People are usually surprised to hear that lab testing is included in my sleep package.
When people think of a program that aims to improve an adult's sleep, they typically think of using strategies that are more sleep hygiene-related, such as avoiding television before bed, winding down appropriately, taking a nice bath, doing a meditation, reading a book, or creating an ideal sleep environment.
While all of these things are important when it comes to good quality sleep, I typically find that if someone is a true insomniac and has been experiencing sleep issues for some time, then they're already doing all of those things.
Usually by the time a client comes to me, they have tried everything and they’re still not getting enough sleep. That's what I experienced when I was having sleep issues.
I actually worked with an adult sleep coach who focused more on behavioral interventions, and while I did see some great success, it was short-lived. My insomnia eventually came back, despite doing all the things: I was putting my phone in another room so I couldn't even touch it when i woke up in the middle of the night, I was meditating my butt off, but I still wasn't sleeping.
That's when I discovered Christine Hansen and the Sleep Like A Boss program, which introduced me to the importance of functional health when it comes to sleep.
So, Why Lab Testing?
When you're not sleeping, it's like a check engine light is going off in your body. It's telling you there's something wrong that needs to be addressed. And that’s what we do with the functional lab tests: we uncover opportunities for healing. Opportunities to eliminate physical stressors and re-balance your body.
If your body is functioning optimally, meaning you don't have a medical condition (i.e. sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome) and you're to able to effectively deal with mental stressors, then there should be no reason for you not to be able to get good quality sleep.
This is where the lab tests come in.
There are 5 lab tests in the program:
GI Map
Dutch Test
Food Sensitivity Test
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis
Thyroid Test
Let's break down what each test uncovers and why it's important for your sleep.
GI Map
The GI Map is a stool test that analyzes the composition of your stomach's microbiome. Your microbiome is an environment that is composed of trillions of little tiny organisms. Those microorganisms include good bacteria, opportunistic bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungus. All those things should be there, but they should be present in appropriate amounts. If you have too much or not enough of one of those elements, it can throw off the balance of your microbiome and cause dysfunction.
The reasons why your microbiome is so important are many. After all, there’s a reason we have the saying, “I have a gut feeling about this…” (Check out my blog post on gut health for a deep dive on it here.)
To start, it’s how you break down food and absorb nutrients. If you're not absorbing the appropriate nutrients from your food, then of course your body's not going to be able to function correctly.
Secondly, there are neurotransmitters that are made in your stomach that are important for sleep, such as serotonin, dopamine, GABA, as well as melatonin. In fact, the majority of our melatonin (upwards of 70% of it) is made in the gut.
So it stands to reason that if there's an imbalance in the microbiome and your gut isn't working properly, then it's going to impact your sleep.
Additionally, there's a nerve that runs from the stomach to the brain — the Vagus Nerve — and that's why the stomach is called the "second brain". The Vagus Nerve is a two-way communication stream between the stomach and the brain. If your stomach is imbalanced, then that's going to send incorrect messages to your brain and can impact your ability to manage stress. It can also impact your mood and affect your circadian rhythm.
This is why one of my favorite tests is the GI Map because we uncover so much and I find that, once we clean up my client's stomach and their gut is working properly, we see a huge difference in terms of their sleep, their overall sense of well-being, and their ability to handle stress.
Dutch Test
The Dutch Test is a urine test that analyzes sex hormones, as well as hormones that influence the awake and sleep cycle. When it comes to your sex hormones, we look at your estrogen, testosterone, and your progesterone. A symptom of low testosterone as well as low estrogen, or too much estrogen relative to progesterone, is insomnia. That’s why it's really important to look at those levels so we make sure you're not seeing side effects from those hormones being imbalanced.
As it goes without saying, your cortisol and melatonin levels are critical when it comes to your sleep. The nice thing about this test is that it analyzes your cortisol levels at different times of the day. In order to sleep well, we want to see that your cortisol levels are highest in the morning and decline throughout the day. With some individuals who may have a gut infection, or perhaps their adrenals aren't working appropriately, we may not see that pattern. Alternatively, we may find the amount of cortisol may be too high or too low — both of which can cause sleep issues. The same goes for melatonin, as having enough of it is critical for sleep. (Click here for 5 Simple Ways to Reduce Your Cortisol to Improve Sleep.)
Food Sensitivity Test
With this test, dried blood spots are sent off to the lab and are analyzed to see if you have a sensitivity to about 190 different foods that are common in the Western and Mediterranean diet.
Now, a food sensitivity is a lot different than an allergy. With a food allergy, you experience an immediate response to the offending food where you may break out in hives, you may experience trouble breathing, or your eyes water, and this response can be life threatening.
With a food sensitivity, the response is typically delayed and not as severe. What happens is that your body increases the amount of immunoglobulin (IgG) that it's creating, and increases inflammation. The reason why this impacts your sleep is, whenever there's inflammation in our bodies, cortisol is produced as a response to “sound the alarm”, causing sleep disruptions.
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis
With this test, a sampling of scalp hair is sent off to the lab where the levels and comparative ratios of nutrient and toxic minerals are measured.
Minerals are vital when it comes to your health. They are the spark plugs of life. They control things such as your body's pH level, water retention, enzyme reactions and nerve function. So if there are imbalances, it can impact your sleep — especially when it comes to magnesium.
Most Americans aren't getting enough magnesium in their diets. It's estimated that 85% of us aren't eating foods that contain enough magnesium and meeting the recommended amount that's needed. This can really wreak havoc when it comes to sleep because magnesium is essential for the relaxation of both your brain and your body. (Read more about the benefits of magnesium and its impact on sleep in my blog post here.)
Most people who have sleep issues automatically turn to magnesium supplements and for some, they don't see an impact when it comes to their sleep. This is because there's probably another mineral that synergistic with magnesium that's imbalanced, for example, sodium or potassium. These are both solvents that need to be in appropriate levels in order for your body to dissolve and use magnesium.
When it comes to toxic minerals, if you have heavy metals in your system like aluminum, lead, or mercury, then this can cause inflammation; and as I mentioned before, when our bodies are inflamed, our bodies produce cortisol, which can impact your sleep.
Thyroid Test
This is a blood test where we measure your Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) and T3 and T4 levels.
It's important to know whether your thyroid is working optimally when it comes to addressing your sleep issues, because if you have an overactive thyroid, this can cause feelings of nervousness and irritability, which can cause wake-ups overnight.
It can also lead to night sweats and frequent urination, which can lead to night wakings.
On the other hand, if you have an under-active thyroid, you may have issues tolerating cold and it can also cause joint pain, both of which can lead to sleep issues.
Let’s get you tucked in
I hope that this blog post has showed you that your sleep issues may not be all in your head. There could be a physical stressor and imbalance at play, which is why functional lab testing is so important.
If this is something you're interested in, you can seek the help of a functional medical doctor, or you can enlist my services. I would love to help you uncover what opportunities for healing lie beneath the surface.
To learn more, you can schedule a complimentary discovery call here →
For more tips, you can read more articles on improving your sleep in my sleep blog. I have a ton of great resources.
My mission is to help you get the rest you deserve to be your best.
Sweet Dreams
Kelly Murray is a certified sleep coach and an award-winning pediatric sleep consultant based in Chicago offering sleep coaching services nationwide.