Sleep Hack# 14: If you just can’t hack it…

You might benefit from coming in to see us at TNC to find out if something deeper is the cause of your sleepless nights.

Sleep is affected by several different systems in the body — and to work on sleep, we look into digestion, energy patterns and nutritional deficiencies. Any food that acts as an irritant to the body can potentially upset sleep.

One of our clients came to see us with chronic insomnia. Testing showed a strong sensitivity to dairy and eggs — which was something she ate almost daily. She felt very tired in the day — but was wide awake and wired at night, and so even though she was deeply exhausted, she was unable to switch off and get into sleep.

By cutting out the foods on her sensitivity list, her energy levels got better in the day. We also gave her adaptogenic herbs that were timed based on her energy ups and downs — specific ones gave her energy in the day while others calmed her for the evening.

We topped up her levels of Vitamin D, B6 and magnesium and started her on a 10 minute deep breathing practice at night. Together these lifestyle and diet strategies worked to fix her insomnia within a month.