About Martha


Key Takeaways

  • Benzodiazepines like Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, and Ativan are only meant to be taken short term (a month at most), yet many of Martha's clients have been taking them for years.
  • Benzos flood the brain's GABA receptors, and the brain responds by down-regulating those receptors, so when the drug wears off you can't feel your own natural GABA and end up in withdrawal and rebound insomnia.
  • Martha's approach is to identify and correct root causes with functional lab testing first, then taper slowly (Dr. Ellen Vora recommends decreasing by 10% a month), always with the client's doctor's approval.


You took a benzo because nothing else worked. Maybe it was Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan, or Valium. Now every time you try to skip a night, your sleep is worse than it was before you ever started.


That's not your original insomnia coming back. It's withdrawal. And unless you understand what these drugs do to your brain, and what caused your sleep problem in the first place, getting off them can turn into a years-long fight.


My client Matt was 31, healthy, and active when he came to me. He'd never had a sleep problem in his life. Then, over a week or two, it started taking longer and longer to fall asleep, and it kept getting worse.


Nothing added up. He ate well, lived a clean lifestyle, and worked out. A benzodiazepine ended up being the only thing that actually worked, and that scared him.


He was in his early 30s, taking a drug every single night just to fall asleep. His doctors offered no explanation, just more pills. He was wondering if this was what he'd have to do for the rest of his life.


So what do benzos actually do? Dr. Ellen Vora explains it well in her book The Anatomy of Anxiety. Benzos act on the GABA receptors in your brain, and GABA is your anti-anxiety neurotransmitter.


These drugs cause a rush of GABA so you feel peaceful and relaxed. That's why falling asleep suddenly gets so much easier.


But it backfires. Your body is always seeking balance, so when it gets that rush of GABA, it down-regulates those receptors. Now your brain can't feel your own natural GABA anymore, because it can't get into the receptors.


So when the drug wears off, you're left in withdrawal. It can look and feel exactly like a relapse of your original sleep problem, but it's actually a withdrawal effect.


Then there are the side effects: drowsiness, lightheadedness, confusion, unsteadiness (especially in older people), dizziness, slurred speech, muscle weakness, memory problems, constipation, nausea, dry mouth, and blurred vision. A lot of my clients tell me they hate how drowsy they feel the next day.


These drugs are also very addictive. A professor from the Institute of Psychiatry in London found that it can be more difficult to withdraw people from benzodiazepines than from heroin.


That's why you don't want to quit cold turkey. Stopping abruptly can cause serious withdrawal effects and rebound insomnia, where your sleep gets even worse because there's no GABA in those receptors anymore.


Benzos are only meant to be taken short term. The label says a month at most, but I have many clients who've been on them for years because their doctor either didn't tell them or didn't know what else to offer.


Some of my clients get off benzos quickly with no problem. For others, it's very difficult, and the withdrawal side effects can take years to go away.


I'm not a doctor, and I only work on tapering with my clients' doctor's approval. But what's recommended for benzos is a very slow taper. Dr. Vora recommends decreasing by 10% a month, which is much slower than the wean-down protocol I use for other sleeping pills.


Here's where my approach is different: I don't start with the taper. If you taper off the benzo without fixing what caused your sleep problem, you end up right back where you started.


So first we look at hormones, gut health, liver function, neurotransmitters, and toxins. Once the test results are back and you've spent a few months addressing what's actually causing your sleep issues, you start sleeping better. Then we start weaning off the drug.


If someone hasn't been on a benzo very long, starting the taper right away can work. For most people, root causes come first.


While you're tapering, your body needs support: detox support like Epsom salt baths and infrared sauna, nervous system calming techniques, and preparation for the emotional ups and downs as your brain recalibrates.


If your doctor is bringing up a benzo and you haven't started one, try GABA support first, ideally after testing your neurotransmitter levels so you know exactly what's going on. If a benzo works (or could work) for your sleep, that can mean what you need is GABA support. I like Quicksilver's Liposomal GABA L-Theanine [AFFILIATE LINK PLACEHOLDER] because it can cross the blood-brain barrier, unlike a lot of GABA supplements.


Testing matters, and Matt is the proof. His neurotransmitter test didn't show low GABA. It showed low 5-HTP and dopamine.


He also had severely depleted magnesium and calcium, a parasite, H. pylori (a bacterial overgrowth), and a liver that wasn't detoxing well. As we corrected those imbalances, the anxiety and adrenaline feeling he'd never dealt with before completely disappeared, and his sleep started coming back.


His dad and grandmother both struggle with sleep, so his genetics had loaded the gun. But your genetics are not your destiny. When you fix the imbalances in your body, you aren't stuck with what you're predisposed to.


Matt got off the benzo once his body could actually sleep on its own. His dad, inspired by his results, later did the program too, and is now sleeping well.


FAQ

Q: Can I just stop taking benzos cold turkey?

A: No. Benzos change your brain chemistry by down-regulating your GABA receptors, so stopping abruptly can cause serious withdrawal effects and rebound insomnia that's worse than your original sleep problem. A professor from the Institute of Psychiatry in London found it can be harder to withdraw people from benzodiazepines than from heroin.


Q: How fast should I taper off a benzo for sleep?

A: Slowly. Dr. Ellen Vora recommends decreasing by 10% a month, and any taper should be done with your doctor's approval. Martha has most clients address the root causes of their insomnia first, then start tapering once their body can sleep better on its own.


Q: Why is my insomnia worse when I try to get off benzos?

A: Because it's withdrawal, not a relapse. Benzos flood your GABA receptors, and your brain responds by down-regulating them, so without the drug your brain can't feel your own natural GABA. That rebound can look exactly like your original insomnia, even though it's a withdrawal effect.


Q: What can I try for sleep before taking a benzo?

A: Try GABA support, ideally after getting your neurotransmitter levels tested. If a benzo works for your sleep, that can mean what you need is GABA support, and Martha recommends Quicksilver's Liposomal GABA L-Theanine because it can cross the blood-brain barrier, unlike a lot of GABA supplements.


If you're relying on a benzo to sleep and want to get off it without landing right back where you started, this is exactly what the Complete Sleep Solution program investigates. The program includes four functional lab tests plus assessments that look at hormones, gut health, liver function, neurotransmitters, and toxins, so you know exactly what's keeping you awake. It also includes support for the psychological side of tapering off a drug you've relied on for a long time.


→ Learn how the Complete Sleep Solution program works 


About Martha Lewis 

Martha Lewis is a certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner and founder of The Sleep Detective™. Since 2019, she has helped 300+ clients identify the root causes of their insomnia using functional lab testing — including gut analysis, hormone panels, neurotransmitter testing, and toxin screening. She discovered her own root causes (hormone imbalances, heavy metals, and a parasite) after years of trying conventional sleep solutions, and now uses the same investigative approach with her clients.


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