[hotspring]

Greetings –

I’ve had insomnia since the birth of my first son 8 years ago. Much of this was caused by breastfeeding him at night for two years, followed by another two years of breastfeeding my second child. I also developed chronic migraines from the initial c-section surgery, and would wake at night with migraines. Now the migraines are resolved but I still have the insomnia. I was always a night-owl type even prior to having insomnia. I rarely fall asleep prior to 12 pm even when I go to bed eariler. I don’t drink coffee. I usually stop the use of the computer at least an hour before bed. I’ve tried melatonin and CBD but have found niacin and glycine and breathwork to be the most effective at nudging me towards sleep. I have no problem staying asleep once I’ve fallen asleep.

I am also a coach (I do Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis), helping people to heal chronic migraine headaches. And most of my clients have problems with insomnia, so I’m keen to learn more about how I could help them (or refer them!) to get better sleep.

Recently I’ve been experimenting with choline and thiamine. As I understand it blood sugar imbalances can play a role in insomnia, as can even mild hypoxia, which both thiamine and choline help to rememdy. I’ve found thiamine needs to be taken in the morning, as does choline. I’m just starting to study the role of acetylcholine in sleep. It seems there are imbalances in GABA, Histamine, and serotonin in those with sleep disturbances.

And of course it’s about a lot more than that. I’ve recently comitted to swimming again, and doing Qi Gong and hot/cold therapy. Hopelful that a more active life will help with the sleep.

Thanks for having me here!
Looking forward to learning from you all

[hiker]

Hi hotspring, I am a 70 year-old man, and dealt with insomnia for 40+ years. (Not saying you will, it was a long road working through childhood trauma). All our paths are different, and I cannot pretend to know what it’s like dealing with postpartum birth issues. I also don’t know about a lot of the chemicals or minerals you refer to.

I do know sleep hygiene and what we consume can affect sleep. I tried lots of different meds, sleep studies, etc. I think all this exploration is valuable in trying to nail down what is causing our particular sleep issue. Ultimately, mindfulness meditation has been the most successful remedy.

But I think my main takeaway has been accepting that while sleep is a natural process that just comes over us (think babies), life kicks us around one way or another. And unfortunately this can mean not sleeping well. To the extent I can, I remind myself that even if I don’t sleep that great tonight, I will make it, I’ll just do the best I can and try not to hassle myself into doing a better job of it. It’s not a job or something to accomplish; it just happens. Sounds simplistic, I know, but that has been my main takeaway after a long road.

Take care, you are not alone.

[Author]

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