I dealt with my own sleep issues for 2 years after I gave birth to my son, but I finally figured out how to sleep well again and you can too! 


In this episode you’ll learn:

  • 4 things I learned in my own sleep journey that helped me overcome insomnia
  • The real cause of chronic sleep issues (it’s not what you think!)
  • My realization about the traditional medical system as it relates to sleep
  • How the body and mind are connected to sleep issues 
  • One surprising strategy that can help you in those moments when you can’t sleep 


Don’t waste YEARS of your life trying to figure this out on your own. Apply what you learn in this episode to your life immediately to start feeling better and sleeping better!


Resources



Episode Transcript


Have you tried everything from natural to pharmaceutical just to get a good night's rest? Join me, Martha Lewis, certified sleep expert and functional health coach. As I unpack what's really keeping you up at night and how to change it, this is the Sleep Detective podcast and I'm going to show you how to sleep well so you can enjoy your life.


Hello and welcome to another episode of the Sleep Detective podcast where good health, sleep, and longevity are inevitable. This episode is coming out on New Year's Day, so happy 2025. Everyone. The start of a new year is always super exciting, and if you aren't sleeping well, hopefully your goal for the year and as soon as possible is to figure that out, and that is definitely something that I can help you with. Today I want to talk about the four things I have learned in my journey about sleep that help me finally overcome insomnia.


So if you don't already know my story, I developed insomnia in late pregnancy when I was 39 years old. Until then, I had always slept great. I had also always loved sleep and appreciated my sleep and needed sleep. So it was horrible When I wasn't sleeping, I was miserable and people kept telling me, well, this is just preparing you to have a newborn. Well, that was not helpful to me. I knew that I wasn't going to get enough sleep when my baby was born. I don't think you need practice with that. So it took me two years to finally figure out what was going on. And even though I thought that the issue was hormones because it was happening during pregnancy, it didn't go away even after I had my son, even after he was not a good sleeper when he was a baby. So I ended up hiring a pediatric sleep consultant and then it made such a big difference in my life once he was sleeping that I became a pediatric sleep consultant.


And so here I am helping parents with their babies sleep and I'm not sleeping. I realized once my son was sleeping through the night that, okay, I still have an issue. And for me, I would try to go to bed early. I was so exhausted, but it would take me forever to fall asleep. And then I would wake up like clockwork at around 3, 3 30 every morning and I couldn't go back to sleep until six, which was when my son was waking up for the day. So I was dealing with that. I still had a young baby, I was working full time. I'd actually started my business on the side as a pediatric sleep consultant and I wasn't sleeping and I was exhausted and it was definitely getting in the way of me being able to get my business off the ground and quit my nine to five and be able to spend more time with my son.


So I was really motivated to figure it out and like you did, I tried all kinds of different things. I researched endlessly. I read books about things. I tried not eating chocolate too late in the evening. I tried not watching screens before bed even though until then I always watched TV before bed and slept just fine. I tried more exercise, less exercise. I tried having this long bedtime routine, taking a bath before bed, essential oils, all the things and nothing was working. And so then I took an adult sleep certification, which I was skeptical about because I already knew a lot about sleep as a pediatric sleep consultant, but it did help me a lot with my mindset with some of my habits and what to do when I wasn't sleeping. And so that helped until I went through the stressful time and then my sleep deteriorated again.


And none of those things that I was doing, none of the sleep hygiene, none of the mindset work was helping. And it wasn't until I heard about functional lab testing and actually did the test that I was like, oh, this makes so much sense. There are things going on in my body that are affecting my sleep. So that is the first thing I learned was that it was a health issue. So it wasn't the fact, it wasn't because I was eating chocolate too late in the day or not having a long enough bedtime routine or all the things there were actually imbalances in my body that were affecting my sleep. So the lab testing showed that I had a parasite, which I had probably gotten traveling in Nepal and India 13 years before I had hormone imbalance. Not surprising, I had a baby at age 39.


I had liver detox issues, which got even worse. I got to the point where I couldn't tolerate any alcohol at all. I had heavy metals, especially uranium probably from drinking the tap water. I live in Jackson Hole in the mountains. And so there's a lot of uranium in places where there are mountains in the soil. So it gets into the water. And then another piece of the puzzle is I had neurotransmitter deficiencies, so especially serotonin and gaba. So once I started correcting all those things, that's when my sleep just kept getting better and better. I want to point out that it was a health issue for me even though I was very healthy and that my blood work was always normal, looked great. I cared about my health since my early twenties. When I started becoming fascinated about nutrition, I ended up getting a master's in holistic nutrition.


In 2008, I became a GAP certified practitioner, which gap stands for gut and psychology syndrome, which is really all about gut health. So I became an expert in gut health. From that, I worked for a doctor as his nutritionist. I managed the supplement department of a health food store. I'm known to all my friends as the health person, and yet I still develop these health issues even though I ate well, I exercise. I live in Jackson Hole where that's what we do together is we play together with our friends, with my husband. Now we always biked and hiked and snowboarded together. And so I lived this very healthy lifestyle and yet I still developed insomnia. So even if you are healthy and you're eating well and you're exercising and you're maybe even taking supplements, maybe even into biohacking doing what you can to be healthy, there are still imbalances in your body that you don't even know are there that are affecting your sleep.


So it is a health issue, and I think about it this way too, is that we are meant to sleep well. So we need as humans to spend a third of our lives asleep. There are so much repair and recovery that happens in memory consolidation, all kinds of things that happen when we sleep. It's so important. And so a healthy body sleeps well. So if you are sleeping, it's just a sign that your body isn't totally healthy. So it is very much a health issue and it was so amazing. I was so excited to see that I had a parasite that was explaining why I wasn't sleeping. So sometimes people are afraid of what the tests are going to show. I'm not looking for anything serious like cancer and dementia and things like that. I'm looking for imbalances in the body that are affecting how different parts of the body are functioning.


No major diseases or anything. So I see anything that is found as good news When the test results show different imbalances, I'm like, great, now I know how to help you with that. Let's go. Alright, so the second thing that I've learned also is that the medical system couldn't help. And I've learned this from also talking to so many people and so many of my clients now, I've been very much into alternative health for a long time and been kind of skeptical of the medical system. I didn't go to my doctor about my sleep issues. I mean I told my OB GYN about it, but she didn't know what to tell me to do. But I knew that if I went to a doctor who was just going to prescribe a pill and I really didn't want to take a pill, I try not to take any kind of medication.


I had a headache the other day and I didn't even want to take for that. So when I'm sick, I try and I take a lot of immune supplements and things like that, but I'm not taking drugs all day and all night long. I won't say I never do. If I'm super sick and I need to sleep, I will take a NyQuil once a year. Maybe that happens. But for the most part, I'm trying to avoid drugs. And so unfortunately the medical system, what they've been trained to do is diagnose disease and prescribe a drug. And so that's just how the medical system works. And so I knew that it wasn't going to help me get to the root of why I wasn't sleeping. And that's why when I learned about the functional lab testing, this light bulb went off of my head and I knew that that was the answer of getting to the root cause, not just trying to bandaid it with a pill that unfortunately has a lot of side effects and it can be addictive both physically and psychologically.


I work with a lot of people who are on different meds, and so I've seen that and so many people I talk to, they've gone to their doctor, they've done blood work, and so they're either told you need to do a sleep study, which I'll tell you, a sleep study is looking for apnea, not going to, even if it does show that you don't sleep, it's not going to tell you why. So most of my clients have done sleep studies. Now apnea is important to address if it's something that you have, but that's different than insomnia or trouble sleeping. So that's your option. Do a sleep study or it's all in your head or it's anxiety, go to a psychiatrist and get a drug. I can't tell you how many people have told me that they've been told that it's all in their head. And that just infuriates me because that makes it seem like it's your fault and you're not controlling your mind enough to be able to sleep and you're not controlling your anxiety enough to be able to sleep when actually there are imbalances in your body that are literally keeping you awake.


And also if you're feeling anxious, they're making you feel anxious. Plus lack of sleep is making you feel anxious. And so yeah, it can definitely become this vicious cycle, but unfortunately the medical system isn't going to be able to help. So that is a lesson that I have learned. The third thing that I have learned is that it is a body and mind issue. And this is why in my programs I address both the body and the mind because yes, it's a health issue and there are imbalances in your body that are causing that. But if you are also worried about sleep, anxious about sleep or have a lot of stress in your life or trauma that hasn't been dealt with, you're still not going to be able to sleep well even if we address the parasite or whatever it is that's going on in your body.


And same, even if you are addressing the mental piece and a lot of my clients have done cognitive behavioral therapy or they've gone to a therapist or whatever it is, that's not enough. Just addressing the mental part isn't enough if you also have a parasite and hormone imbalance and liver detox issues and all these physical imbalances. So the fastest and most effective way to naturally sleep well is to address both the body and the mind. And so that's definitely what we help you with. And in my programs. Now, the fourth thing that I've learned, and this is a tough thing, but is when you aren't sleeping is in that moment. You just need to accept it. And so part of the suffering of not sleeping is, and this used to be me, right? Like being awake in the middle of the night feeling so desperate for sleep, I even cried sometimes in the middle of the night.


I was just so tired and frustrated and yet still couldn't sleep and all I wanted to do was sleep. And so all of those thoughts and that negativity and that worry and that anxiety is only making it worse and there's nothing you can do in that moment to change it. Now, yes, you can wake up the next morning and you can sign up for my program and we can get going, but in that moment there's nothing you can do. So the way to eliminate a lot of the suffering that happens with not sleeping well is in the moment to accept it. And that's actually going to help you get more sleep. Because think about it. I mean, first of all, one of the main reason why we get anxious about it is because we're worried about how it's going to affect us the next day.


We are going to be tired, we're going to be grumpy. We have this and this and that going on and it's going to be so hard. But if you think about it, when you're lying there in bed, whether you're sleeping or not, you're in this comfortable place. It's dark, it's quiet. No one's bothering you for anything or asking you for anything. You can see it as this very nice place to be. It's really the worries about the next day that get us or the worries of even what's wrong with me that really cause the anxiety and the suffering. And when you start worrying about that, when you start feeling anxious, when you start feeling desperate, your body just releases even more cortisol. It's probably already releasing cortisol and that's why you're awake. And then that worrying, that anxiety, it's just making you release more, which means it's going to take even longer for your body to clear that cortisol for you to be able to go back to sleep if you can even go back to sleep. So accepting in the moment that this is what is happening, that there's nothing you can do about it and that you're okay and you're going to be okay tomorrow. Whether you've been living with sleep issues for weeks, months, years, you know that you still get through the next day.


And there are times during that day where you don't even think about what happened the night before and you don't even think about sleep and you're just functioning. So just keep that in mind that you're going to be fine. And the more you can tell yourself those things, and I have tools to help with this in my programs as well, it is so important. So before we even get the test back and can start addressing the physical imbalances, we can start working on this immediately. And your experience of not sleeping can change really quickly so that you aren't so frustrated and exhausted and fed up and anxious about it. And this takes practice. It's not like it's going to happen overnight, but if in the moment you can just accept that you aren't sleeping. For me, I would get out of bed, I would read a book.


Sometimes I would read for hours. Sometimes I'm like reading, putting it down, I got too tired to read, but then I didn't fall asleep so I'd pick it back up again. But the more I learned how to control how I was feeling and not get anxious, the more sleep I got, the faster I got better, the faster I got back to sleep. So that is the fourth and final thing I want to leave you with. So the four main things I've learned is that it is a health issue. There are imbalances in your body that are affecting your sleep. The medical system can't help you with something like insomnia and sleep issues or at least it can't help you get to the root cause. It is a body and a mind issue. And when you aren't sleeping, you want to just accept it and be okay with it.


So I hope that that really helps. Now, I want to tell you about my complete Sleep Solution program because I have designed this to find all the causes of your insomnia in both the body and the mind and give you support to get your body back in balance to help with the mental part so that in six months or less you are sleeping consistently, sleeping well, which means at least seven hours a night without interruption. Or if you are waking up, it's very quickly going back to sleep and then waking up, feeling rested, having energy, being in a good mood, all of those things, not worrying about sleep anymore, not researching about sleep, not feeling anxious about sleep.


And I really do this from a health perspective. So even though I'm specializing in sleep, it is very much a health restoring program because again, not sleeping is a health issue. So once your body starts getting back more imbalanced, then you start sleeping better and better. And so the program includes analysis of four functional lab tests, plus assessments that look for everything that could be causing your sleep issues. And then you get a customized protocol that's very holistic, looking at diet, looking at your habits and lifestyle and stress and exercise and supplements that I recommend for the short term to get your body back in balance as quickly as possible. And then you have six months of support as you implement your plan. And I've made it six months even though many of my clients start sleeping better within a few weeks of signing up, definitely within a few months of signing up.


But again, it is a health restoring program. It's going to take some time to help get your body back in balance. And six months is the longest that I expect someone to see improvement, if not fully get to sleeping at least seven hours uninterrupted. The six months of support means that you have 12 sessions with a coach, so you meet twice a month. Right now my co-coach is Claudine. She is amazing. She's been working with me and she's helped over 40 of our clients sleep better in the past nine months or so. And she has the same training I do in the functional lab testing, and then I still oversee your case. So really you have two sets of eyes on your case instead of one because Claudine and I collaborate about your case, but you get support from her, you meet with her, and then the three of us actually chat.


So you have daily chat messaging Monday through Friday where if questions come up, we get back to you. And that way you don't have to wait to get any questions answered so you get that support right away. There are also modules in the program, so every week you get super quick to the point 10 minutes long usually. I know that we're busy and tired resources about habits, about diet, about blood sugar, about liver detox, about mindset, about stress, all kinds of things. It's very much a comprehensive program that's meant to give you as many resources as possible to improve your sleep as quickly as possible. And then you talk about how you're going to use those things in the sessions with your coach. The program cost is $4,000 plus the cost of the lab tests, which are just under a thousand dollars for clients in the us I do work with clients all over the world and the clients or the tests are just a little more expensive internationally, a little over a thousand dollars us.


That is how that works. I also offer a payment plan where you can do four monthly payments of a thousand dollars and split that up. Although the tests and the program isn't covered by standard insurance, I have had clients use health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts and things like that to cover the program and the tests. So that is how it works. You will find the link with more information about the program in the show notes. And the first step to get started is to schedule a consultation with me. So we will personally meet for 45 minutes on Zoom so we can get to know each other. I want to know what's going on with your sleep and health, how long you've been dealing with things, what your goals are, and then I'll tell you the steps that you can take to get there in the program.


So feel free to sign up for that. I would love to help you with this. Again, I hope your goal in 2025 is to get the sleep that you need to have energy, to be able to think and concentrate, to be in a good mood, to be able to do the things that you love and spend time with the people you love, which are the most important things we can do in our life. So I would love to help you with this and otherwise, thanks for listening and I will talk to you next week.

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