Major Problems with Insomnia

Hi Hope—

You're awesome to help out your friend. If you do a search with the search button at the top—and search insomnia a few good threads should pop up. You can narrow down the search with "insomnia lyme" too.

I went through a horrible couple of years battling insomnia while being very sick. I think my issues stemmed mainly from an adrenal issue (too much cortisol production at night), stress and anxiety from life issues but also from neurotransmitter imbalances that I now know are in my DNA (DNA mutation testing), and I was also in a lot of pain with a lot of Central Nervous System activity keeping me from resting. It was a very complicated puzzle and I just took one issue at a time and I'm finally sleeping up to 7 hrs on my good nights… But not every night.

I hope you get some help for your friend—keep posting! And let us know how things go for you both.

-p

Lots of good info online about adrenals—and you can also do a search with that keyword—we have had many good conversations about it here. Or just post a separate thread asking about adrenals.

I had to take several measures with my adrenals because they were nearly failing, according to tests and there really aren't medications or supplements that solve the issue. For me, I had to drastically reduce stress in my life, which meant I had to quit my job and avoid all stimulation (dramatic or exciting movies, stressful interaction with people) and focus on parasympathetic protocols (detoxing, soothing baths). I blacked out the windows in my bedroom, try to go to bed at the same time—I no longer set my alarm clock. Diet plays a role in helping your body transition into sleep mode at night. I took cortisol reduction supplements at night and boosters during the day along with other supplements that support the adrenals and thyroid.

Adrenals are also part of the HPA axis, along with the thyroid and pituitary gland, which need to be functioning optimally for them all to wok in sync. So I had to also support my thyroid a little better.

I can't tell you what was the holy grail for me— but it did take about 1 yr for me to get to the point where I am sleeping through the night. Not as long as I would like but at least I rarely have 2hr nights anymore.

This time last year I had a lot of issues going on —GI distress, systemic yeast/fungal overgrowth, hormonal imbalances, neurotransmitter chaos, very high viral load and my body was also trying to battle lyme and company and all the pain and breakdown that comes with those infections. And I have been refocused for a long time now but this discussion is reminding me how frightened I was about two things—an infection in my sinuses (that I was scared would reach my brain) and INSOMNIA.

I tried first to solve the insomnia because I knew my body would never be able to fight anything off if I wasn't getting rest. People have cited a lot of success with calming baths and melatonin support and other rituals that help calm the body. For me, it really just took a lifestyle change and a lot of time for my body to shift into a more normal cortisol cycle that allowed other more normal functions to fall into place. I knocked out the viral load and as I am now finally getting neurotransmitter support as well as treating the infections, the sleep continues to get a little better.

Keep posting your questions—you'll get a lot of info from these folks here.

-p

Hope-

I am not surprised your friend has not had a lot of support from Drs… I never did and I've seen half the number of "medical professionals" as many people I've come across… Finally, I took my health into my own hands and had to learn—a lot. But this is a great place for that—many knowledgable and generous souls on this forum.

That said, it would really help your friend if she could find a naturopath and if she/he is also lyme-friendly, that would be so helpful. It's an exhausting search but very important for some people to have that kind of support-I know it is for me. There are good professionals out there but they are few and far between.

Also, it really took me a long time to get my cortisol functioning well. I took Cortisol Mgr at night and Isocort in the AM and honestly, I can't say it affected that much. Nor did my ND and I really understand the whole picture and what demands were placed on my immune system and adrenals at that time. And every person is different so there is a bit of trial-and-error involved in discovery. It's complicated to treat and she really needs saliva testing done (tests cortisol levels every 4 hrs) in order to understand what is going on—and that is just the cortisol levels. I would bet her neurotransmitter levels are off as well.

This website originated as a thyroid support resource but also has some good info on adrenals, as they are often either in sync or out of sync:
stopthethyroidmadness.com

And diet is critical. You probably already know this but she needs to eliminate all processed foods. Period. That is essential. Next, she needs to reduce or eliminate all refined sugars and if she can go organic and reduce grains, all the better. Those foods have chemicals that make it so hard to digest and your GI is working 24 hrs a day… it could be struggling at night when it should be in a different mode to aid sleep. And no caffeine for the weary, sorry. That just creates a worse daytime cycle that the body can't adjust from appropriately for night-time.

Please let us know if you have more questions—keep posting.

-p

For med Gabapentin is a good sleep calmer, and no bad mood the day after.

Hey all,

I'd like to know more about Delayed Phase Sleep Disorder, if anyone's able to give me info.

I can't fall asleep until 4:30 a.m., and can't wake up or get up until early afternoon (or later!)

It's awful in terms of getting enough daylight and doing things on other folks' schedules.

Margaret