“Hormonal insomnia & fertility: The sleep-fertility link you might be missing was originally published on The Ribbon Box, and is shared here with permission.”
If you’re on a fertility journey, there’s a high chance you’re already tracking ovulation, eating well, and reducing stress. But there’s one quiet disruptor many of us overlook, until we’re deep into it: poor sleep. Specifically, insomnia driven by hormonal imbalance (hormone imbalance insomnia), whether it’s mild, severe, sporadic, or chronic.
The team at go-to Ayurvedic fertility specialists Thrive Journey (we’re obsessed with their rainbow of nourishing online content – try it, it’s ace) sees this all the time. Clients are struggling with chronic 2 am wake-ups, restless legs, racing thoughts, or just feeling depleted, no matter how early they go to bed.
Often, the issue isn’t “just stress”. It’s how hormones, lifestyle, and nervous system regulation all come together around sleep.
In this deep sleep-dive, Senior Yoga Instructor Sarah Manning – who brings over 30 years of international teaching experience to the Thrive team – shares her full toolkit for restoring sleep, supporting hormone balance, and optimising fertility.
Let’s begin with a key question:
Can a hormonal imbalance really cause insomnia?
Yes, absolutely. Sarah says, “Alongside other factors, hormones cause sleep and control it.”
Hormonal imbalances can drive chronic or cyclic insomnia, especially the frustrating pattern of waking around 2-3 am, or feeling wired and overstimulated at night despite deep exhaustion.
According to Sarah, this is often missed in conventional medicine. “There are many lifestyle aspects you can change that make a real difference to hormone balance and insomnia, but you need consistency and commitment. Sleeping pills might quiet the symptoms, but they rarely address the deeper disruption.”
How sleep and hormones work together (and what happens when they don’t)
Sleep is regulated by a symphony of over 50 interrelated hormones. Here’s Sarah’s guide to some of the key players, what each one does, and how imbalance might show up in your whole body and fertility health:
- Melatonin: Triggered by darkness and released by the pineal gland, melatonin prepares the body for sleep. Disruption (via screen light or stress, for example) reduces both sleep quality and can have a knock-on impact on egg health, over time.
- Serotonin: A precursor to melatonin, made in the gut and brain. Low levels (especially in menopause or mood disorders) lead to restless nights and fragmented sleep.
- Cortisol and adrenaline: Stress hormones shape our baseline. Many of us grow up in a constant state of overstimulation and challenge, so we begin to believe that this heightened, alert state is just ‘normal.’ Think about how long it takes to truly unwind on holiday – often, it’s a few days before we feel genuinely relaxed and calm.
- Progesterone: Known for its calming effects. Any drops in the luteal phase (before menstruation) often bring insomnia.
- Estrogen: Deep fluctuations can bring night sweats, overheating, and restless sleep.
- Thyroid hormones: These have a key impact on metabolism. Overactivity can cause restlessness, underactivity – sluggishness, and fragmented sleep.
- Insulin: When blood sugar spikes or crashes overnight, your body is prone to waking up – often suddenly and with a jolt.
As Sarah puts it, “The body, mind, and emotions are one system. If one hormone goes off track, everything can follow. That’s why we must approach insomnia holistically.”
So what’s really going on at 2 am?
In both Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the middle of the night is a super-handy diagnostic window.
- 1-3 am: In TCM, this is Liver time – a window for detoxification. Disruptions here often link to anger, repressed frustration, or overstimulation (via alcohol, overwork, screen time, and many more).
- 2-6 am: In Ayurveda, this moves through the Pitta and Vata phases (read our guide in collab with Thrive Journey to identify your dosha type) – detox and intuitive reset. You need to be in deep sleep for this process to complete.
“If you’re working, socialising, or scrolling between 10 pm-2 am, you’re burning the energy your body needs to heal,” says Sarah. “You might feel a second wind, but it comes at the cost of long-term balance.”
Sarah’s natural sleep & fertility toolkit
We’ve now arrived at the Thrive sleep and fertility toolkit, built out by Sarah from decades of experience working with clients through insomnia, hormone imbalance, and fertility concerns.
Keen to hear more from Sarah? Catch her on Thrive Journey from anywhere in the world for live fertility yoga sessions, expert, nurturing programs, and more.
Back to Sarah’s toolkit, each recommendation is grounded in yoga, Ayurveda, or TCM, and all are designed to be layered over time.
Over to Sarah!
Begin with an evening ritual (before 10 pm)
You can’t expect the body to drop from high gear into deep sleep. The nervous system needs a bridge – a sequence of slowdown signals.
Start here:
- 30 minutes of screen-free time
- Warm shower or foot soak
- Calming breathwork or journaling
- Gentle Hatha or Yin yoga (floor-based, try 4-5 poses)
- Herbal tea (I love nutmeg, chamomile, or tulsi)
Your goal: Create reliable sleep cues your brain learns to follow.
Reset your sleep nutrition
Blood sugar instability is one of the biggest hidden sleep disruptors. At Thrive Journey, our aim is to support your evening with grounding, warm, stabilising meals:
- Eat no later than 7:30 pm
- Avoid sugar, caffeine, and cold/raw food in the evening
- Try triphala or golden milk with nutmeg to soothe digestion
- Use your morning meal to reset: warm oats, eggs, or kitchari
When blood sugar crashes at 2 am, it can wake you with a cortisol spike. Eat in rhythm, and your hormones follow.
Personalised yoga for your cycle & constitution
Cycle-aligned yoga helps optimise energy, calm the nervous system, and support ovulation:
- Menstrual – restorative yoga, forward folds, Yoga Nidra
- Follicular – flow yoga, energising breathwork
- Ovulation – inversions, strong poses, playfulness
- Luteal – grounding, introspective practice, long exhalations
Constitution-based yoga (from Ayurveda) can also be life-changing (find your dosha before starting):
- Pitta: You’re ambitious and restless. We’d recommend calming, slower movement and extended savasana.
- Vata: You’re creative but fatigued. Try regular rhythm and deep stretching with breath.
- Kapha: You’re nurturing but sluggish. Go for energising flows and spinal work.
One size doesn’t fit all. True hormonal balance is about working with your nature, not against it.
Wake-sleep light rhythm
Melatonin is governed by light, not just at night but also during the day.
Here’s how to re-sync it:
- Get outdoors within 1 hour of waking (10-15 minutes minimum)
- Avoid all screens 1 hour before bed
- Sleep in total darkness – blackout curtains, no phones, no glowing chargers
- No night scrolling – this spikes dopamine, cortisol, and blocks melatonin
If you do nothing else, start your day with sunshine or natural daylight. It’s my #1 cure for jetlag – and insomnia.
Breathwork to calm cortisol
Breathing is your fastest access to hormone balance. If you wake in the night, try:
- Moon breath, by switching over to lie on your right side. This activates the calming left breath channel.
- Earth breath: Inhale slowly. Exhale and surrender the weight of your body – head, shoulders, pelvis.
- Ujjayi breathing: Inhale and exhale, with a gentle throat contraction to lengthen your breaths. Let the soft sound it creates guide your mind to a visualisation of your favourite beach – inhale as the waves gather, exhale as they release up the shore. Use all five senses to bring your mind to this place of peace.
Long, slow exhalations tell the brain: I am safe. And, this is the root message your hormones need.
Herbs, oils, and natural supports
At team Thrive, we’d recommend beginning with one or two gentle plant allies:
- Ashwagandha: An Adaptogen that lowers cortisol and supports adrenal function.
- Nutmeg: A tiny pinch in warm milk can support deep sleep.
- Triphala: For digestion, detox, and blood sugar balance.
- Lavender: I love to use this on the pillow, in the bath, or gently misted across the home, using a diffuser.
Oil massage (abhyanga) before bed, especially with sesame oil for Vata doshas or coconut oil for Pitta, soothes the nervous system and nourishes your cycle.
Journaling, boundaries, and emotional hygiene
Unprocessed emotions keep the nervous system on alert. These are my favourite grounding and boundary setting techniques:
- Nighttime journaling: Dump thoughts before sleep
- Clear work boundaries: Stop checking emails after 8 pm
- Relationship clarity: Don’t let emotional strain fester
- Mental note pads: Keep one by your bed for “looping” thoughts
Remember, the hormones follow the mind. If the mind is tangled, the body stays tense.
Restore with Yoga Nidra
Sleep isn’t the only way to reset. Yoga Nidra is a guided yogic sleep state that can:
- Reduce inflammation
- Lower cortisol
- Reset circadian rhythm
- Help support egg quality and ovulation
Start with 10 minutes daily, especially in the luteal phase or post-ovulation.
Final thought: One habit shift to start tonight?
What’s the one thing you can do right now?
Commit to a consistent, screen-free wind-down ritual.
Just 30 minutes of digital-free time before bed, every night. No phone, no laptop, no work. Add calm breath, journaling, a bath, or a Thrive yoga class (live or on-demand, and all online).
Your body needs time to feel safe and rest deeply enough to allow the hormones involved in fertility to do their job.
Ready to go deeper?
Find more from Sarah Manning and Thrive’s full fertility-aligned programs, classes, recipes, and community at ThriveJourney. Explore:
- Menstrual cycle & Dosha-based yoga
- Ayurveda for hormone and sleep support
- Live and on-demand yoga for fertility
- Yoga Nidra, restorative, and Qigong sessions
- Fertility-supportive recipes and meal plans
Because balanced sleep isn’t a luxury – it’s your foundation.
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