These statistics might surprise you: it’s estimated that about half of the US population has H. pylori, a bacteria that lives in the stomach.


However, 85% of our insomnia clients have it. This is important to know, because H. pylori is definitely contributing to their sleep issues. 


If you have H. pylori in your stomach, you can do something about it. You have options.


In this blog post, you’ll learn how H. pylori affects different parts of the body, the symptoms of H. pylori infection, how to “treat” H. pylori, and the best test for H. pylori. 


When you have the knowledge you need to fight this bacteria, you can beat it and sleep better again. So, let’s dive into this blog post. 


How H. pylori affects different parts of the body and causes insomnia 


H. pylori is a pathogen that survives by raising a person’s PH level in their stomach. The stomach is supposed to be acidic at a level 2, which is how the stomach breaks down protein, but H. pylori can raise the acidic level in a person’s stomach to a 6 or 7. This makes the PH level neutral and lowers stomach acid (HCL or hydrochloric acid).


When a person has H. pylori, it’s difficult for them to digest protein and get amino acids and minerals - so the pancreas tries to “make up for it” by getting more enzymes to digest protein. Unfortunately, that becomes depleted over time. 


The combination of H. pylori infection and the pancreas becoming depleted leads to an issue digesting protein and getting the nutrients the body needs for optimal health and sleep. 


Additionally, because H. pylori is a pathogen, it’s nocturnal - which means it’s most active at night, including eating and pooping. The human body will release cortisol to counteract the toxicity that this bacteria is creating in your body. The release of cortisol will wake you up. 


Symptoms of H. pylori infection


H. pylori is tricky because it creates a biofilm, or protective shield, around itself to protect itself and its colony. (This is gross to think about, I know, but it’s really important for sleep!) 


This means some people with H. pylori experience symptoms, and others are asymptomatic. 


Here are some of the symptoms of H. pylori: 

  • Heartburn/reflux
  • Upper abdominal pain
  • Indigestion
  • Belching
  • Gastritis
  • Duodenal/Peptic Ulcers
  • Carcinoma
  • Headaches – especially migraine
  • Constipation
  • Nausea
  • Acne
  • Halitosis
  • Undigested food in stool
  • Need for digestive enzymes
  • Chronic dysfunction @ T6-T7 


When a person is aware of their digestive issues, they might take an over-the-counter medication to feel better. While that will help in the short term, it will make things worse in the long term. 


If you have H. pylori and it’s affecting your health or sleep, there are other ways to deal with it and get better. 


How to “treat” H. pylori so you can sleep well again


H. pylori is difficult to get rid of. It’s normal for it to take a few rounds of treatment to completely get rid of it. But success is possible.


The first step you’ll want to take is to speak to your doctor about this. Get their advice and guidance before taking action. They will most likely prescribe an antibiotic. 


Taking the antibiotic is completely your choice, but we do know antibiotics kill both the good and bad bacteria in your stomach. Antibiotics don’t get through the biofilm well. Also, you will likely be taking antibiotics for 14 days, which isn’t long enough to address the lifecycle of H. pylori, which is believed to be 60 days. 


Another course of action to consider is self-treatment using a biofilm buster, mastic gum, and/or other herbs, which is typically what I recommend for my clients. Because H. pylori also lives in the mouth and saliva, you’ll want to use a special toothpaste during your self-treatment. You may want to also consider soaking your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide daily. 


The self-treatment is something you’ll want to ask your household members to do as well, so you aren’t passing it back and forth continuously in the future. H. pylori is contagious.


The best test for H. pylori


Your doctor may want to use a breath test or biopsy to detect H. pylori, but that is not what I recommend. I think that the best test for H. pylori is The GI Map, which is the test I run for my clients inside The Complete Sleep Solution program.


The GI Map is a stool test that tells us what’s living in your gut: parasites, bacterial overgrowth and/ or candida.


This test also shows how well you're digesting food, how strong your immune system is, and gives an overall snapshot of your gut health. It is also highly sensitive to finding H. pylori in the stomach. 


From the lab’s website: 


“The qPCR technology used in the GI-MAP is highly sensitive and specific for H. pylori. H. pylori is reported as detected if the lab finds 100+ cells of H. pylori per gram of stool (1.0e2). 


It is likely that the H. pylori exists in the Large intestine and not in the small. This would not show on a breath test as the gases are only absorbed in the small intestine. If the H. pylori is only in the stomach or the large intestine, it would be negative on a breath test. 


There are many methods to test for H. pylori, all with varying degree of accuracy. A Urea Breath Test is a good test, but certain medications as well as GI bleeding can affect the results and cause a false negative....and it's an indirect test rather than a direct test (it's measuring a byproduct created when the bacteria are present in high levels rather than measuring the bacteria themselves). The breath test requires a level of overgrowth high enough to cause a positive test. 


Biopsy requires that the biopsy be taken from a site that has H. pylori on the tissue. H. Pylori does colonize in the stomach but does not colonize evenly. 


The Stool Antigen Test, which is considered a "good" test for H. pylori, is not nearly as sensitive. Sensitivity can vary from test to test, but most of the stool antigen tests can't detect H. pylori in a stool sample until there are at least 5,000 to 10,000 cells per gram of stool. And this is an incredibly high level. 


It depends on where the H. pylori is colonizing and in what amount. Low levels in the stomach can cause a false negative for all three of the above-mentioned tests and the HP could be colonizing in high amounts in duodenum and first few feet of the small intestine.” 


You can check out the lab’s Resource Library for H. pylori webinars and articles.


If you can’t sleep, there's a good chance that you have H. pylori or other pathogens in the gut that are keeping you awake. This is just one reason why you aren’t able to sleep.


How we can help


Ready to find out why you aren’t sleeping and get a plan to fix it? Find out how we can help at www.thesleepdetective.com or book a consultation to get started today so you can sleep better soon and live a long and healthy life. 


Here’s what my client and friend Mike said about The Complete Sleep Solution program:


"I am 66 years old and have always had trouble sleeping. I am about 60 days into the program with Martha which started with an evaluation and then lab testing. Now I am taking various supplements that Martha has recommended. I am sleeping better already!


Just as important, I have learned more about my body than I have ever known and that includes much more than just sleep related issues. If you want help with your sleep and want to learn as I have, Martha is dedicated, competent, honest, wholehearted and she has answers. Her knowledge of body chemistry and treatment including diet is extremely impressive. You can feel better."


Don’t wait to feel better and sleep better!