Is a Lack of Sleep Causing Inflammation? 18 Tips for Insomnia
Do you climb into bed at night, ready to go to sleep, but then one hour goes by…then another? You find yourself tossing and turning all night. Or maybe you’re a night owl, and stay up late every night watching Netflix, working or just scrolling through your phone.
Well, unfortunately, this lack of sleep could be causing inflammation in your body, contributing to not only annoying symptoms but severe long-term consequences as well.
This article will cover why sleep is so essential in overall health and 18 tips you can implement right now to help your body get that rest it so dearly needs! Let’s dive in.
Why Quality Sleep is Vital to Good Health
You should be getting 7-8 hours of quality sleep…not waking up at 3 am to check your phone for 30 minutes in the middle of the night every night.
Getting 7-8 quality hours means your body can get into a sleep state that allows it to rest and restore itself. This is when vital hormones are created and regulated, your immune system is at its peak function, and your old damaged cells get cleared out so they don’t replicate.
For example, your REM sleep is vital for learning, memory consolidation, neurogenesis, and regulation of the blood-brain barrier function.
Your non-REM sleep is connected to hormone release, the decline in body temperate, and lowered blood pressure.
Your body alternates throughout REM sleep and non-REM sleep during your total sleep time.
Plus, when you get adequate sleep, you feel energized the next day, have more patience, and have better attention span and memory.
The Problem with a Lack of Sleep
When you don’t get enough sleep, it can lead to nagging symptoms like:
- Fatigue
- Mood swings
- Cravings/ eating more unhealthy foods the next day
- Brain fog
- Menstrual issues
- Always getting sick
- Glucose metabolism
- Adrenal dysfunction
Can lack of sleep cause inflammation in the body?
But what’s really concerning when you’re body doesn’t get adequate sleep, is that it raises your levels of inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP).
Some studies show that inconsistent sleep impacted women’s inflammatory markers more than men. Other studies show how sleep inconsistency in teens, measured over the course of a week, is associated with higher levels of CRP. So make sure those teenagers are getting plenty of sleep as well!
Why Elevated CRP is Concerning
Losing sleep raises inflammatory markers, specifically CRP. This is alarming because when your CRP levels are elevated, you have a higher risk for developing cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurodegenerative diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.
So if you’re burning the midnight oil night after night, it could have bigger consequences than just feeling exhausted the next day and needing an extra cup of coffee.
Why aren’t you getting enough sleep?
First off, what are signs that you are getting enough sleep?
A good night’s sleep means:
- Actually being asleep at least 85 percent of the total time you’re in bed
- Falling asleep within 30 minutes or less
- Waking up no more than once per night
- Being awake for 20 minutes or less after initially falling asleep
If this doesn’t sound like you, then we have some improvements to make. Consistently getting 5 hours of sleep is eventually going to catch up to you. It’s time to figure out what’s keeping you lying awake.
Finding out why you aren’t getting proper sleep is the first step in getting more sleep and lowering your CPR levels.
Reasons why you aren’t getting enough sleep
- Poor sleep habits (staying up too late)
- Too much screen time before bed
- Imbalanced hormones
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Gut imbalances, leading to other insomnia-related issues
- Heightened levels of stress and anxiety
- Sleep apnea
Getting to the root cause of your sleep issues can help you address them properly (not with a bandaid sleep aid pill). This way you can not only feel a thousand times better in your day-to-day life, but internally, you’ll see so much improvement when testing your biomarkers.
How to Improve Sleep, Lower CRP Levels, & Beat Inflammation
- Avoid screen time at least 2 hours before bed
- Practice stress management daily (meditation, breathing exercises, journaling, yoga)
- Consider taking a high-quality magnesium supplement before bed (chat with your provider before taking any supplements)
- Strive to get to bed around 9:30pm
- Dim the lights in your home when the sunsets (use accent lights/salt rock lamps around the home)
- Use blackout curtains if bright lights are outside your window
- Get testing done (functional lab/ sleep apnea tests)
- Relax your body with a bedtime routine
- Soak in essential oil/Epsom salt bath (use rose or lavender Epsom salts mix)
- Listen to a meditation app like Headspace or the Calm app
- Use blue light blockers if you do need to be on your laptop or phone in the evening
- Turn off your wifi at 7 pm every night. This makes you get off electronics and reduces EMF exposure which can increase oxidative stress (and inflammation)
- Eat a well-rounded diet consisting of whole organic foods
- Avoid excess sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and processed foods as these can lead to poor sleep.
- Get active during the day
- Keep your room clean because a cluttered bedroom can cause stress and lead to poor sleep.
- Keep your phone out of your bedroom. This will help you avoid mindlessly reaching for your phone in the middle of the night if you wake up.
- Work with a Functional Medicine Doctor to get to the root cause of your sleep issues.
Book Your Appointment With a Functional Medicine Doctor
If you are struggling with sleep issues and insomnia-related symptoms and are ready to take control of your health and life, I’m here to help. I’m Dr. Skye Stewart, a Functional Medicine Provider located in Annapolis, Maryland.
I use Functional Medicine lab testing and analysis, supplementation, and lifestyle recommendations to get to the root cause of your sleep issue symptom. Together we will investigate what is causing you to feel less than optimal and address it at its source.
Don’t let your lack of sleep and inflammation lead to more serious issues. Schedule a FREE 10-minute consult to get started!