anditwasincredible.NotonlythatIthinkalotofuswomen,especiallyincontemporarysociety,wetendtodefertophysicianstogiveusinformationandwisdomabouthowourbodiesarechangingandourhormonesare,inkindofinafluxeverymonth,right.ButIthinkshegoesintosomuchmoredetailandgivesusabetterunderstandingofourbodiesandhowitworksasopposedtomostoftheadvicethatIgotfrommyphysiciansisIwasgrowingup.Imeanitwasjustbasically,oh,youhaveamenstrualcycleandhere,here'sapillifyouneedit.Andthatwasprettymuchit.Itwasprettycutanddry.Right?AndIdon'tthink...itusedtobeintheoldergenerations,Ithinkwomenpassedonthiswisdomfromagetoage,right?Fromchildtochildandsoforth.Butthesedaysit'ssortoflike,okay,gotoadoctorandfindoutthatinformation,butnobodyisreallytalkingaboutitthewaythatshedoes.SoIthinkthat'sagreatbook.IfyouwantagoodprimertostartwithbeforeyougointoNorthrup'sbook,beforeyoupickupSecondSpring,everythingelsewillmakemuchmorebettersensetoyou,Ithink.AndevenSleepInterrupted,yourbook.Especiallyifyou'reawoman.Okay.Soanyotherresourcesthatyouthinkourlistenerscangotoifthey'rehaving,ifthey'reexperiencinghormonalimbalance?

Dr.Park: 30:52 Ithinkwhatyoujusttalkedaboutisanexcellentthingtobringupthat,thatevenmengothrough


cycles.Right?Right.Wehavedifferentstagesinourlivesandyoukindofhavetogowiththeflow.Excusethepun.Justhavetojustfollowtherhythmsofyourlifeasyou'rechanging.

KathyPark: 31:11 Yeah.Notfightit.

Dr.Park: 31:11 Right,right.Andassumingthatasamodernculturewetriedtofightagainst.Butalongwiththatcomesreally,reallymakinganefforttoeathealthy.Imean,Ican'temphasizethat,that'stheonethingthat'sreally,reallychangedourhealth,forthebetter.Yeah.Thatwasnumbertwoaftersleep.Andum,soeatinghealthy,whichalsomeans

KathyPark: 31:35 youcan'teatlikea16yearoldinotherwords.Yeah.AndIthinkthatyousufferforitifyoudo.AndIthinkalotofmentendtoeatlikethey're17,18yearsoldstill,right?Partyallnight,drink?Yeah.ButIthink,wellIthinkI'mgeneralizinghere,butyes,ingeneral.Yeah.

Dr.Park: 31:57 Andalongwiththatcomes,um,wejokedaboutthisinthepastthatwe'retakingallthesesupplementsandvitaminsthatwemadefunofourparentsfordoing,butwe'redoingitnow

KathyPark: 32:08 causewerealizehowimportantitisatthisageandthisdifferentseasonoflife,differentneeds.Right.Right.Andmaybewe'llbedoingsomethingdifferentwhenwe're10yearsfromnow.Right?Yup.Whoknows?

Dr.Park: 32:21 Andanotherimportanttipisnotto,it'snotasupplement,butit'sawayofeliminatingcausesofstress,whichistoomuchmedia.


KathyPark: 32:32 Ohyeah.

Dr.Park: 32:34 AfterwegotridofourTVs,thatwasthebestdecisionwemadeacoupleofyearsago.

KathyPark: 32:39 Yes.Whenwedecidedtodoawaywithourcable,thatwasnotonlybeneficialtoourhealthandourmentalhealthandjustthepeaceandcalmthatwecreatedinourfamilyasaresult.ButIthinkthatalsohelpeduscutdownonsomeofourbills.Right?Soitwasagoodfinancialdecision.

Dr.Park: 33:00 Right.

KathyPark: 33:00 Butitwasalsoaveryhealthydecisiontoo.

Dr.Park: 33:04 Thisalsoinvlvessurfingthenet,checkingemaillateatnight,checkingemailwhenyoufirstwakeupinthemorning.

KathyPark: 33:10 Wellyeah,obviouslywecan'tgetridofInternetcausethat'spartofourlivesnow.

Dr.Park: 33:14 Youhavetocontrolit,nothaveitcontrolyou.

KathyPark: 33:17 Right.Putupdifferentdefenses.Okay.

Dr.Park: 33:20 Lotsofgoodresourcesforthatallovertheplace.

KathyPark: 33:23 Yep.

Dr.Park: 33:23 Okay.Andthenatacertainpoint,ifyou'vetriedeverythingonyourown,considerseeingaholisticdoctorthatspecializesinthesekindsofhormonalimbalances.


Dr.Park: 33:33 Formenandwomen.


KathyPark: 33:35 Great.

Dr.Park: 33:35 Andevenacupuncture.Um,youknow,alotof,it'sfunny,IreadsomewherethatmanyoftheherbsthatwereusedinChinesemedicinehasprovenscientificeffectsonsleep.

KathyPark: 33:47 Yup.Nowthosearegreattipstostartwith.Ithinkthatanybodycangoaheadandpickupabookandstartreadingand,Ithinkit'simportantforlistenerstounderstandthatthis,thesearenot,youdon'tneedascientificdegree.Youdon'tneedanMDafteryournametodoanyofthese,takeadvantageofanyoftheseresources,right?It'sjustsomethingthatyouhavetohavefirst.Theintentionoftakingoverandrealizingthatpoorsleepdoesaffecthormonalproblems,right?Andourhormoneimbalancescanaffectyourhealthandnegativeanditcanaffecthowwellyouliveoverall.Right?Becauseeverythingisconnected.Allright.Soanylastthoughtsbeforewewrapupfortoday?

Dr.Park: 34:37 Alongwithwhatyoujustsaid,youshouldtakeownershipofyourhealth.Don'tdependondoctors,honestly...

KathyPark: 34:44 Don'tdependonyouinotherwords.

Dr.Park: 34:46 Wellexceptforme.WhatImeanisthatifyoulookatthestateofhealthamongstphysicians,it'sprettybad.AnddoctorsarejustasunhealthyifnotmoreunhealthythanmostofthepatientsthatIsee.It'sreallysadtoseethat.

KathyPark: 35:00 Well,Iwantedto,alongwiththat,Iwantedtobringupsomethingthatyoumentionedtomeacoupleofdaysago.Yousentoutasurveyrecently,


right?And,um,thesurveyhasended,butoneoftheresultsfromthatsurveythatyousentoutaboutwhatisthemost,thehardestobstaclethatyou'refacingrightnowintermsofyoursleepandintermsoflosingweight?Ithinkalotofthesurveyrespondentssaidthatthegreatestobstaclethattheyseeisthattheycan'tcommunicatewiththeirphysiciansortheirphysiciansdon'tunderstandandthey'reveryfrustrated.Sothatisahugeobstacle.Andit'snotjustaboutlike,Idon'tthinkit'sthatpeoplegooutoftheirwayandsay,okay,I'mgoingtojustdefermyhealthtomyphysician.It'sthattheyfeellikeeveniftheydowantsomeguidancefromtheseprofessionals,theseprofessionalsarenotreallyhelpingtheminanyway.Right?They'renotabletoexplainitwell.Andsothat'soneofthereasonswhywedidthispodcast,right?Westartedthispodcastandthat'sthe,oneofthereasonswhyyouwrotethebookSleepInterrupted,andum,becauseyousawthatalotofyourpatientswerefallingthroughthecracks.

Dr.Park: 36:14 It'snotthatdoctorsare,theydon'twanttohelpyou.Theydowhentheyhelpyou,theyhaveallgoodintentions.

KathyPark: 36:18 Yes.

Dr.Park: 36:19 Theproblemisinhealthcare,andI'mkindofsusceptibletothistoo–there'ssomuchtimepressure.

KathyPark: 36:26 Yeah.Ithinkeverybodyisfeelingoverwhelmed

Dr.Park: 36:28 Andinformationoverloaded.

KathyPark: 36:29 Yeah.


Dr.Park: 36:30 It'snotaveryconducivesituationforhealingandwellness.

KathyPark: 36:34 Right.So,inotherwords,justinordertogainclarityaboutyourhealth,Ithinkeverybodyneedstotakethefirststepwheneverthatmaybe,andeverybodyisgoingtobedifferent.Right?

Dr.Park: 36:46 Right.I'veactuallyhadacoupleofpatients,um,thatactuallyeducatedtheirdoctorsandthedoctors,startedimplementingtheirpatient'srecommendations.Thenthemoreresearchtheydidmorethattheyfoundoutthat,hey,thisworks.

KathyPark: 36:59 We'reverythankfultoallofourevangelists.Youhavealotofsleepevangelistsouttherewhoaretoutingyourbookwhoareactuallyhandingitfreecopiestotheirphysiciansandsortofspreadingtheword.And,andthat's,that'swhatwewant.Wewanttoinfluencehowpeoplearebeingtreated,notjustourlisteners,buthowyou,thelisteners,canreallyaffectthewayhealthcareisleadingrightnow.Becauserightnowit'skindofbeenadismalstate.Right?It'snotgoinganywhereveryhealthy.That'sonasidenote.SoIdigress.Soanythingelsethatyoucantellourlistenerstomotivatethemtotakeadvantageoftheseresources?

Dr.Park: 37:44 I'vegiventhisadvicebefore?Startwiththelowesthangingfruit.Whatever'seasiesttostartwith.Ifyou'dliketoread,readoneofthebooksthatwasmentionedpreviously.DoctorMao,Dr.NorthruporAlyssaVitti.



Dr.Park: 37:58 Andthenifyou'dliketolisten,youcanlistentomypodcastforotherhealthrelatedpodcastsandjusttakeactionanddothingsonestepatatime.Keepmakingprogress.

KathyPark: 38:08 Great.

Dr.Park: 38:09 Don'tgiveup.

KathyPark: 38:10 Yup.Don'tgiveup.Whatwasthatlinefromum,FindingNemo?

Dr.Park: 38:15 Ohyeah.

KathyPark: 38:15 that'sagreatline.Dorysays,

Dr.Park: 38:17 keepswimming,keepswimming,

KathyPark: 38:19 keepswimming,keepswimming.

KathyPark: 38:21 Ithinkwehavetohavethatinourheadsallthetime.Nomatterhowtoughitis,ifyoukeeppluggingatit,youwillovercomesomeoftheseobstaclesandyouwillseethelight.

KathyPark: 38:34 Okay.Thankyouagaineveryonefortuningintoday.Ifyou'veenjoyedtoday'sconversation,youcangetalloftheshownotesandtheresourcesmentionedinthisprogramatdoctorstevenstevenpark.com/hormones.Andwhileyou'rethere,checkoutalloftheresourceswehaveavailableatthewebsiteandsubscribetothepodcastsothatyounevermissoutonanyfutureepisodes.Andonelastthing,iftheinformationyouheardtodayhashelpedyouinanyway,pleasetakeafewminutestogiveusaratingoniTunes.Yourratingandreviewsgoalongwaytohelpusgainthevisibilityweneedsothat


otherswhoarelookingforthisinformationcanfindusoniTunes.Thankyouagainforhelpingsomeoneelsebreathebetterandsleepbetter.ThisisKathyPark.OnbehalfofDr.StevenPark,thankingyouforspendingsometimewithustoday.Untilnexttime,wishingthatyoubreathebetterandsleepbettersothatyoucanlivebetter.ByeBye.

how sleep affects your hormones [podcast 67] · defective hormones and sleep. and we'll put a...

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