The 3 keys to improve your sleep: Part 3 Epigenetics

Hopefully you’ve been able to read the first two parts of this blog series on the 3 Keys To Improve Your Sleep. 

If not, be sure to go back and read about Your Body and Your Mind as the first two keys to good sleep. Here are the links to those resources:

The 3 keys to improve your sleep: Part 1: your body 

The 3 keys to improve your sleep: part 2: Your Mind

Today we are talking about the 3rd key to improving your sleep: your epigenetics.

In this blog episode, you’ll specifically learn why genes are not your destiny, what really matters when it comes to genes and sleeping, a genetic testing alternative, and genes that lead to insomnia.

Let's dive in!

Why genes are not your destiny

The truth is, your genes do play a role in your sleep.

I saw this on my own journey, when I began to look at the role of neurotransmitters on sleep, and I got my own neurotransmitter levels back. It showed I was really low in serotonin. The lab owner actually asked, “Do you have problems with sleep?” I had to laugh. I thought I was sleeping pretty well, especially compared to where I had been, but she recommended supplementing with 5-HTP, and my sleep got even better!

For me, low serotonin is likely a genetic trait because I’ve seen so many of my family members struggle with mental health issues. This is also related to having the MTHFR gene. The doctor who helped me discover I had it advised that if I ever began to struggle with mood issues, it could help to start taking methylated B vitamins.

So both of these “conditions” come from my genes. And being aware of them and their impact is important for me to have a full understanding of my health and, therefore, my sleep. This helped me understand the importance of looking at how my clients' genes are being expressed.

It's important for you to know that genes are not your destiny.

I’ve had so many people tell me they think their sleep issues are genetic, because someone else in their family has sleep issues. While our genes can make us susceptible to poor sleep, our genes are not our destiny

What we eat, How we move, Our stress levels, And many other factors actually determine if our genes turn off or on.

Hence the saying, “The genes are the gun. Your lifestyle is the bullets.”

When your body is in balance, your genes stay clean and don’t turn on. But when the body gets out of balance, or stressed, the genes can turn on and cause symptoms.

We are born with some genes already dirty, which gives us certain weaknesses (or strengths). Other genes can become dirty from our lifestyle choices.

What really matters when it comes to genes and sleeping

Our genes are not our destiny. What matters is how they are expressed.

For this reason, I don’t believe genetics testing is very helpful. Genetic testing will tell you which variants or SNPs you have, but it won’t tell you if they are turned on or not. Often the solution offered to these test results is to offer supplements for any and every gene or SNP you have. But you don’t need those supplements if the gene isn’t actually impacting you.

For example, I have the MTHFR gene but I don’t have any mood issues so I don’t actually need to take supplements. The most important thing for me is the diet and lifestyle choices I make which support keeping that gene clean, so it continues to not create any problems for me.

Even worse, new problems can even be created by supplementing when you don’t need to. For example, many people who have the MTHFR gene are taking methylfolate or methyl B vitamins. But too much methylfolate can cause anxiety, irritability, and insomnia. So it might be making things worse instead of better.

A genetic testing alternative

I prefer to do a genetic assessment that helps us gauge which genes may actually be turned on that are impacting your health and your sleep.

We look for which genes are suggesting that they are out of balance and need our attention.

Genes that lead to insomnia

There are some genes that are directly related to insomnia. We know that the PENTM, the MAO, and the COMP genes have all been clearly linked to insomnia. So it is important to be aware of if you have them and how they may play a role in your sleep issues.

Other genes may indirectly lead to sleep issues. The MTHFR, the GST, and the GPX genes all affect liver detox, and liver detox issues can certainly create insomnia. The DAO gene can impact someone's ability to clear histamines, and high histamines can lead to insomnia.

This is why it's so important to find out what is going to work best for YOUR body.

There isn’t a one size fits all approach to any of this.

Diet is a great example of how we can’t use what works for someone else and assume it will work for us. The best diet for you depends on so much: your metabolism, your blood type, your activity level, your gut health and more.

Exercise also needs to be appropriate for your body, your energy level, and even your phase of life.

Similarly, different supplements work for different people. Some people respond well to SSRIs or 5-HTP and others don’t, based on their genetics.

If you lack a gene that allows you to break down stress hormones, meditation can be an incredibly useful tool, but for others, an increase in activity is much more useful.

It’s different for everyone. What's happening in your body, the role of your mind, and the role of your genes all play a part in what it means for you to live your best life. We can’t just work with one part and solve your sleep issues.

How genes can cause your sleep issues: A client story

I was recently working with a client who worked a stressful job in the medical field. Her sleep issue followed the same cycle as her work. She slept great on weeks she was off and slept terribly on weeks she was working.

Through our genetic assessment, we learned that one of the genes acting out for her is the COMT gene, which means her body doesn’t break down stress hormones well. Because she is in a high stress job, she is unable to quickly break down those stress hormones and get to sleep when she gets home.

So now we can begin to work with the COMT gene and help solve that specific problem to help her sleep. We can also continue to support her by mentally addressing how she handles stress, and helping her body stay in balance and nourished so she can thrive.

I know it can feel like you’ve tried everything, but we really need to look at everything going on in the body, mind, and genes. And if you haven’t taken the big picture, whole health approach, you haven’t tried anything like my sleep programs.