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Sleep Myths and Truths for Practitioners

March 19, 2019 | 6 Comments | SAFM Team

Hi!

I am so excited to share this Facebook Live and THESE POWERFUL PEARLS of functional medicine with you. At SAFM we honor that scientific knowledge is always evolving. That’s why we are regularly revise our content in light of new research findings.

As promised, and if you haven’t received yours already, be sure to get my FREE Sleep Hygiene Handout for your patients and clients: Click Here

The information is CRITICAL for ALL practitioner modalities. Ready to talk about SLEEP?

There are some common mistakes we see practitioners make over and over again. In this video, you will learn true root causes of SLEEP challenges from a Functional Medicine perspective – plus some good old-fashioned myth busting!

Are you confident in the advanced arena of Sleep?

Although you may already be a savvy practitioner, I am certain you will learn something new in this video. You’ll walk away with pages of notes and practical pearls you can use in your practice right away.

Here are some of the things we’ll be discussing:

The #1 most overlooked root cause of trouble Going to sleep
Many practitioners jump to melatonin often, but at what Cost?
Major myth-busting about why patients can’t Stay asleep
Foods that Often Impair sleep: you’ll be surprised
Sound, sustained sleep is a Hormone symphony; do you know which ones are most often out of tune?
Medication-mediated insomnia. What Not to miss in your patient’s work-up!
Finally clarity on Why clients wake up feeling More Tired than they were the night before
When and Why sleep supplements are making the problem Worse
Yes, blood sugar matters, but in ways you might not expect
And much more!

Thank you very much for joining in the fun and learning!

With warmth, love, and gratitude to you for sharing your gifts with so many –

P.S. If you are passionate about transforming healthcare through the power of functional medicine, we encourage you to learn more about SAFM’s practitioner training programs. Enrollment for our next cohort is now open!

To receive weekly clinical tips for practitioners – like this one – right to your inbox, register here.

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3

Carol Jensen says:

August 24, 2019 at 8:43 pm

I totally resonate with the idea that people who sleep less than 7-8 hours are sympathetically dominant. So what’s your take on someone who sleeps 5-6 hours and says they CAN go back to sleep, but they wake up groggy if they do, so they simply get up instead.

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- 3.1
  
  SAFM Team says:
  
  August 31, 2019 at 9:52 am
  
  This is a perfect example of a situation when sleep hygiene likely plays a big role. It is quite possible his person needs to go to bed early enough to get the deep sleep prior to midnight, make enough melatonin to keep them asleep past the 5-6h so that they can finish the sleep cycle and wake up later and fully rested. Also, what one does prior to sleep – how much activity, what kind, how much light is involved will affect a person’s cortisol status and will also affect melatonin production. If all those things are in place and the sleep continues to be off, you may want to dig deeper and inquire about other drivers of melatonin-cortisol or other hormone imbalance that are likely at the root of sleep issues.
  
  Reply
2

Wendy says:

March 21, 2019 at 4:57 pm

Hi. Can you tell me where to find the link for foods containing melatonin that Tracy mentioned? Thanks so much!

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- 2.1
  
  SAFM Team says:
  
  March 21, 2019 at 7:50 pm
  
  Sure! Here are a few research articles which you may find helpful.
  
  1. Pineal gland calcification: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6017004/
  2. Melatonin synthesis in the enteric nervous system (gut!): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198018/
  3. Dietary sources and bioactivity of melatonin in foods: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5409706/
  4. The role of gut-mediated inflammation in impaired sleep: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4849511/
  
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1

John Castella says:

March 19, 2019 at 4:15 pm

Hi Tracy,

What do you think is the dynamic at play with waking up at night…. about 6-8 hours after drinking any small amount of alcohol…. can this be related to an insulin issue or something else? (also accompanied by hot flashes and heart palpitations).

thanks , John

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- 1.1
  
  SAFM Team says:
  
  March 21, 2019 at 7:53 pm
  
  Insulin could certainly be involved in some individuals because, after a period of time, alcohol does cause blood sugar to drop. However, given the duration you describe, I think neurotransmitter rebound is more likely. This will be of interest to you: https://schoolafm.com/ws_clinical_know/taurine-alcohol-impaired-sleep/ .
  
  Reply