Unlocking a Hidden Sleep Sabotoger: The Inflammation-Sleep Connection & How to Reclaim Your Rest
By: Kelly Murray, Certified Adult Sleep Coach, FDN-P
Let's dive into something that may be quietly wreaking havoc on your sleep. We've all had those nights – tossing and turning, counting imaginary sheep, and wondering why sleep seems to have eluded us yet again. Well, it turns out that the answer might lie in an unexpected place: inflammation.
How Inflammation Sneaks Into Your Sleep
You can think of inflammation as a double-edged sword. Inflammation is our body’s main immune response to foreign invaders. In its acute form, inflammation keeps us healthy. However, when inflammation becomes chronic due to present immune triggers, it can create a lot of chaos and wreak havoc on your sleep. Let me explain…
It Causes Hormone Havoc
First, persistent inflammation can disturb the delicate equilibrium of hormones within your body.
Whenever our body is inflamed it produces cortisol, the alert hormone, to downregulate inflammation.
In the short term this can be helpful, but persistent inflammation leads to overproduction of cortisol which disrupts your circadian rhythm and also interferes the the production of sleep promoting hormones such as melatonin, progesterone and estrogen. (If you want to learn more about ways to reduce your cortisol to improve your sleep, read this previous blog post.)
If you are a women over 40 like me we can not afford another hit on our sex hormones. (I also recommend this previous blog post about perimenopause, that details more about those particular sleep issues.)
Impacts Your Neurotransmitters
Secondly, Chronic inflammation disrupts both gut health and the production of critical neurotransmitters that play a pivotal role in regulating sleep, most notably serotonin.
Inflammation's prolonged presence in the body can compromise the integrity of the gut lining, potentially leading to a condition known as leaky gut. This increased permeability allows harmful substances to leak into the bloodstream, triggering an immune response and perpetuating inflammation.
Furthermore, chronic inflammation interferes with the synthesis and utilization of serotonin, a neurotransmitter essential for mood regulation and sleep-wake cycles. As inflammation disrupts the intricate balance of neurotransmitters, it can result in diminished serotonin levels, contributing to erratic sleep patterns, difficulties falling asleep, and staying asleep.
The intricate connection between chronic inflammation, gut health, and neurotransmitter disruption underscores the significance of addressing inflammation as a crucial first step in promoting restful and rejuvenating sleep.
The Culprits Behind Inflammation
One of the main culprits of inflammation is poor dietary choices. Processed foods, excessive sugars, gluten and unhealthy fats such as canola, corn and soybean oil can stoke the fires of inflammation, disrupting your body's equilibrium. One of the first steps when working on-one-one with a client to remove these offending foods from their diets.
Now I know that it can be challenging to resist the cravings for these foods and to find time to cook healthy meals especially if you are a busy mom like me, but it is truly worth the extra time and effort as if you can reduce inflammation and improve sleep, you will boost your energy levels and productivity.
If you need help with meal planning or motivation you should consider joining the membership that I am launching soon. Inside, I will provide members with meal plans, recipes, shopping lists and helpful tips. If you are interested in joining, shoot me an email at kelly@kelllymurraysleep and I will add you to the waitlist.
The Power of Testing
Since inflammation has serious implications to your gut health and neurotransmitters, I recommend also running a GI Map, which is an DNA test that analyzes the strains and quantities of bacteria in your gut.
Armed with this knowledge, you are will be equipped to formulate a personalized strategy for combating gut dysbiosis as well as inflammation and restoring proper gut function.
You can ask a functional medicine provider, like me, to run a test for you. In fact, I include this test in my signature sleep program. If you are interested in learning more, you can schedule a free discovery call here.
The intricate relationship between inflammation and sleep cannot be underestimated. Chronic inflammation, stemming from various immune triggers, can wreak havoc on your sleep patterns by disrupting the balance of hormones and neurotransmitters essential for restorative rest, particularly for women over 40, as it can have adverse effects on sex hormones.
If you would like to learn more about working with me so that you can get the sleep you need and deserve in order to feel and be your best, please schedule a free 30-minute discovery call with me here to learn more→
Sweet Dreams
Kelly Murray is a certified adult sleep coach and an award-winning pediatric sleep consultant based in Chicago offering sleep coaching services nationwide.