Why Am I so Tired All the Time?
Sleep Disorders
The Deliciousness of Sleep
Ah, sweet sleep. The bane of so many patients, especially we women. In my practice, I consider sleep to be Job 1. If you aren’t sleeping, then nothing else we do together will help you feel better.
Insomnia can be experienced in many ways.
- Difficulty falling asleep at the beginning of the night
- being awake in the middle of the night
- waking too early and feeling unrefreshed during the day
- you sleep, but never feel like you get into a deep sleep
- sleep apnea
I encourage you if you have any of those symptoms to get help sooner than later so that you can enjoy the health that sleep provides.
Newest studies indicate that 8 hours is actually the MINIMUM amount of sleep, not the perfect amount as we’ve been lead to believe. Most Americans function daily on 6-7 hours, even when sleeping well. We are constantly sleep-deprived, with the accompanying health and life destroying symptoms of lack of rest.
Why Can’t I Sleep?
So why can’t you sleep? Sometimes you know why — you ate or drank stimulating foods too close to bedtime; you are jet-lagged … but on an average night, sleep disruption is a sign of underlying issues.
From your hormones to neurotransmitters, to digestion problems and blood sugar, even immune issues can interfere with normal sleep patterns.
Why Do I Need a Holistic Doctor for Sleep Problems?
Because a natural holistic doctor looks at the whole person, I will be digging for underlying causes. Rather than mask your sleep issues with a prescription chemical, let’s support your body in healing itself so that you end up healthier than when you started.
Cortisol Rising at Night— Adrenal Imbalance
Almost all of us have experienced the scenario of being exhausted, getting into bed, and then your brain won’t shut off and fall asleep.
How frustrating is it when you lie there, body so tired, you know you need to be fresh for the next day, and yet the hours…tick….by…. and you finally fall asleep after 3-4:00 a.m?
This is the “alarm stage” of Adrenal Fatigue. Cortisol rises at night in this condition, starting around 9 pm and continues rising through the night hours. The good news is that this is quickly resolved with the right care.
Do you find yourself getting a “second wind” of energy around 9pm? Instead of calming down and getting ready for bed, is that when you get chores done? While that might feel okay right now, it leads to greater fatigue down the road.
Hormonal Imbalances
You don’t have to be in menopause for your hormones to affect your sleep. However, it can be much worse after menopause. When estrogens plummet, progesterone falls and testosterone is low as well, sleep quality can go out the window. Bioidentical Hormones can be a savior, or herbal female formulas to support your body’s natural hormone production are sometimes just as good to resolve the underlying issue.
Liver and Blood Sugar problems
During its time of repair and healing, which is between 1:00 – 3:00 a.m., the liver gets busy. Besides detoxification of the blood, the liver makes glucose for the brain to continue functioning during the fasting hours of sleeping.
If there are imbalances in either of these areas, you may awaken around 3:00 a.m. Sometimes you might feel hot due to the heat generated from the liver, a yang organ.
Insomnia Testing
Testing for why you can’t get a good night’s sleep is multi-faceted. Doing a full evaluation of your adrenal functions, hormones, and possibly neurotransmitters gives insight into where the problem lies. I will also recommend sleep products that help you sleep without morning hangover effects, while also helping your body correct the underlying problem.
The Art of Healing
Sleep is the most nurturing thing you can do for yourself. Are you putting it at a high priority?
If your mind won’t shut off, you might not be trusting life enough. Do you have a strong Spiritual body in order to Trust in the Process of Life?
Consider meditation, prayer, contemplation or deep breathing to find that point of trust and letting go to still the mind before bedtime.
The Science of Healing
Often a full panel of hormone and adrenal function testing as well as neurotransmitters gives the best overview of sleep physiological sleep issues.
Do not eat or drink anything stimulating such as coffee, soft drinks or chocolate after 3 pm.
Stop all electronics at least 2 hours before your bedtime.
Make your room dark and cool to produce more melatonin.
Check your GI tract. If you aren’t making enough serotonin in the gut, you won’t have enough melatonin to sleep well.
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