Earlier last summer I wrote a post on my long standing sleeping issues. For a while I thought my sleep was getting better, but in reality it wasn't. During that time I just happened to listen to a bunch of random pod-casts that just happened to discuss other symptoms that I had and their connection to insomnia. It's amazing how sometimes when you really need it too, the universe JUST HAPPENS to point you in the right direction.
Hormone pod-casts
I love listening to pod-casts while cooking and while driving all over the Twin Cities. Some of my favorites are Underground Wellness, The Fat Buring Man, Everyday Paleo, and more recently Jimmy Moore's Ask the Low Carb Experts. Over several weeks, I listened to Sean Croxton interview T.S. Wiley (sleep and hormones), Nora Gegaudes (hormones and sleep), Bryan Walsh (adrenal fatigue), and Julie Walsh (PCOS). After every single one I thought, "Holy Poop! there is seriously something wrong with my hormones!" Not that I didn't think this before, but each one touched on how hormone imbalances can cause major sleep disturbances. Each person stressed the point that if you have chronic sleep issues that will not resolve, you need to test your hormones. If you have had long standing menstrual irregularities including severe PMS, heavy periods, clotting, missing periods, irregular cycles, you need to test your hormones.
So....I sent for a ZRT test kit. The most accurate way to test sex hormones is through saliva. Blood tests only check what are known as bound or inactive hormones, compared to the free or active hormones found in the saliva. The tests confirmed what I thought, low progesterone (No PCOS), and an exaggerated cortisol rhythm. Women going through menopause often complain of insomnia, more specifically, they wake up a lot between 2-4am. Sound familiar? Menopause is often thought of as a decrease in estrogen, but it's really more about the decrease in progesterone. Progesterone is the hormone that helps women feel level headed, calm, and aids in proper sleep/wake cycles.
Hmmm....now what? How do I get my ovaries to make more progesterone? I already eat lots of healthy fats and adequate protein.
Taking Action
I finally made an appointment with a Naturopath who JUST HAPPENS to work out of my PCP's office. The initial consult was fantastic. Knowing what I know, I could see many of the connections she was making between my past health history, and current health complaints. Over the past year I've had the opportunity to do some interesting lab work including: Spectra-cell's micronutrient profile, complete lipid panel with Apo B and Lp(a), and MTHFR genotyping. My primary also ran a full thyroid panel earlier this summer so I was able to compare that with the one I did through ZRT. While my thyroid is mostly normal, my Free T4 and Free T3 were a little on the low side.
The Plan
After selling about 10 vials of blood for the most comprehensive blood testing I've ever seen, the plan is to:
Reverse anemia with high iron foods.
Keep my blood sugars really well balanced. I'm trying to cut out snacks and just eat three large meals, but I typically need something mid afternoon since lunch is often at 11, and dinner isn't until 6 or 7.
No more folic acid supplementation. I have the heterozygous MTHFR gene so my body is a little compromised when it comes to activating folic acid, especially if I'm under stress.
Relax.Learn to meditate using "8 minute Meditation" book.
Track hormonal changes that may influence my sleep patterns.
Cut out inflammatory foods for 8-12 weeks. This is where things get really hairy. After following the previous steps for 1-3 months I just had an Elisa food sensitivity test done. I'm reacting to a lot of foods, especially fermented foods. So what's off my list...: All dairy except for Ghee, Gluten, Almonds, Apples, Banana, Green Beans, Cabbage, Cocoa (aka chocolate), COCONUT, Coffee, Chicken Eggs, Garlic, Ginger, Head Lettuce (romaine, iceburg), Mustard, Green Olives-olive oil, pineapple, sesame seeds, summer/winter squash, sunflower seeds, Black tea, tomato, Yeast (wine, soy sauce, vinegar, bread)
I'm starting with the intense elimination diet this coming week so I have time to stock the pantry and get rid of tempting foods. I eat a lot of these foods frequently, and with them showing up in my blood it means I still have a leaky gut. Hopefully by cutting them out for a while (8-12 weeks), and doing higher doses of glutamine and collagen I will close up some gaps and be less reactive. Recently I've been having some TMJ after eating, which I began to associate with vinegar, so I wasn't surprised by that one. And I know apples give me horrible, painful gas. If I eat eggs too many days in a row I don't feel well and tend to burp a lot. I was pretty surprised by the bananas and green olives. I think the spices, eggs, chocolate, and coffee are going to be my biggest challenges. It's just going to take a lot of planning at first.
The Takeaway
If you have sleep issues or chronic fatigue and these typical recommendations haven't helped...
1. Get some exercise, but not too much.
2. No screen time 1-2 hours before bed
3. Balance your blood sugar, and eat a healthy carb + fat before bed if you haven't eaten for 3+ hours.
4. Give up caffeine
5. Take 5HTP and Magnesium
6. Learn to relax (meditate, journal, do yoga), Practice 8 minute meditation.
Then start doing some testing. I recommend: Serum Iron/Ferritin to establish your iron level, folate, B12, Complete thyroid panel, Sex hormones, cortisol, and vitamin D. Just to get you started.
I'll probably be blogging a little more about how I'm navigating the food restrictions. I've been eating modified paleo for some time now, but now it's serious. Really this means I'm almost following the Paleo/Autoimmune protocol, minus the coconut. First up, how to make an egg free, coconut and almond flour free pancake!