Why Your Blood Work Is Normal But You Still Can't Sleep

Is your blood work “normal” but you can’t sleep? Many of my clients have this experience.

There’s something going on in their bodies that is causing their sleep problems but blood work doesn’t usually find it.

There are a few reasons why that I want to share with you.

This article was written by me (Martha Lewis) and published in the Jackson Hole News and Guide. Feel free to read it there or right here on my website.

Functional lab reference ranges vs. traditional lab reference ranges

First of all, the labs’ reference ranges are based on an average of the people taking the test. Approximately 25% on either side of that average is called “within range” or “normal.”

Unfortunately many of the people taking tests are sick. Take a thyroid test for example. Far more sick people than healthy people are taking that test. So what labs call “normal” is really what’s normal for sick people with symptoms. The labs’ reference ranges are normal in that they’re common, but they aren’t ideal.

Also, reference ranges vary from lab to lab and state to state. There’s a joke that illustrates this: How do you get over a thyroid disorder? Move to a different state.

As a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner, I look for optimal ranges. These are much narrower than the clinical lab ranges. Optimal means the ranges people are in when they’re healthy without any symptoms, based on research. You don’t want your test results to be “normal,” you want them to be optimal.

The intention of traditional blood work is to diagnose disease

Another reason that blood work doesn’t help identify why you can’t sleep is because its intention is to diagnose disease. There’s something significant going on if your markers aren’t “normal.” If we use the optimal ranges, however, we can find imbalances to address before they develop into a disease or disorder.

When blood work comes out abnormal, usually pharmaceuticals are prescribed to treat the problem. Statins are prescribed for high cholesterol. Leothyroxine is prescribed for high TSH on a thyroid test. Hormone replacement therapy or birth control is prescribed for hormone imbalances. These drugs are a bandage to cover up the imbalances. They aren’t addressing why the markers are out of balance, and they have side effects.

For example, cholesterol can be high from hypothyroidism, chronic infections, insulin resistance, liver dysfunction and more. TSH can be high from gluten sensitivity, heavy metal toxicity or deficiencies in iodine or selenium. Hormones become depleted from ongoing stress when the body prioritizes making cortisol instead of sex hormones. Finding out where the stress is coming from will naturally lower cortisol.

Blood work is valuable if you use optimal ranges instead of the lab’s reference ranges.

Using optimal ranges can tell me that someone likely has inflammation in the gut, a chronic infection or liver dysfunction.

But if your liver enzymes are out of range, for example, blood work doesn’t tell you why. What’s causing the burden on your liver? That’s why I use functional lab testing to find out exactly what is causing those imbalances.

Why I run functional lab tests on all of my insomnia clients

Functional lab tests get their name because they show us how different systems in your body are functioning. They don’t pinpoint anything specifically; instead they show the big picture of how different systems in your body are working as a whole. These tests show me what’s causing sleep issues, such as hormone balance, gut health, liver function, heavy metals, food sensitivities and more.

A great example of a helpful functional lab test is the GI (gastrointestinal) map. This is a stool test that looks for DNA to find what’s living in your gut: good and bad bacteria, parasites, yeast and more. This test also has markers for how other systems in your body are working, such as digestion, your liver, your immune system, inflammation and the health of your gut wall. One functional lab test can give information about many different systems in the body.

One of my clients, BJ, is 44 years old and has had sleeping issues for at least 10 years. He was alternating between Trazadone, Xanax, Advil p.m. and tart cherry juice every night to sleep.

His blood work was always normal but the functional lab tests showed:

Two parasites, low good bacteria and a damaged gut wall
Low testosterone and DHEA
High cortisol at night
Sensitivity to gluten, dairy, and eggs that were causing inflammation
Mineral imbalance

All of these imbalances were contributing to his poor sleep. Within a few months, BJ was able to fall asleep easily and go back to sleep in the middle of the night, without drugs.

As an alternative practitioner, I believe in using diet, lifestyle and natural supplements instead of pharmaceuticals to return function to the body.

It’s also important to get help with anxiety about sleep and stress in general because mental stress affects the health of the body.

If you can’t sleep, there are imbalances in your body that are keeping you awake even if your blood test results come back normal. You don’t have to live with insomnia.