The Sleep Detective podcast: why you can't sleep and how to fix it

Latest Episodes:

279: Why everything you’ve tried for sleep hasn’t helped so far Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

Join my free masterclass on October 22nd, Sleep Through the Night: Find the Hidden Imbalances Keeping You Awake. Sign up here: https://thesleepdetective.com/masterclass-signup

In this episode, I explain the one simple reason why the supplements, bedtime routines, sleep studies and CBTI you've tried haven't fixed your sleep, and why that's actually good news.

You'll learn:

The real reason nothing you've tried for sleep has worked so far
What I discovered when I developed insomnia myself, even though my doctor said I was perfectly healthy
Why feeling like you've tried everything means there's still something left to find

00:00 Why Nothing Works01:39 The Real Root Cause02:03 Masterclass And Giveaways03:58 Why Common Fixes Fail05:05 Hidden Imbalances Example06:39 How Healing Happens07:09 You Are Not Broken07:59 Hope And Next Steps

278: How the MTHFR Gene & Methylation Affect Sleep Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

Register for my free masterclass, Sleep Through the Night: Find the Hidden Imbalances Keeping You Awake, on October 22nd at 3:00 PM ET: https://thesleepdetective.com/masterclass-signup

Join the Complete Sleep Solution Program here (https://l.bttr.to/9LmUt).

In this episode, I explain why having the MTHFR gene variant and taking methylated B vitamins might not be fixing your sleep, and why the gene might not be the problem at all.

You'll learn:

Why having the MTHFR variant doesn't automatically mean you have a methylation problem, and why you can have a methylation problem without it
The difference between undermethylating and overmethylating, and how to tell which one might fit you
The common sign people overlook that can point to a methylation problem
How methylation connects to your hormones, histamine, and the brain chemicals that help you sleep
What to do first so you don't waste money on supplements you don't need

00:00 MTHFR Sleep Confusion

00:45 Personal MTHFR Story

01:25 Sleep Masterclass Invite

02:15 Methylation Basics

03:14 What MTHFR Does

04:01 Two Key Variants

05:13 Variant vs Real Issues

06:27 Signs Methylation Off

07:59 Under vs Over Methylation

10:12 Why It Wrecks Sleep

12:14 What To Do Next

14:38 Wrap Up And Register

277: Find Out Why You Can't Sleep With These 4 Functional Lab Tests Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

Get the free guide to these lab tests: https://thesleepdetective.com/lab-guide

Join the Complete Sleep Solution Program here (https://l.bttr.to/9LmUt).

In this episode, I walk you through the four functional lab tests I use to find the hidden imbalances that keep you from sleeping, even when you've tried everything else.

I also share what these tests uncovered for my client John after 25 years of insomnia and nearly a dozen professionals who couldn't help him.

You'll learn:

What a hormone test can reveal about why your mind races at bedtime
How your gut can keep you awake at night even if your digestion feels fine
The brain chemicals that decide whether you feel calm or wired when you're trying to sleep
Why hidden toxins can build up in your brain and disrupt your sleep, even if you live a clean lifestyle
What John's four tests showed and how his sleep changed

00:00 Hidden Sleep Imbalances

00:32 John’s Insomnia Story

01:13 Hormone Zoomer Explained

02:26 Cortisol and Detox Clues

04:27 Gut Zoomer Deep Dive

05:07 Pathogens and Candida

06:42 Neurotransmitters and Sleep

08:10 Toxin Burden Testing

09:30 Putting the Puzzle Together

10:18 John’s Results and Wrap Up

276: Why You Can't Fall Asleep Even When You're Exhausted Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

Join the Complete Sleep Solution Program here (https://l.bttr.to/9LmUt) or

talk to me first by scheduling a consultation (https://p.bttr.to/3VJwvDs) so you can sleep well and feel like yourself again.

In this episode, I explain why you can be completely exhausted and still lie in bed wide awake, and why normal blood work doesn't tell you the reason.

You'll learn:

Why feeling tired but wired at bedtime has causes your doctor's tests weren't designed to find
What your body may be doing at night that keeps your mind racing, even when you've done everything right
How to find out what's really keeping you from falling asleep so you can stop guessing

00:00 Why You’re Exhausted

01:20 Root Causes Over Hygiene

02:08 Nighttime Cortisol Spike

04:10 Hormones And Sleep

06:27 Gut Health Connection

08:42 Toxins And Inflammation

10:52 Neurotransmitters Balance

12:38 Testing And Program

14:36 Why Sleep Matters

275: Why you can't sleep even though your blood work is normal Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

Join the Complete Sleep Solution Program here

Or talk to me first by scheduling a consultation

In this episode, I explain why your blood work can come back completely normal while you're still lying awake every night, and what your doctor's tests are actually missing.

You'll learn:

Why "normal" on a lab test doesn't mean your body is actually balanced
The hidden imbalances that never show up on standard blood work but quietly wreck your sleep
How one client went from a decade of relying on sleep meds every night to sleeping through the night without them

00:00 Why Normal Labs Mislead

01:03 Optimal vs Normal Ranges

02:04 Blood Sugar and Sleep Clues

03:32 Functional Testing Explained

05:00 Sleep as Check Engine Light

06:07 Gut Health Missing Piece

07:51 Cortisol Rhythm Testing

08:46 Hormones and Balance

10:38 Neurotransmitters and Detox

12:18 Toxins and Mold Burden

13:29 Client Case Study BJ

15:01 Program and Next Steps

274: 5 Reasons Why You Wake Up at 3am Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

Join the Complete Sleep Solution Program here

Or talk to me first by scheduling a consultation

In this episode, I walk through the five most common reasons I see clients waking up at 3am, and how I found every single one of them in my own body before I finally slept through the night again.

You'll learn:

The five most common reasons your body wakes you up at the exact same time every night
Why doing everything right with sleep hygiene still isn't enough to keep you asleep
The strange thing I picked up years before it finally caught up with my own sleep

00:00 Why 3 AM Wakeups Happen

01:34 Cortisol Night Spikes

03:17 Blood Sugar Rollercoaster

05:50 Tracking Glucose Data

07:05 Gut Pathogens at Night

08:48 Leaky Gut and Neurochemicals

10:25 Liver Detox and Toxins

12:23 Five Causes Recap

13:21 Test Dont Guess Approach

15:03 Complete Sleep Solution Program

16:33 Sleep Issues Are Fixable

273: If I Only Had 30 Days to Improve My Sleep, I’d Start Here Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

Register for the masterclass Get Your Sleep Back in 3 Simple Steps: Masterclass to Uncover and Fix Sleep Issues Naturally It’s happening Sept. 17th at 3pm ET and everyone who registers will get the recording of the masterclass and a special bonus. You’ll learn what’s really causing your sleep issues and the 3 simple steps to get to the bottom of your sleep problems once and for all so you don’t have to deal with this ever again.

In this episode, I walk you through the exact 30 day plan I'd follow if my own sleep started falling apart again: from the first questions I'd ask myself on Day 1, to the diet, gut health, and mindset changes I'd make, to the simple tracking method that shows you what's actually working.

You'll learn:

What I'd change first about what and when I'm eating, and why it matters more for sleep than most people realize
The daily habits I'd look at closely, and which ones I'd cut out completely for the full 30 days
How I'd handle the mental side of not sleeping, and the simple way I'd track it all to know what's actually working

00:00 30 Day Sleep Reset

00:40 Day One Baseline

01:29 Food Blood Sugar Fix

03:46 Gut Health Basics

04:22 Alcohol Dinner Timing

04:58 Screens Wind Down

05:53 Mindset For Wakeups

06:55 Simple Bedtime Tools

07:40 Track And Spot Patterns

08:57 Day 30 Review Next Steps

09:35 Testing Masterclass Safety

272: How She Got Her Sleep Back After 2 Years of Insomnia Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

Join the Complete Sleep Solution Program here

Or talk to me first by scheduling a consultation

In this episode, I sit down with my client Carli to talk about how she went from two years of insomnia, doctors who kept handing her prescriptions she didn't want, and sleepless nights every time she traveled, to finally sleeping through the night again.

You'll learn:

Why her insomnia showed up out of nowhere and never really went away
What it was like cycling through sleep aids, therapy, and a sleep study with no lasting relief
What her labs actually revealed was driving her sleep issues
Why traveling kept throwing her sleep off, even after she started feeling better
How she finally got her sleep back for good, without relying on medication

00:00 Carli’s Sleep Turnaround

00:52 Hitting Rock Bottom

02:08 How Insomnia Started

03:30 Doctors and Meds Spiral

05:01 CBT-I and Sleep Anxiety

06:48 Finding a New Approach

07:53 Lab Results Explained

09:03 Diet and Lifestyle Shifts

11:17 What Worked Fastest

13:01 Travel Sleep Ups and Downs

15:45 Life Beyond Better Sleep

17:35 Final Thoughts and Next Steps

271: Every Popular Insomnia Fix Explained in 15 Minutes Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

Join the Complete Sleep Solution Program here or talk to me first by scheduling a consultation

In this episode, I go through every popular insomnia fix, from sleep hygiene to medication to hormone testing, and rank them from least to most effective.

You'll learn:

Why the thing you tried first probably isn't the thing that's actually going to fix your sleep
The real reason your sleep tracker might be making things worse, not better
Which popular sleep remedy I rank dead last, and why
What separates a fix that helps a little from one that actually gets to the root cause
The one type of testing I rank a perfect 10, and what it looks at that blood work misses

00:00 Insomnia Fixes Overview

00:43 Sleep Hygiene Basics

01:57 CBT-I Explained

02:26 Supplements Melatonin Magnesium CBD

03:50 Sleep Trackers Pros and Cons

05:29 Meditation and Nervous System

06:15 Acupuncture for Sleep

06:46 OTC and Prescription Sleep Meds

08:19 Hormones and Midlife Sleep

08:46 Personalized Testing Root Causes

09:55 Ranking What Works Best

13:01 Next Steps and Email Series

270: Benzos, Sleep, and the Withdrawal No One Warns You About Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, I break down what benzodiazepines actually do to your brain, why quitting them isn't as simple as just stopping, and what I recommend instead of going cold turkey.

You'll learn: