Can’t Fall Asleep? Can’t Stay Asleep?

Meet one of our patients … Dan
​

Dan contacted our office 6 weeks ago. Among his concerns were his inability to fall asleep which now seemed to be giving way to wakefulness.  After laying awake for up to 2 hours he would finally fall asleep only to be awakened 2-3 hours later.  Was it a restroom trip?  Well, with business handled, he found himself wide awake but feeling the full tiredness and fatigue in his body.  Dan knew full well that if he did fall back asleep he’d be awake again in 2 hours until the morning and oddly enough the “wide awake” business that occurred all night would fade and he would feel like a zombie in the morning and struggle to get through the day unless he consumed significant quantities of coffee.

His fear? The obvious – not recovering from the previous day. A brain that was increasingly more foggy since he couldn’t enter into the normal repair that occurs in your sleep. He was perplexed why his blood sugar was elevating along with his blood pressure even though he maintained a strict diet with exercise.  Dan sought help with a clinician who seemed to think it was an easy fix.  Sleep meds. After several weeks of somewhat better sleep that he described as “going unconscious but not resting” and worsening brain fog he contacted our clinic.

We examined the physical stress he was under like a rigorous travel schedule, the lack of sleep and an injury that necessitated a knee replacement recently. Then we evaluated his chemical stress – environmental toxin exposures, medication usage ,alcohol consumption that seemed almost obligatory with his chosen career, and even a parasitic infection that a thorough blood analysis uncovered.  Last we checked, his emotional stress likened to relationship problems, work issues and deadlines, the recent loss of a loved one and his aforementioned travel schedule.  The final decision was easy to make – Dan needed to determine what all this was doing to his adrenals and how that might be impacting his sleep, energy, hormones, mood and brain function.

I suggested we test his adrenal glands since they are largely responsible for how your body handles stress – that would tell the story. A full day’s worth of saliva collection nearly around the clock and 2 weeks later we had the final verdict! Dan was in rough shape.  We won’t even think about talking about his hormones, his brain function, the poor condition of his SiGa (your guts protective “bulletproof vest”) but we will focus in on the hormone Cortisol.

Now… back to Dan.
​

​​The proper testing and interpretation saved him time, money and well-being by getting him knowledgeable about the cause – FAST. Then we helped him to create a platform to build on including: 1) Diet and lifestyle changes; 2) Nutrition to support the restoration of his adrenal glands. It’ll take some time (adrenals can take 6-18 months to correct), but Dan is already seeing great change and most importantly – he will not be spinning his wheels anymore!

​​Hello – It’s Dr. Phil Gatcha, D.C. of FHIA.

I would like to personally say thank you for taking the time to read my blog and also invite you to learn more about functional medicine and your health.

Caring Is Sharing
Your health is your most precious possession and your greatest responsibility.
​Without it, everything goes away.
Is there anyone you know that could use this information?