The Sleep Detective podcast: why you can't sleep and how to fix it

An unhealthy gut is a major contributor to insomnia. However, it’s never the only reason why my clients can’t sleep. This is because an unhealthy gut causes other parts of the body to get out of balance. Then those imbalances contribute to insomnia, too. In this episode, you’ll learn how your gut affects everything else that causes insomnia, from hormones to blood sugar and more. To get better, yo...

If you aren’t sleeping, you have inflammation. In this episode you'll find out how inflammation destroys your sleep and the 3 main sources of inflammation. If you’re tired of not sleeping and you’re ready to get to the root cause and fix it, you’re in the right place. This is what I help my clients with every day. Click here to sign up for the ⁠Insomnia Insight program⁠ . You'll know exact...

You need the right amount of neurotransmitters to feel and sleep well. Neurotransmitter deficiencies happen when your gut isn't healthy and your brain isn't healthy. In this episode, you’ll learn: The most important neurotransmitters for sleep What causes deficiencies in neurotransmitters How to improve neurotransmitter levels so you can feel great and sleep well Learn how your gut affects...

If you can’t sleep, I’m sure you’ve tried so many supplements to help. If you’re reading this, it’s likely that none of them have really worked. In this episode, I’m going to explain why supplements such as melatonin, magnesium, CBD, cannanis and others haven’t helped you sleep and what you need to focus on instead. If you aren’t sleeping, that means your body is out of balance and it’s manifestin...

There are obstacles getting in the way of a good night’s sleep for you. All you have to do is address each obstacle (in the correct order) and your health and sleep will improve. If you think of it like climbing a ladder, you start at the bottom with the first obstacle. You move up the ladder one rung at a time, addressing each obstacle, until you’ve solved them all. Then you can sleep well! In th...

Mold toxicity is an overlooked and common cause of sleep issues. You could be living in mold and not even know it because it isn't always visible. Or you could have been exposed to mold in the past and your body hasn’t been able to detoxify it properly. It’s estimated that 75% of homes have water damage. And 25% of the population has a gene that puts them at risk for developing CIRS (Chronic I...

You probably know that alcohol isn't good for your sleep. But it can still be hard to motivate not to drink. I want to tell you exactly how alcohol affects your sleep so that you can decide whether it's worth it to you to try not drinking so you can sleep better. In this episode, you’ll learn the 6 ways that alcohol affects your sleep. If alcohol affects your sleep, then we know that your...

All health issues, including insomnia, are ultimately caused by stress. In this episode you’ll learn: The 2 kinds of stress that affect sleep How to keep your stress bucket from overflowing How stress affects your body Signs of cortisol and hormone imbalance How to lower both kinds of stress so you can sleep normally If you’re ready to lower stress in your body and your mind so you can sleep norma...

Anxiety and depression are not causing your insomnia. Yes, you can be caught in the cycle of anxiety/depression leading to insomnia leading to anxiety/depression leading to insomnia. But one does not usually cause the other. In fact, anxiety, depression, and insomnia can all have the same cause: imbalances in your body. Find out what these imbalances are and how to get back in balance in this epis...

Every single one of my clients has hormone imbalances. Some are too high, some are too low. But either way, they can’t sleep and their hormones are a big part of the problem. In this episode I talk about: -the different ways that hormones affect sleep -why sex hormones get depleted and sabotage your sleep -the only way to truly get your hormones back in balance -how to find the root cause of your...

Sleep apnea and insomnia are two different issues. You can have one or the other or both. They are different but they can have similar causes. In this episode, you’ll learn: the difference between sleep apnea and insomnia and how to know if you have both how sleep apnea and insomnia can have the same root causes how functional medicine can help with both disorders I use functional lab testing to u...

Eating foods you’re sensitive to and don’t know it can sabotage your sleep. In this episode, you’ll learn: The difference between a food sensitivity and an allergy How to find out if you have food sensitivities How food sensitivities affect sleep If you’re ready to find all the missing pieces to why you can’t sleep, I can help. Click here to sign up for the ⁠Insomnia Insight program⁠ . You'll...

A morning routine can actually help you sleep better at night. One of my clients thought that implementing a morning routine made the biggest difference in her sleep, more than anything else we did! In this episode, you’ll find out: How a morning routine helps lower stress so you can sleep better What to include in your morning routine How to make time for a routine even if your mornings are busy...

It’s proven that exercise helps with sleep. But you want just the right amount for your body. In this week’s episode, you’ll learn: When to exercise What type of exercise is best if you aren’t sleeping The problem with exercising too much Why you don’t want to sit down all day (even if you exercise) To help with sleep, I make sure that all parts of my clients’ lives are balanced. I look at exercis...

Stress and inflammation cause insomnia. Toxins cause a lot of inflammation in your body so you want to minimize toxins as much as possible. To reduce toxins, you want to: Eliminate toxins in your body and support your liver I use functional lab tests to find out what toxins are in your body. Pathogens in your gut such as a parasite or bacteria overgrowth release many toxins. Heavy metals are toxic...

Your liver could be causing your insomnia. Many of my clients have an unhealthy liver and it’s keeping them awake at night. That’s because the liver is most active between 1 and 3am. If it has more toxins than it can handle then those toxins circulate around causing lots of inflammation. Your body releases cortisol to deal with the inflammation which wakes you right up! In this episode, you’ll lea...

If you can’t sleep, you have 5 options for getting better. Many of these options are Band-aids and most of them don’t get to the root of the problem. In this episode, I go over all of your options and talk about what works and what doesn’t and why. If you want to find the root cause of your sleep issues, I can help. Click here to sign up for the ⁠Insomnia Insight program⁠ . You'll know exactly...

Did you know that having insomnia when you’re under 40 doubles your risk of dementia later in life? Sleeping pills increase your risk, too. In this episode you’ll learn: how lack of sleep can lead to Alzheimer’s and memory loss 4 root causes of both insomnia and Alzheimer’s How to reduce your chances of dementia If you want to improve your memory and your sleep, I can help. Click here to sign up f...

You’ve probably tried melatonin supplements. In this episode, I tell you the truth about melatonin supplements, when I recommend them, what’s going on in your body if melatonin is low, and how to produce melatonin naturally. If melatonin doesn’t work for you, there’s something else causing your sleep issues. Functional lab testing will show exactly why so we know what to fix. Click here to sign up...

To sleep better, you want to celebrate all improvements you notice, no matter how small. Our brains want to focus on the negative. It’s how we’re wired.  But what you focus on is what you create. Focusing on the negative keeps your brain looking for more negative. You want to focus on the positive to tell your brain that you want more of the positive. Learn why this is important and how to celebra...

There’s a lot of sleep advice out there. As a functional health coach, I believe that most of it is wrong. In this episode, you’ll learn 7 myths about insomnia that will explain why everything you’ve tried so far hasn’t helped you sleep better. Here’s a sneak preview: Myth 1: If you follow the sleep rules, you will sleep. Myth 2: There’s nothing wrong in your body because your blood work is normal...

Google “Why am I so…” and TIRED is the first thing that pops up! Many of you are tired all the time and you think it’s normal. You think it’s part of modern life. Or part of getting older. You self-medicate with coffee and sugar and energy drinks. Being tired is NOT normal. It’s not how you’re supposed to feel during the day. Being in perfect health means having no symptoms and having energy all d...

If you’ve talked to your doctor about your sleep issues, she probably ran blood work and told you that everything is “normal.” Or he told you to stop watching TV before bed. Or she prescribed you a sleeping pill. Or he told you it’s anxiety and it’s all in your head. Your insomnia is not from watching TV at night. Your insomnia is not from being deficient in sleeping pills. Your insomnia is not al...

Many of my clients have hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s. Hashimoto’s doesn’t directly cause sleep issues. But some of the root causes of thyroid issues are the same as the root causes of sleep issues. In this week’s episode, you’ll learn about the thyroid-sleep connection and how to find the cause of both so you can sleep better soon. If you have thyroid and sleep issues, I can help you with both at...

Copper toxicity could be causing your sleep issues. Almost half of my clients have excess copper so this is important! If you... have taken birth control, had an IUD or taken hormone replacement therapy are (or have been) a vegan or vegetarian have ever drank out of copper pipes swim in chlorinated water ...you could have too much copper in your body and it’s causing your insomnia. Copper is a nec...