{"id":18249,"date":"2019-03-13T21:29:52","date_gmt":"2019-03-13T15:59:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/functionalnutritionlab.com\/blog\/?p=1132"},"modified":"2025-08-28T15:00:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T15:00:54","slug":"case-study-insomnia-through-a-functional-lens-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fxnutrition.com\/blog\/case-study-insomnia-through-a-functional-lens-part-1","title":{"rendered":"case study: insomnia through a Functional lens, part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m back in your inbox today, talking about sleep.<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s because sleep is part of our Non-Negotiable Trifecta<\/a>.<\/p>\n

My hope is that I\u2019m both underscoring how important sleep is<\/strong> in any healing protocol and also identifying that when sleep issues present, we need to uncover what<\/em> is happening (hello Sleep Assessmen<\/a>t), why<\/em> it\u2019s happening, and how<\/em> to remedy the particular concern being raised.<\/p>\n

In other words, (don\u2019t be fooled) sleep issues are not resolved with one singular remedy!<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at Shelly\u2019s sleep challenges\u2026<\/p>\n

Case Study<\/h2>\n

Shelly is a 47 year old retired nurse who\u2019s just started her own health coaching practice. It was her own hormonal issues, which she\u2019d managed with diet and lifestyle modification, that originally got her into health coaching.<\/p>\n

Shelly eliminated her perimenopausal symptoms and felt like herself again. She\u2019s now thrilled to help others do the same.<\/p>\n

Yet Shelly\u2019s been under a lot of stress lately: her son is having difficulty in school, and her husband got laid off at work (right<\/em> when her own coaching business is just starting to thrive).<\/p>\n

Shelly has gained a little more weight around her mid-section after losing over 25 lbs when she originally changed her diet to manage her fluctuating hormones. In an attempt to address the added weight (which also makes her feel a little self-conscious in her new health coaching role), she\u2019s begun to implement some weight-loss tactics she\u2019s recently learned about, including intermittent fasting.<\/p>\n

Shelly came to us at the Functional Nutrition Alliance Clinic not because of the weight, but because she\u2019s now having trouble sleeping.<\/em><\/p>\n

What do we do?<\/p>\n

Well, first we have to find out what\u2019s going on in there!<\/em><\/p>\n

Step 1: Assess<\/h2>\n

Since sleep is a Non-Negotiable<\/a>, particularly for weight concerns, hormonal issues and detoxification, we give her our Sleep Assessment to glean more information about the specifics of her sleep issues<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Functional<\/a><\/p>\n

Now that we know more about what she means by \u201csleep issues,\u201d this is how we proceed:<\/p>\n

First, we make sure she\u2019s working with all<\/em> the Sleep Non-Negotiables<\/a> since these are foundational to restorative sleep for everyone.<\/strong> If I review Shelly\u2019s story and her Sleep Assessment, there are a few things that can be dialed-in to better support a restful night.<\/p>\n

When you review the Sleep Non-Negotiables<\/a>, what do you see?<\/em><\/p>\n

Next, we\u2019ll aim to educate Shelly about her own specific biological function in relation to her challenges. It could be that some of the actions she\u2019s taken to aid weight-loss are actually hindering her sleep! (Oooof. Catch-22!)<\/p>\n

Heal vs. Ideal<\/h2>\n

Because Shelly\u2019s under some added stress (kid problems, financial strain, the start of a new venture, even age<\/em>), she likely has additional strain on the function of several key stress hormones that could impact her sleep. These hormones include cortisol, DHEA, and the fight or flight duo: epinephrine and norepinephrine.<\/p>\n

The intermittent fasting, while OK in an ideal<\/em> situation, may not presently be serving her.<\/p>\n

You see, intermittent fasting in an environment already under stress can trigger an increase in cortisol levels. At certain times of day (like that mid-afternoon slump Shelly is having), increased cortisol levels can be highly beneficial. They keep us awake and full of drive!<\/p>\n

However in the middle of the night (like that 2am waking time she\u2019s experiencing), that spike in cortisol is both the culprit of waking her up like a screaming baby, and the stimulant that\u2019s keeping<\/em> her up!<\/p>\n

There are a couple of key factors that increase cortisol levels:<\/p>\n