Getting to the root cause of your insomnia can be a very frustrating process because there are so many different factors at play. And I find that most of us, including myself when I was suffering from sleepless nights, focus on our behaviors and our mental state to solve the issues. Now, I'm not saying that it's wrong to focus on those two things. It's really important that you demonstrate good sleep hygiene and that you're keeping your stress levels in check — but it's not the only thing.
Your physical health also needs to be optimized in order to sleep well.
If you're having issues falling asleep or staying asleep, that’s a big red flag that there’s also a physical imbalance or deficiency going on. So today I want to talk to you about a physical imbalance that can be contributing to your lack of sleep:
your metabolic rate
Whether your metabolism is fast or slow, it can impact your sleep.
Here’s how:
I'm sure you’ve heard of people having either a “slow metabolism” or a “fast metabolism”. When we talk about your metabolism, we're talking about the rate in which your body uses energy. Most of us think of having a fast metabolism as being a good thing — and, yes, it can have its advantages when it comes to weight loss. However, having a fast metabolism can wreak havoc on your sleep just as much as having a slow metabolism can.
What we really want to achieve when it comes to our metabolism is balance.
Like anything with our physical body, balance is key.
First, Metabolism Regulates the Retention of Magnesium
The reason why metabolism is so important when it comes to your sleep is because it dictates how your body retains magnesium. (You may remember from this blog that magnesium is key when it comes to sleep.) Magnesium is one of the main minerals that helps our brain and our bodies to relax so that we can get good rest.
Fast Oxidizers vs. Slow Oxidizers
If you're a fast oxidizer, your body tends to burn through magnesium at a very quick rate, whereas if you're a slow oxidizer, your body tends to dump magnesium into the soft tissue. Now, both of these things aren't good when it comes to our sleep. It’s estimated that 75% of us aren't meeting the recommended daily requirement of magnesium to begin with — and as I mentioned before, magnesium is one of the key minerals when it comes to your sleep!
So if you're supplementing with magnesium right now, and you find that it's not having an impact on your sleep, that's because you're not addressing the mineral imbalances that can be caused by your oxidation rate, because minerals are synergistic and they work together.
Now, Let’s Determine Your Metabolic Rate
By now, you're probably wondering, “How do I determine what my metabolic rate is?” Well, there’s a very simple test that you can take called the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA). I order this test for all of my clients.
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA)
For the test, you simply take a hair sample and send it to a lab, where the amount of minerals in your hair are analyzed. (And don't worry if you don't have a lot of scalp hair, we can use other body hair — I’ve had to do that plenty with my clients!)
It's a very, very simple test and it gives us a wealth of information. In addition to your mineral status, it also will tell us if your body's holding onto toxic metals. If your body's holding onto heavy metals, this can also impact your sleep. I'm going to get into this in more detail in a future blog, but here’s a sneak preview:
The reason why this can impact your sleep is because it causes inflammation. Whenever there's inflammation, our body is going to produce excessive amounts of cortisol, the alert hormone. By balancing your minerals, you're actually going to help your body to release some of these toxic metals.
The Importance of the 4 Main Minerals
When I’m reading a HTMA for one of my clients, my focus is on the first four main minerals: calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium.
Magnesium and calcium are very important because they’re calming minerals, while sodium and potassium are stimulating minerals.
They’re also solvents and that’s important when it comes to your body’s ability to use magnesium and calcium appropriately.
Most Insomniacs Are Slow Oxidizers
The vast majority of my clients are slow oxidizers. They typically have a very slow adrenal and thyroid activity rate. As a result, their body tends to retain less sodium and potassium, which is not a good thing when it comes to magnesium. It means that instead of holding onto magnesium to use for rest and relaxation, their body tends to dump magnesium into the soft tissue — like the hair (hello, HTMA!) This is why on a report for a slow oxidizer, I’ll see that their sodium and potassium ratio is really low and their magnesium and calcium ratio is really high.
Now, that doesn't mean that they have a high rate of calcium and magnesium. It means that their body isn't using calcium and magnesium appropriately because their sodium and potassium ratio is low. So in clients like this, I help them to support and balance those four main minerals.
Symptoms + Signs of a Slow Oxidation Rate
My clients with a slow oxidation rate typically suffer from Type 2 Insomnia, which means they have an easy time falling asleep, they just can't stay asleep.
In addition, they tend to present depression, brain fog and ruminating thoughts.
Some causes of slow oxidation can be dietary (such as a low fat diet), chronic emotional stress as well as heavy metals.
Fast Oxidizers Also Suffer from Sleep Issues
I have worked with a small percentage of clients who are fast oxidizers and the reason this wreaks havoc on their sleep is because their adrenals and their thyroid are both very, very fast, and they tend to retain those solvents, potassium and sodium. As a result, they're burning through magnesium at a very, very fast rate.
What I'll see on a report is that their sodium and potassium ratio is very, very high, and their calcium and magnesium ratio is really, really low.
Symptoms + Signs of a Fast Oxidation Rate
Some symptoms of fast oxidation are: having a “Type A” personality, experiencing panic attacks, lots of anxiety, and the inability to turn off your mind.
Supplement for Balance
When it comes to your metabolism and sleep, again, the key is balance. That’s what I work on with my clients: balancing their minerals through supplements as well as dietary changes.
If you’re interested in learning more about the HTMA as well as the other functional lab tests that I run for my clients, you can schedule a complimentary discovery call right 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.