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SIMPLE 4 STEP PLAN TO CONQUER INSOMNIA

Sleep. Catch some z’s. Crash. Get some shut-eye. Hit the hay. Get forty winks.

Whatever you want to call it, the bottom line is that most of us aren’t getting enough sleep and walk around like zombies saying things like, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

30% of American adults are getting 6 hours or less of shut-eye a night, which wreaks havoc on our bodies!

A predominant contributing factor to this is that 25% of Americans experience acute insomnia per year.  

Are you someone who struggles with insomnia? 

If so, check out the Simple 4-Step Plan I created to help YOU overcome your insomnia and get solid rest at night so that you can feel energized and focused during the day.

Simple 4-Step Plan to Eliminate Insomnia and Get a Good Night’s Rest:

1. REMOVE

  • Excitatory foods (sugar, glutamate, processed carbs)
  • Alcohol (produces adenosine that wakes you later)
  • Electronic devices 1 hour before bed (blue light)
  • Daytime napping (disrupts circadian rhythm)
  • Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
  • Caffeine (7-hour half-life)
  • Wi-Fi in bedroom
  • Pets in bed

2. REPLACE

  • Wine with warm tea (passionflower, valerian, chamomile)
  • Rx medications (zolpidem, benzodiazepines, etc)
  • Old habits like eating within 2 hours of bedtime
  • Pesky auditory distractions with white noise
  • Unsupportive mattress and worn pillows
  • Vitamin deficiencies with daily:
  • Mg glycinate 500mg
  • Vit B6 50mg

3. REPAIR

  • Inflammation by treating the root cause
  • Dysfunctional glucose (sugar) levels
  • Microbiome with phytonutrient-rich foods
  • Elimination by sweating or Epsom salt baths
  • Nightly routine by adding ritualistic quiet time
  • Cortisol imbalance with Ashwagandha 500mg
  • Tired, achy muscles with self-massage or rolling
  • Gut microbiome with probiotics (especially B. infantis)

4. REBALANCE

  • Body with regular daily movement
  • Theta brain waves in regular meditation
  • 20 mins of sunshine or full-spectrum lamp
  • General anxiety with GABA 200mg at bedtime
  • Melatonin levels with 5-HTP 100mg before bed
  • Circadian rhythm with routine sleep/wake cycles
  • Parasympathetic nervous system with breathwork

I see people who struggle with insomnia all the time in my practice!

And, through the use of my handy dandy biochemical explorer skills, I’m able to get to the root cause of the issue and teach my patients the proper knowledge and tools to help them sleep as deeply as they did in their care-free early days of college.

One of my patients that had been struggling with this issue (amongst others) recently shared her success story after experiencing first hand the life-changing impacts of functional medicine:

“My symptoms are unbelievably improved in this short span of time. My acid reflux is ZERO. My sleeping is amazing. I start naturally getting tired towards the end of the evening which is new for me! I used to be the opposite and couldn’t wind down at night! I’m SO GLAD I signed up!

This 61-year-old female is truly living her best life now! ⠀

⠀What we did: ⠀

  1. We healed her gut with 5R protocol ⠀
  2. She followed an elimination diet for 10 days and transitioned back to a low-inflammatory diet⠀
  3. She re-adjusted her relationship with alcohol once she noticed she didn’t feel tired or have sinus congestion if she didn’t have her nightly glass of wine.⠀
  4. We balanced her HPA (adrenals) with adaptogens and nutraceuticals that increase levels of active cortisol in the daytime but decrease levels in the evening. ⠀

This allowed her to have more energy to do the things she wanted to do, but drift effortlessly off to sleep at night!⠀

If you just cannot turn off your monkey brain at night and want some easy to implement tips on how to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep, you can enroll in my Mini-Class “Insomnia” to give you current tips and resources for immediate use!   

If you’re looking for more one on one guidance and have been struggling with pesky symptoms that just don’t seem to go away no matter what you do, book a complimentary 20-minute phone Strategy Session with me today and get started on Membership Enrollment so YOU can start living your best life too!!

Dr Lara Salyer Blog Author Photo

Dr. Lara Salyer

I am a Functional Medicine Physician, Speaker, Author and Mentor located in Monroe, WI.

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