My worst mistakes with insomnia

When I suddenly couldn’t sleep in late pregnancy, I made a lot of mistakes that made my sleep even worse. I struggled for 2 years before I finally started sleeping better. And then it took me a couple more years to consistently sleep 8+ hours a night. 


In this blog post, I tell you about the mistakes I made so that hopefully you don’t make the same ones! I could have gotten better so much quicker if I knew then what I know now. This blog post will be full of valuable tips you can use today to sleep better quicker than I was able to.


Let’s dive in! 


Mistake #1: I tried to follow all the sleep rules


Many people with insomnia lay in bed at night and Google “Why can’t I sleep?”


If you’ve done that same thing, then you know what kind of generic advice you get. I did the same thing and tried all the advice I could find. 


Here’s a few of the things I tried:

  • No watching TV with my husband before bed. 
  • No screens of any kind before bed. 
  • No chocolate after 4:00pm. 
  • And so much more 🙁


I was exhausted from not sleeping, and I also felt stressed to follow the rules perfectly. But the generic sleep rules didn’t work for me. And my guess is…they don’t work for you either. 


Here’s why…


The sleep rules can help someone who has occasional sleep issues. But they don’t help people who have chronic insomnia.


Mistake #2: I felt upset when I couldn’t sleep


I have always cherished my sleep. I would leave parties with people I love just to go to bed so I could get 8+ hours of sleep! 


When I couldn’t sleep in late pregnancy, for the first time in my life, I was very upset. 


I let it bother me during the day, and at night too when I was lying there having trouble sleeping. And this added stress that I put on myself wasn’t helping at all. 


If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to accept where I was, but also look for solutions that would help. 


Mistake #3: I talked about not being able to sleep all the time and researched sleep so often that it became my identity


If you knew me back then, you’d most definitely hear me complain about how tired I was and how I wasn’t sleeping. 


When I woke up in the morning, I’d complain to my husband that I couldn’t sleep. And when I went to work, I’d complain to my coworkers that I couldn’t sleep. 


Not sleeping became part of my identity. Like it or not!


Taking on the identity of someone who couldn’t sleep became a self-fulfilling prophecy, a cycle, that was really difficult to break free from. 


This is why I recommend to my clients that they stop talking about their lack of sleep with people in their lives, and they stop researching sleep. Instead, they work with me and my team to get better. 


Mistake #4: I guessed at what supplements would help me sleep


For about 6 years I was the manager in the supplement department of a health food store, so of course supplements were a big part of my life.


I tried every supplement on the shelves that said it would help with sleep, including melatonin, magnesium, and CBD. But now I know that melatonin (for example) only works if you are deficient in melatonin. Additionally, melatonin will only work and be absorbed by your body if you have a healthy gut and body. The same is true for all supplements. 


Guessing which supplements to take cost me thousands of dollars, without any solution. Can you relate?


Mistake #5: I didn’t realize the physiological importance of sleep


I have always been a health-conscious person, but let’s be honest…


Sometimes I ate too much, drank too much alcohol, and exercised too much. 


I’m not perfect, I’m a human being!  


In my journey to solving my own insomnia, I learned how important it is to follow healthy habits related to diet, lifestyle, and everything else.


Mistake #6: I waited too long to get help 


It took me 2 years to find out about functional lab testing that was designed to help me find the imbalances in my body that were causing my insomnia. And when I did find functional lab testing, I still wanted to do it myself. 


If I had just hired someone to help me with this as soon as I learned about functional lab testing, I would have gotten better so much faster. 


When I finally took these lab tests, I learned I had these issues that were contributing to my insomnia:

  • Parasite
  • Heavy metals
  • Gluten sensitive
  • Major hormone imbalance
  • Deficiency in serotonin and GABA 
  • And more.


I know I can’t go back in time. My journey is my journey. But I will do everything I can to help you shorten the time it takes you to solve your insomnia.


How you can sleep better faster than I did 


The way to sleep better is to find the imbalances in your body that are keeping you awake. This was the missing piece for me for 2 years and it’s likely the missing piece for you, too!


In the Insomnia Insight program, my team and I use 4 functional lab tests to find the imbalances in your body that are keeping you awake. 


The tests look at gut health, liver function, hormone balance, cortisol, heavy metals, minerals, neurotransmitters and more to find exactly what’s causing your insomnia. 


No more feeling out of control and helpless because you don’t know why you can’t sleep!


Then we give you a holistic plan (diet, lifestyle, and supplements) to correct those imbalances so that you don’t have to guess at supplements or resort to sleeping pills. 


You also get a 30 minute private session with a sleep coach to get any questions answered so you know the steps to take to sleep better soon.


Find out more and sign up for the Insomnia Insight program.