5 Traps to avoid with chronic insomnia
5 Traps to avoid with chronic insomnia
Have you ever Googled how to sleep better or how to get over insomnia and found the answers less than adequate?
All of my clients did this before they started working with me, so you’re not alone.
In this blog post, I’m going to talk about the 5 most common sleep solutions that you likely read in your Google research and that are actually traps because they don't help. You’ll learn WHY those sleep solutions aren’t working for you if you have chronic insomnia and what you can do instead to finally get a good night’s sleep.
Let’s dive in!
Trap #1: Sleep hygiene
I know this one is familiar to you:
“All you need to do is follow a bedtime routine, don’t look at screens before bed, meditate before bed, etc. and you’ll be able to fall asleep easily and sleep throughout the night.” 🙄
Yea, we know that doesn’t work for chronic insomnia, and here’s why…
The reason you aren’t sleeping is because your body is out of balance. In order to sleep well again, we need to get your body back in balance. Functional lab testing can help you do just that.
Following a bedtime routine, avoiding screens before bed, and meditating are great things to do. But they won’t help “cure” chronic sleep issues.
Trap #2: Guessing at supplements
Stop wasting your money on supplements that may not help you!
Guessing at supplements won’t help you with chronic insomnia, and here’s why…
Magnesium, melatonin, and CBD are great - but only you are deficient in those particular things and that’s the only reason why you aren’t sleeping. If you have chronic insomnia, then chances are that you have more imbalances in your body than just magnesium or melatonin.
Functional lab testing will show you exactly what’s happening inside your body, and I can give you a personalized plan to correct all of your imbalances. This is what will help you sleep well again.
Trap #3: Taking a sleeping pill
The truth is: sleeping pills are just a band-aid. They aren’t addressing the root cause of why you aren’t sleeping normally, and actually, they can be very disruptive to your sleep and health. Here’s what I mean…
Sleeping pills don’t produce natural sleep, they’re addictive, and they often have terrible side effects. Ironically, insomnia is a side effect for some sleeping pills.
The good news is: you don’t have to resort to sleeping pills or continue taking them (if you are already doing that).
As I mentioned earlier, the reason you aren’t sleeping is because your body is out of balance. In order to sleep well again, we need to get your body back in balance. Functional lab testing can help you do just that.
Taking this holistic approach is the way to get natural and consistent sleep.
Trap #4: Doing a sleep study
Do you suspect you have sleep apnea? If you do, that’s what a sleep study is primarily looking for. If you don’t think you have sleep apnea, then a sleep study probably won’t help you. Here’s why…
Sleep apnea and insomnia are two different things.
Sleep apnea is when you stop breathing during the night, and it’s something you definitely want to address for your health.
But insomnia is when you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night. A sleep study is not designed to discover WHY you aren’t sleeping well, which is what you need to know to be able to fix it.
If you are dealing with insomnia, functional lab testing is what you need.
Trap #5: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi)
If you’ve ever tried CBTi before, and felt disappointed with the outcome, here’s why…
CBTi is great for addressing the mental part of why you aren’t sleeping, but it doesn’t address the imbalances in your body that are causing your insomnia.
You really need a body and mind approach to solving your insomnia, in order to get permanent results.
How to overcome insomnia permanently
So, how do you fix your sleep issues?
Sleep hygiene, guessing at supplements, taking a sleeping pill, doing a sleep study, and CBTi can be helpful if you have sleep issues here and there. But they won’t help you if you’re dealing with chronic insomnia.
In order to overcome insomnia permanently, you need a body and mind approach:
Body: You need to find and fix the imbalances that are causing your sleep issues.
Mind: You need to eliminate sleep anxiety and learn to calm your brain.
In my sleep programs, this is exactly what we do. I’m here to help you overcome your insomnia permanently so you can sleep well without ever having to ask Google for help again (at least not with your sleep 😉).