How to Interpret the Sleep Assessment for Better Sleep

Transform Hormone Data into Deeper, More Restorative Sleep for Your Patients

Are your patients struggling to fall asleep, waking up tired, or craving more energy? Genova's Sleep Assessment reveals the key hormones driving the sleep-wake cycle so you can target the root causes of poor rest. In this guide, we'll walk you through each section of the report, explain what the numbers mean, and explain how to use them to help your patients sleep better and feel more refreshed.

Understanding the Functional Imbalance Score

The report starts with a Functional Imbalance Score (1-10) that summarizes the overall hormone balance for sleep.

• 1-4 (Green): Minimal support needed
• 5-7 (Yellow): Moderate support suggested
• 8-10 (Red): High support recommended

Under the score, each marker (melatonin, evening cortisol, morning cortisol and progesterone) is flagged:

• 🟢 Green dot = within healthy range
• ▲ Yellow triangle = borderline
• 🔺 Red triangle = high (🔺) or low (🔻)

Next to the score, you'll see a standard list of therapeutic suggestions to consider for your patient. Think of it as a starting point for improving sleep health.

Melatonin: The Sleep Hormone

Melatonin signals the body that it's time to sleep. The report shows two measurements:

• 2:30-3:30 AM: Peak melatonin
• 7-9 AM: Morning melatonin drop

Green = optimal peak/timing. Yellow or red highlights when levels are too low (trouble falling asleep) or too high (daytime sleepiness). Use the commentary to explore possible causes like light exposure, medications, or nutrition.

Cortisol: The Stress Rhythm

Cortisol helps the body wake up and stay alert, then should taper off by bedtime. The graph plots:

• 10 PM-12 AM: Nighttime cortisol low point
• 7-9 AM: Morning cortisol peak

A smooth curve - low at night, high in the morning - is ideal.1 Borderline or high nighttime cortisol can make it difficult to fall asleep; low morning cortisol can leave your patients dragging. Check the collection times reported by your patient and compare the pattern to the reference curve to see where adjustments are needed.

Progesterone: The Calming Hormone

Progesterone has natural calming effects. This report shows a single morning measurement. Compare results against the mentrual phase at the time of collection or sex-specific range in the "Reference Range" box.

• Follicular phase is typically day 1-14 of your patient's period and luteal phase is day 15-28. If periods are irregular or your patient doesn't know what day they were in their cycle, use their best guess.
• Choose the menopausal range if femailes who have stopped having periods for a year.
• All males use the male reference range.

Females will have an additional chart that shows life span from left to right and how progesterone tends to decline with age. The vertical axis shows the healthy range and the horizontal axis shows age.

Low progesterone can make sleep fitful while high levels might cause daytime drowsiness. Use the chart to see how results compare by age and cycle phase.

Putting It All Together: Action Steps

The Sleep Assessment is a roadmap and provides some information on why your patients' hormones (melatonin, cortisol or progesterone) may be out of balance. Use this data to:

• Adjust sleep hygiene (see tips below)
• Balance stress and cortisol with relaxation techniques123
• Support hormone levels through nutrition, supplements or bioidentical therapy

Top Sleep Hygiene Tips for Your Patients

• Keep a routine: Go to bed and wake at the same time each day to regulate circadian rhythm.
• Create a calm environment: Cool, dark and quiet - earplugs, white noise, blackout curtains, or an eye mask help.
• Limit screens: Avoid devices 30-60 minutes before bed. Blue light from screens interferes with melatonin production. Blue-blocking glasses can help.4
• Avoid stimulants: Caffeine, nicotine, cannabis, and alcohol.5
• Mind your meals: Finish large dinners 2-3 hours before sleep.
• Move daily: Exercise promotes sleep - but not within two hours of bedtime.5
• Manage Stress: Mindfulness, deep breathing, or journaling can reduce anxiety and make it easier to relax before bed.

Calming supplements like l-theanine, passionflower, GABA, magnesium, phosphatidylserine, and others can help.78910 Those with low melatonin or progesterone may benefit from hormone replacement.

Next Steps

Addressing the root cause, rather than masking symptoms with a quick supplement fix, is what restores healthy sleep. Elevated, stress-driven cortisol is one of the most common imbalances. By reducing stressors, you can bring cortisol, progesterone, and melatonin back into harmony.

When you treat the source, deep, restorative sleep moves from a distant dream to a new reality.

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