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

I struggled with insomnia for over 2 years until I finally figured out what was causing it. I had a parasite, liver detox issues, gluten sensitivity, and copper toxicity to name a few. Once I corrected those imbalances, I started sleeping so much better. But if I don’t take care of my body, my sleep is immediately affected. So I have to make sure I do simple things every day to keep my body in bal...

I talk to so many people with sleep issues and they’re doing everything they can to sleep better. They exercise every day, eat healthy, follow sleep hygiene, take supplements, etc. And they’re so frustrated because nothing helps. I also see so many of these people making the same mistakes and it’s keeping them from getting better. In this episode, I share the most common mistakes people make when...

Have you tried what seems like everything to sleep better? There's a reason why nothing has worked so far and it's not your fault! So often clients come to me flustered and frustrated! Why is it so hard to get over insomnia?! I get it. I wish there was a simple solution or quick fix I could offer you. But there just isn’t, and there are 3 reasons why that I explain in this episode. —------...

What if your mental health issues aren't causing your sleep issues? What if they're just a sign that something is out of balance? In this episode, my newest team member Tina Salicco-Jackson and I discuss how mental health is intertwined with sleep and how to fix both issues so you can feel good and sleep well! With a B.A. in psychology and experience working in the geriatric space and a ps...

To improve your sleep faster, it can help to start becoming the person who sleeps well. You want to Imagine your future self who has no problem with sleep. You have to start thinking and feeling and acting like a good sleeper. In this episode, I talk about how to visualize yourself as a good sleeper so that you actually become a good sleeper! I also answer a question about sleep anxiety and how to...

We all have a unique circadian rhythm. If you try to sleep at the wrong time, it’s going to be hard to sleep well. In this episode, you’ll learn how to find out what your ideal bedtime is so that you can sleep more peacefully. I also talk about how restoring your sleep and your health is like growing a garden. And I answer the question: How do you fall asleep without drugs? My team and I are like...

Are you drinking tap or well water? Or do you think you’re good because you’re using a Brita or fridge filter? The truth is, if you aren’t using a high quality filter, the water you’re drinking is likely playing a part in your sleep issues. In this episode, you’ll find out: How my client Todd’s sleep was affected by the water he was drinking The problem with tap and well water How to tell if heavy...

You can't sleep if you're in pain. And it's hard to reduce pain if you can't sleep. It can be a vicious cycle. In this episode, Dr. Alissa Wolfe, creator of The Chronic Pain Breakup Method, explains her unique approach to managing pain.  We talk about: how pain keeps you awake why it takes more than regulating the nervous system to stop pain how she uses neuroscience to help her cl...

Our modern life doesn’t make it easy to be healthy. So many habits that are common in this day and age aren’t good for us even though they’re socially acceptable and it seems like everyone does them. And some of these habits we’re told are healthy aren’t necessarily healthy for everyone.  Focusing on your health is important for sleep because not being able to sleep well is a sign that the body is...

85% of my clients with sleep issues have H. pylori! If you can’t sleep, it’s likely that you have this bacteria, too. One of my first clients was an amazing man named Jaipal Singh. He had H. pylori as well as other bacterial infections, estrogen dominance, gluten and dairy sensitivity and mineral imbalance. We addressed these imbalances and he made progress really quickly:  “Less than two weeks in...

As you know, sleeping better will transform your life because being sleep deprived affects every part of your life: your work, your relationships, your mood and your health.  In this episode, you’ll learn: 3 principles that will help you sleep better Why your functional/alternative practitioner hasn’t been able to help you Why you want a program that’s transformational instead of transactional  I...

Ever since I learned about life coaching a few years ago, it has changed every aspect of my life, from my relationships to my business to my health and sleep. In this episode I’m interviewing my life coach Stephanie Spinelli who is now also a part of my team working with clients in the Complete Sleep Solution. We talk about our experience with life coaching and the impact it’s had on us. We talk a...

One of the questions I get asked the most is “Why do I wake up at 3am?” Or 2 or 4am? So many people wake up at the same time each night like clockwork. This happened to me, too! From working with almost 100 clients, I’ve found there are 3 common reasons why this is happening. In this episode, you’ll learn: How cortisol sabotages sleep The 3 most likely causes of waking up in the middle of the nigh...

I wake up almost every night to pee and then go right back to sleep. But when I wasn’t sleeping well, I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep for hours. Waking up in the night and not being able to fall back asleep is so frustrating! I remember lying in bed feeling so desperate because I was so frigging tired but I couldn’t sleep no matter what I did. While I help my clients with underlying hea...

Inflammation is a main cause of insomnia. That’s because when there’s inflammation, your body releases cortisol because it’s an anti-inflammatory hormone. When your body releases cortisol at night, you feel wired (even though you’re exhausted) and you can’t sleep. One of the main contributors to inflammation is the food we eat. Refined sugar, alcohol, processed foods and vegetable oils cause infla...

There’s good stress and there’s bad stress. And there’s hormetic stress, the kind of stress that makes you stronger (such as exercise). If you can’t sleep, your body is already stressed. So there are activities that we think are healthy that you shouldn’t be doing if you aren’t sleeping well. In this episode, you'll learn: the 5 “healthy” things you should avoid if you can’t sleep the 2 steps...

My client Jesse came to me after struggling to sleep for 6 years. It started during a stressful time in his life but he still was waking up and not feeling rested even though he was in a good place mentally. He tried trazadone and many natural remedies. He didn't want to be on drugs and the supplements never worked for long. As an entrepreneur, his lack of sleep was affecting his work and life...

The medical system can’t help you with insomnia. This is because insomnia is caused by imbalances in your body. Your body isn’t totally healthy if you can’t sleep normally. (Even if you eat well and exercise and care about your health.) Building health and fixing disease are two different things. In this week’s episode of The Insomnia Fix, I explain why the medical system can’t solve your insomnia...

My team member Deb suffered from mold toxicity and spent many frustrating nights awake and exhausted because of it. She healed herself and her family after becoming trained in functional lab testing and health coaching. During her journey, she learned some exercises that made a huge difference in her health. In fact, at a recent checkup her doctor kept checking her heart and she was scared that so...

Each one of us has a different body clock or circadian rhythm that’s based on genetics. While the 10pm-6am sleep schedule is most common, it’s true that there are night owls and early birds who are wired with different circadian rhythms. Many of my clients have a messed up circadian rhythm which means their body clock is off. They feel sleepy during the day or in the early afternoon. But then when...

Many people tell me that they can’t sleep because of anxiety. Their anxiety is what’s keeping them awake at night. And some you have been told by your doctors/psychiatrists that your insomnia and anxiety are all in your head. I disagree. I think that what’s causing your anxiety is also causing your insomnia. It’s not all in your head. In this episode, you'll learn: an amazing book that confirm...

My client Maura came to me when she was struggling to fall asleep and would go days without sleeping if she wasn’t taking a sleeping pill. She was taking Seroquel and Lexapro to sleep and feel calm. She had to take a leave from teaching because she wasn’t sleeping. Her goal was to sleep 7 hours a night, get off meds, and not feel anxious about sleep. By the end of our time working together, she ac...

Our thoughts actually affect how our genes are expressed. To sleep better and be healthy, you want to rewire your brain to think positive thoughts about sleep and life in general. In this episode, you'll learn: how our thoughts determine whether we sleep well or not why our default thinking tends to be negative a powerful tool for rewiring your brain to change your thoughts If you want to lear...

If you can't sleep, you could have a parasite that is contributing to your insomnia. About ⅓ of my clients do! However, it's not just the parasite itself that affects your sleep. It's the many different ways that the parasite wreaks havoc in your body that are also affecting your sleep. In this episode, I explain all the effects a parasite has on the different systems in your body and...

My client Peter is an amazing example of someone who loves science and will use the data to do whatever it takes to get healthy. He had been sleeping poorly for years and was taking sleeping pills at night and a stimulant in the morning to feel alert. In this episode, Peter and I talk about what was key for him in getting better sleep and why it’s so important to him. Within a few months, he was s...