6 Root Causes for Sleep Problems

Sleep is vital to our health and well-being, yet many of us struggle to get a good nights rest.  In my newsletter of August 10, 2020, I discussed the importance of sleep and how much it can affect our health.  To read this article, go to:  Aug. 10, 20202.

   In short, too little sleep greatly impacts our health in many ways, and over time, it can lead to serious health issues, such as:

• Brain damage;
• Depression;
• Accelerated aging;
• High blood sugar levels and an increased risk of diabetes;
• Weight gain, especially around the abdomen;
• Increased risk of cancer by altering the balance of hormones in your body;
• Weakening of the immune system;
• High blood pressure;
• Increased risk of heart disease and stroke;
• Speed up tumor growth (tumors grow two to three times faster in laboratory animals with severe sleep dysfunctions);

6 Root Causes
Without finding the root cause for sleep problems, the solutions and remedies will only be hit-and-miss.  Through the years, I have found that there are 6 main causes for sleep problems, these are:

• Glandular
• Heart problems
• Nervous system 
• Brain
• Hormonal 
• Liver

Glandular – This mainly has to do with the Thyroid and the Adrenal gland. In fact, one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism is insomnia.  When the thyroid is not working well, it can lead to sleep problems.  Other symptoms of hypothyroidism are: hair loss, lack of energy, depression, weight gain or inability to lose weight. With hyperthyroidism, though there can be sleep problems, there may be opposite problems, such as not able to gain weight and too much energy, not able to calm down.  The Adrenal is our stress gland.  When a person has too much stress over an extended period of time, it can lead to Adrenal Fatigue.   See my July 23 newsletter article on Adrenal Fatigue.  Solution:  support the thyroid and adrenals and reduce stress. Use the Adrenal formula.

Heart – Often when the heart is not functioning well, there can be sleep disturbances.  This is mainly when the heart problems stem from emotional issues.  The thyroid and heart are tied together in this regards.  It is undisputed that emotions have an impact on our health.  Different emotions affect different organs.  Grief is the emotion that affects our thyroid, and this in turn affects our heart.  Solution:  Strengthen the heart and heal the emotions:  St John’s wort, Hawthorne Berry
 
Nervous system – The nervous system can be affected and then this causes us to loose sleep.  Some of the most common reasons for this are:  Parkinson, Lyme’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and other diseases that affect the nerves.  Solution:  Heal the nerves – take Relax ease.  This formula helps heal the myelin sheath around the nerves.

Next week, I will cover the last three of the roots of sleep problems.  If you have any questions or would like to set up an appointment, please call or contact me. 

We’re Here to Help YOU!
Amy Willis, M.H., CN