Do you lie awake at 3 AM with racing thoughts? Despite trying every meditation app and breathing technique, your mind won't quiet down? Here's the surprising truth: this isn't a mental problem you need to control better. It's your body sending urgent signals that something is out of balance.


In this episode, I'm going to reveal the 4 hidden physical imbalances that are hijacking your brain at bedtime, and exactly how to identify which one is keeping you awake. 



00:00 Introduction: The Real Reason You Can't Sleep

01:03 Understanding Cortisol and Its Impact on Sleep

03:05 The Role of Sex Hormones in Sleep Disruption

06:00 Neurotransmitters and Gut Health Connection

08:07 Mineral Imbalances and Toxic Metals

09:31 Conclusion: Fixing the Root Causes of Sleep Issues



Schedule a consultation to get started with the Complete Sleep Solution program so you can consistently sleep 7+ hours uninterrupted, naturally and permanently.


Episode Transcript


[00:00:00] Do you lie awake at 3:00 AM with your mind spinning like a hamster wheel? Desperately trying every meditation app and breathing technique you can find, but your thoughts just won't stop racing. Well, here's what might shock you. This isn't a mental problem. It's actually your body sending you urgent biological signals that something is outta balance.


In this episode, I'm going to reveal the four hidden physical imbalances that are hijacking your brain at bedtime, and exactly how to identify which one is keeping you awake. This is the Sleep Detective Podcast where you will learn why you can't sleep and how to fix it naturally. I'm Martha Lewis and as a functional health and life coach for the past five years.


I've helped over 200 clients find and fix the root causes of their health issues so they can consistently sleep seven to nine hours without drugs by addressing why their mind is [00:01:00] actually racing.


So let's get into the reasons. Reason number one. Cortisol causes insomnia. So again, your ruminating thoughts might seem like a mental problem, but it's actually not all in your head. And cortisol is really key. So if your body is releasing cortisol, that is one of our stress hormones that is going to make our mind race.


It's going to give us energy. It's going to increase our heart rate and blood pressure and body temperature. And so if your body is releasing cortisol at night, which is when it should be lowest, then your mind is going to race. And so it's actually not really the stress during the day. Your worry about work or money or whatever it is, it's actually because your body's releasing these hormones.


That are making you wake up and be alert. And so this is a very important hormone, but it should be [00:02:00] lowest at night when we're trying to sleep. And so what's interesting too is sometimes when my clients actually have low cortisol overall, and that's a sign that their body's been stressed for a long time.


But guess what happens when cortisol is low? The body resorts to adrenaline instead, which is a even more powerful stress hormone that's going to make your mind race even more. So what we really want to do is, yes, you can take a supplement to lower cortisol, but that's just putting a bandaid on it. I find out why your body's releasing cortisol at night when it shouldn't be, and the most common reasons are because of low blood sugar, a pathogen 


in the gut. And liver detox issues. So those are the three most common reasons I see for cortisol being released at night. And so that's what I help my clients with in my programs. And if that's something you're interested in [00:03:00] is figuring out, okay, why is your mind racing? Why is your body releasing cortisol at night?


Now the second reason why your mind is racing at night has to do with other hormones or are sex hormones. So both women and men can have hormone imbalances that affect sleep and mood and stress actually depletes these hormones because when the body's constantly making cortisol to deal with stress.


It's taking the resources and nutrients it needs away from making stress hormones and focusing on making cortisol because our bodies are always gonna prioritize survival, what it sees as survival with cortisol, more than reproduction with our sex hormones. And so when our hormones become depleted or outta balance, then that can cause.


The mind racing. So for example, low estrogen can lead to depression, [00:04:00] anxiety, mood swings, and insomnia. High estrogen is also associated with mood swings and irritability and sleep disturbances. And it can also be relative. to, progesterone in women and testosterone in men. Now, low progesterone for men and women can cause anxiety, depression, and make you feel stressed, nervous and jittery.


And symptoms of low testosterone include depression, anxiety, worry, and fear. Low melatonin can also manifest as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and insomnia. Your mind racing seems like this mental problem and seems like it's something that you can't control. Similar to anxiety.


And you may have doctors who have told you, oh, the reason you aren't sleeping is 'cause of anxiety. You know, that's why your mind is racing. And it's like, no, there are these imbalances in your body. That are making your mind race, that are causing anxiety and what manifest as mental health [00:05:00] issues.


As a functional health coach, I don't just recommend supplementing with hormones when they're out of balance. That can help. And for women, as we enter perimenopause and menopause, we might want to think about, hormone replacement therapy more long term, but. What I do first and foremost is address why those hormones are out of balance.


And so again, I'm looking for what's causing stress in your body that's making it constantly have to focus on making cortisol and address those things. And so then when we can lower overall stress. In your body, and yes, in your mind too, managing stress better can help. Then your body can focus on making those sex hormones again.


And so my goal is to help you eliminate as many stressors as possible so that you can have good balance of these hormones and feel calm, and your mind won't race at night. Now, reason number [00:06:00] three. Actually has to do with neurotransmitters, and this actually has to do with gut health. So the good bacteria in your gut should be making most of your neurotransmitters.


There is a study by Caltech that found that 90% of serotonin, for example, is made in the gut. And so if you don't have enough good bacteria, you won't have all the neurotransmitters you need to feel. Calm and relaxed and sleepy, and serotonin is our happy and joyful neurotransmitter, and it also helps us fall into a deep and restful sleep.


And so that's why signs of serotonin deficiency are depression, especially lack of enjoyment. PMS, inner rage, paranoia, and Poor sleep. Now GABA is like our anti-anxiety hormone, and this is another neurotransmitter that affects sleep. So if you're deficient in gaba, you find it hard to turn off your mind, which leads to those racing [00:07:00] thoughts and anxiety.


And so the most common GABA issues are anxiety, nervousness, and insomnia. And you need those neurotransmitters to have a calm mind. So most of my clients, because I do neurotransmitter testing, most of them are deficient. In both serotonin and gaba, and this was one of my issues too. So no wonder we have a hard time sleeping when we don't have those calming neurotransmitters.


And so if you have a pathogen in your gut, such as a parasite or h pylori or other bad bacteria, those critters create a lot of inflammation and then your body releases cortisol to deal with that inflammation. Because it's also an anti-inflammatory hormone, and because those creatures are almost active at night, they cause cortisol to be released in the middle of the night.


So you're gonna wake up with your mind racing. So dealing with gut health and [00:08:00] addressing neurotransmitters is gonna be super important to calm that racing mind at night. Now the fourth reason has to do with mineral imbalances and toxic metals. So, you know, we hear so much about vitamins, not enough about minerals except for magnesium.


But different mineral imbalances can cause ruminating thoughts. And so this is why I use a hair tissue mineral analysis to see. My client's mineral pattern, so then I know it's outta balance. And the most common mineral pattern I see is called slow oxidation. And in this pattern, calcium, magnesium are really high sodium, potassium are really low, and that pattern leads to insomnia as well as overactive thoughts.


And then there's the opposite pattern called fast oxidation, where there's too much sodium potassium, calcium, magnesium. Get burnt through quickly so they become depleted and this [00:09:00] pattern causes anxiety and that type a personality as well as a racing mind. And then there's copper, which is a necessary mineral, but when there's too much, it can become toxic and build up and other toxic metals like mercury and arsenic and lead and aluminum and uranium, all of those things can manifest symptoms of anxiety, irritability, insomnia, and that repetitive thinking.


So. As you can see, your mind isn't racing because you aren't meditating enough or because you don't know how to control your brain. This is not your fault. These physical imbalances are causing your mental symptoms. Now, therapy can give you great tools to try to manage these anxious thoughts, and that's something that I also help my clients with because that's part of it.


But it's not gonna get to the root of why this is happening in the first place. So the [00:10:00] only way to calm your racing mind without medication is to find out what's causing it and correct it. But I want you to know that this is fixable. You can sleep well, you can feel calm in the middle of the night, and sleep peacefully.


And if this is something you want help with, then that is what I do in my programs, and you can go to the sleep detective.com to learn more and schedule a free consultation to get started. All right, everyone, thanks for listening, and I will talk to you next week.

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