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

Latest Episodes:

196. When HRT and adrenal support aren't enough to sleep well-Sleep Breakthrough session with Zenia Apr 05, 2025

Show notes

Have you tried HRT and adrenal support and it hasn’t helped? You’re meditating in the morning and you have the perfect relaxing routine before bed but you still wake up multiple times a night?

In this episode I talk to Zenia who has tried all of these things and nothing has really helped.

I explain why what she’s tried so far hasn’t worked and what imbalances in her body that are affecting her sleep have likely been missed so far. Addressing these imbalances will also help with ADHD and anxiety so she won’t have to take strong drugs to bandaid her symptoms. We talked about accepting in the moment when you can’t sleep but also not giving up on solving sleep issues because you don’t have to live with poor sleep even if you’re in perimenopause and have ADHD and adrenal issues (or HPA axis issues).

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Episode 70: A powerful way to rewire your brain to sleep better

Episode 173: How to calm your nervous system so you can sleep well

Episode 18 Copper toxicity

Sign up for a free Sleep Breakthrough call that will be aired on this podcast! You’ll fill out an assessment and then we’ll meet on Zoom and I’ll tell you 3 things to do right now that will have the biggest impact on your health and sleep. Schedule your call here.

Schedule a consultation to get started with the Complete Sleep Solution program so you can consistently sleep 7+ hours uninterrupted, naturally and permanently.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview

01:24 Meet Zenia: Sleep Struggles and Background

02:09 Exploring Zenia's Sleep Routine and Challenges

04:10 Hormone Replacement Therapy and Testing

04:56 Understanding Cortisol and HPA Axis Dysfunction

11:26 Mindset Shift: Acceptance and Managing Stress

16:44 Impact of Birth Control on Sleep and Health

20:32 Addressing Copper Toxicity and Mineral Imbalance

22:15 Conclusion and Next Steps

195. How a teacher and a mom got off Trazodone and sleeps 7-8 hours a night in 2 months Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

My client Maura came to me when she was struggling to fall asleep and would go days without sleeping if she wasn’t taking a sleeping pill.

She was taking Trazodone and Lexapro to sleep and feel calm.

She was a mom to 2 young children and she had to take a leave from teaching because she wasn’t sleeping.

Her goal was to sleep 7 hours a night, get off meds, and not feel anxious about sleep. By the end of our time working together, she achieved all of these goals!

"In 2 months I weaned off Trazodone. On average I’m sleeping 7-8 hours a night and feeling a lot better.”

Her test results showed:

Depleted sex hormones
Liver dysfunction
Mold toxicity (from the school where she worked!)
Mineral imbalances
H. pylori
Dysbiosis (imbalance of good to bad gut bacteria)
Gluten sensitivity

All of these imbalances were affecting her sleep!

I recommended supplements and diet changes which she immediately embraced.

We also worked on stress about sleep and so her anxiety about sleep improved pretty quickly.

She even slept well when she traveled to Ireland. She emailed me after her trip: “I returned from my trip to Ireland yesterday. I was so nervous about sleeping in various hotels in a different time zone. I did great and slept really well. Each night I slept between 7-8 hours. My anxiety about sleep is so much better."

Maura was 100% committed to the process and because of that, she had great success!

“I loved having a plan, knowing we're going to work together, slowly add supplements, then slowly take them away. I appreciated having support and being able to email you. Having someone in my court. I wasn't in this alone. And it doesn't take the whole time (6 months)."

By the end of our time working together, Maura was back to work teaching when the school year started!

You can listen to her story on the podcast.

Maura loved the step-by-step, simple plan I gave her in the Complete Sleep Solution program because then she knew exactly what to do to get better.

She was relieved that all she had to do was follow her protocol, without questioning if it was right for her.

She stopped googling about how to sleep better and trying random supplements and gadgets because she had a plan customized for her life and body.

If Maura can get better, you can, too!

Schedule a free consultation on Zoom to get started so you can consistently sleep 7+ hours a night without drugs!

I'll tell you exactly why everything you've tried so far hasn't worked (even though you're doing everything you can to sleep well) and how the Complete Sleep Solution program will find and fix all the root causes of your sleep and health issues once and for all.

00:00 Introduction: Overcoming Sleep Issues Without Drugs

00:15 Meet Maura: A Journey to Better Sleep

00:40 Understanding the Root Causes of Sleep Problems

01:27 Personal Anecdote: The Importance of Good Sleep

04:21 Maura's Struggles and Goals

05:04 Identifying and Addressing Health Imbalances

06:53 Overcoming Anxiety and Traveling Success

07:46 Maura's Success and Return to Normalcy

09:17 The Complete Sleep Solution Program

09:42 Conclusion: How You Can Achieve Better Sleep

194. The simple formula for 7+ hours of restful sleep Mar 29, 2025

Show notes

Sleep should be easy and if it’s not it’s because you're missing one or both of the 2 things I’m going to talk about today.

You'll learn:

why all the things you've tried to sleep better haven't worked.
the 2 things you don't want to ignore if you want to consistently sleep well without needing drugs or a ton of supplements
How Gabby used this formula to go from 2 hours of sleep to 5.5-6 hours in 4 months

When you follow this simple formula, you'll be able to consistently fall asleep easily, sleep 7-9 hours uninterrupted, and wake up rested with energy all day.

Schedule a consultation to get started with the Complete Sleep Solution program so you can consistently sleep 7+ hours uninterrupted, naturally and permanently.

Resources mentioned:

185: 3 simple steps to change your thoughts about sleep so you can sleep well

00:00 Introduction to Better Sleep

01:03 Meet Gabby: A Case Study

02:22 Step 1: Achieving a Healthy Body

03:17 Understanding Body Imbalances

13:07 Step 2: Cultivating a Calm Mind

18:59 Gabby's Progress and Success

22:25 The Complete Sleep Solution Program

25:45 Conclusion and Next Steps

193. Unconventional first steps for better sleep Mar 26, 2025

Show notes

The reason sleep hygiene, random supplements and CBTi haven’t solved your sleep problems is because there are imbalances in your body that are keeping you awake.

However, you can address some of these imbalances now before committing to the functional lab testing.

There are 3 essential things to look at first if you aren’t sleeping well. I start here with all of my clients, even though we’re doing lab testing, and 100% of them need to address at least 1 of these essentials. These things are so important because they will continue to affect your sleep and keep your body out of balance.

In this episode, I’m going to explain 3 unconventional first steps that you can start doing today to improve your sleep. This is an episode from a year ago that I want to share with you again because it can help you sleep better immediately.

The Sleep Essentials program covers everything you need to know to optimize your diet, stabilize your blood sugar and have smart sleep habits so you can sleep well. Sign up here for only $37.

Or you can schedule a consultation to get started with the Complete Sleep Solution program so you can consistently sleep 7+ hours uninterrupted, naturally and permanently.

00:00 Introduction: Why Common Sleep Advice Fails

00:26 Three Essentials for Better Sleep

00:48 Unconventional First Steps to Improve Sleep

02:56 The Importance of Habits

04:50 Optimizing Your Diet for Sleep

07:57 Balancing Blood Sugar for Better Sleep

12:10 Introducing the Sleep Essentials Program

14:57 Conclusion and Program Sign-Up

192. 6 unique hacks to do when you can't sleep (and 3 things not to do!) Mar 22, 2025

Show notes

What you’re thinking and doing when you can’t sleep could be making it worse!

In this episode I’m going to share:

6 things you can do to help you relax so you can fall back asleep faster whether it’s at bedtime or the middle of the night, including,
1 supplement that can help,
And an important mind hack that will help you stay calm.
And 3 things you may be doing that are keeping you awake even longer.

This is an episode from a couple of years ago but I want to share it again because it has some invaluable tips that can immediately help you get more sleep.

Schedule a consultation to get started with the Complete Sleep Solution program so you can consistently sleep 7+ hours uninterrupted, naturally and permanently.

00:00 Introduction to Better Sleep

00:41 Meet Martha Lewis, The Sleep Detective

01:15 Personal Sleep Struggles and Solutions

02:12 Client Success Story: Cindy's Sleep Transformation

03:20 Six Tips for Falling Back Asleep

03:23 Tip 1: Find Your Happy Place

04:04 Tip 2: Use a Sleep Mantra

06:06 Tip 3: Breathing Exercises

06:58 Tip 4: Try L-Theanine

08:53 Tip 5: Get Out of Bed

11:18 Tip 6: Accept That You're Awake

13:24 Three Things to Avoid When You Can't Sleep

15:25 The Complete Sleep Solution Program

16:10 Conclusion and Next Steps

191. How to fix your mood swings and improve your mental health Mar 19, 2025

Show notes

Is your mood up and down and you don’t like yourself when you’re grumpy? You can be irritable and not yourself, especially when you haven’t slept well.

If you want to stop fighting with people, stop your racing negative thoughts, be a more enjoyable person to be around, like who you are and enjoy the good life you know you have, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I share my story of how I was grumpy with my husband and coworkers and how I changed it, the key to lowering overall stress in your life, and 3 things that are causing stress in your body that you don’t even know are there.

You don’t have to wait until you’re retired or your kids are out of the house or the big project at work is done to sleep well and be calm and empowered instead of snappy and irritable and on the mood swing roller coaster.

Schedule a consultation to get started with the Complete Sleep Solution program so you can consistently sleep 7+ hours uninterrupted, naturally and permanently.

00:00 Introduction: Understanding Mood Swings and Sleep

00:30 Meet Martha Lewis: Your Sleep Detective

00:46 Personal Story: Overcoming Grumpiness

03:17 The Hidden Causes of Stress and Sleep Issues

05:00 Mineral Imbalances and Gut Health

07:43 Inflammation: The Silent Stressor

10:07 Achieving Balance: Mental and Physical Health

11:48 Join the Complete Sleep Solution Program

12:34 Conclusion: Take the First Step to Better Sleep

190. The #1 way to prevent dementia -fix your sleep! Mar 15, 2025

Show notes

I know this may be hard to hear, but if you aren’t sleeping well, you have a higher risk of developing dementia. I’m not saying this to scare you. The good news is that some of the same imbalances that are affecting your sleep are also increasing your chances of dementia.

This is good news because when you correct the imbalances, you can sleep 7+ hours a night and reduce your risk of developing this scary disease. In this episode, I’m going to explain what those imbalances are and how to fix them.

You’ll learn:

how lack of sleep can lead to dementia, Alzheimer’s and memory loss
4 root causes of both sleep problems and dementia

How sleep meds increase the risk of dementia
How to reduce your chances of dementia even if it runs in your family

If you want to find out more about why you can’t sleep and how to fix it, you want to sign up for my exclusive smart sleeper sunday email series.

Schedule a consultation to get started with the Complete Sleep Solution program so you can consistently sleep 7+ hours uninterrupted, naturally and permanently.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Episode 98: How to stabilize your blood sugar to sleep better quickly

00:00 Understanding the Dementia Epidemic

00:49 The Sleep-Dementia Connection

00:54 Meet Your Host: Martha Lewis

01:24 How Lack of Sleep Leads to Dementia

03:09 The Role of Amyloid Proteins

05:59 Blood Sugar and Sleep

07:28 Stress and Sleep

08:51 Hormones and Sleep

09:31 Heavy Metals and Sleep

10:32 The Problem with Sleeping Pills

11:17 Finding the Root Causes of Sleep Issues

11:51 Join the Smart Sleeper Sunday Email Series

12:33 Conclusion and Next Steps

189. How a dad and spiritual coach fixed his gut and got off sleep meds in 2 months-David's story Mar 12, 2025

Show notes

If you can’t sleep, your gut isn’t healthy. Even if you take a probiotic and eat well and don’t have any digestive symptoms.

Almost all of my clients have something going on in their gut that is affecting their sleep. For some people it’s 90% of the cause and for others it’s much less, but it’s one of the pieces of the puzzle for everyone.

In this episode I’m going to tell you about my client David who had gut and sleep issues for a long time even though he was a health nut and did a lot of meditation.

I’m going to tell you what his test results showed were causing his sleep issues besides just his gut and what he did to correct the imbalances in his body so he was able to stop taking sleep medication within 2 months of starting the program!

Schedule a consultation to get started with the Complete Sleep Solution program so you can consistently sleep 7+ hours uninterrupted, naturally and permanently.

David’s interview episode

188. Why your healthy lifestyle isn't solving your sleep issues-Sleep Breakthrough session with Abraham Mar 08, 2025

Show notes

If you already live a healthy lifestyle and have tried everything to sleep better and maybe your doctor even told you that you think too much or it’s because you’re anxious, you’re just like Abraham who I talk to in this Sleep Breakthrough episode.

We talked about his sleep, what he’s tried so far, what is causing his sleep issues and then I gave him 3 things to work on now to help his sleep.

Schedule a consultation to get started with the Complete Sleep Solution program so you can consistently sleep 7+ hours uninterrupted, naturally and permanently.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

187. How strenuous exercise can ruin sleep and what to do instead Mar 05, 2025

Show notes

Crossfit, training for a half marathon and hot yoga could be ruining your sleep instead of helping it!

In this episode, I explain:

what strenuous exercise does to your body and how it affects sleep
how we can get addicted to exercise
what happens when you get to the point where you can’t tolerate exercise
how to exercise to support sleep instead of sabotaging it

In case you love your workouts and this is triggering you, I want to add that this isn’t forever so keep listening. Once you’re sleeping well again, you can get back to harder training.

If you love exercise and want to be fit and are trying to exhaust yourself with exercise but you aren’t sleeping well, this episode is for you.

Exercise is just one small factor that affects sleep. If you want to take the first steps to get your body back in balance so you can sleep well without diving into the lab testing, you want my Sleep Essentials course.

This is where I start with all of my clients while we’re waiting on their lab results and at least half of them get 1 hr or more of sleep a night by making these simple changes.

In the Sleep Essentials course you’ll learn how to:

Lower inflammation to fall asleep fast by finding the perfect diet for your body
Stop the 3am wake-ups by balancing your blood sugar
Lower cortisol so you don't sabotage your deep sleep between 3 and 6am.
Fall asleep faster and evidence-based systems to fall back asleep quickly in the middle of the night
And more

Schedule a consultation to get started with the Complete Sleep Solution program so you can consistently sleep 7+ hours uninterrupted, naturally and permanently.

00:00 Introduction: Exercise and Sleep

01:34 Personal Journey with Exercise

03:39 The Science Behind Exercise Addiction

06:12 When Exercise Becomes Too Much

08:06 Balancing Exercise for Better Sleep

10:09 Practical Tips for Gentle Exercise

15:07 Conclusion and Sleep Essentials Course