Waking up in the middle of the night?
How well are you sleeping lately? Do you wake up between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. on a regular basis? This is a common symptom I hear from clients who are struggling with low energy and don’t understand why.
Functional wellness gives us a clear understanding of the physiology behind what is typically going on in this instance:
If we look at the typical American diet that is full of refined carbohydrates and simple sugars we can then see the chain reaction this leads to in our bodies. When you flood your bloodstream with these refined and simple sugars, your body increases its insulin production to force all that sugar into your cells. For a moment, your cells have a quick source of energy. But that energy is used up very quickly, and because of the large increase in insulin, your bloodstream is left in a state of hypoglycemia.
So what does being hypoglycemic lead to? Well, there are certain parts of your body, namely your brain, central nervous system, eyes, and kidneys that do not require insulin to utilize glucose (sugar) for energy...they get it directly from the bloodstream. But if your bloodstream is now hypoglycemic, those parts of the body are now starving for energy. Therefore, you get signals during the day in the form of cravings for sweets, sugars, and salty foods for quick energy. When you give into these cravings, you start this negative snowball effect all over again.
But what happens at night when you are asleep and you aren’t aware of these cravings? These parts of your body are still starving for energy so they get it from somewhere else...your adrenal glands. Your adrenals are what produce your stress hormones with two of those being epinephrine and nor epinephrine. You might have heard of these, they are what give you your “fight or flight” response in times of stress. These hormones can be readily converted to glucose (sugar) for energy in your bloodstream. So now, your brain and central nervous system have energy to function, but you have just given yourself a dose of adrenaline and your body is now awoken by a fight or flight response while you are trying to sleep! Not very conducive for a good night’s rest.
Adrenal fatigue leads to adrenal burnout and can lead to a host of other problems such as thyroid issues, weight gain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, mood disorders and other hormonal imbalances. If this is you, know that relief and a program back to optimal health is right around the corner. Take this quick and easy questionnaire [1] to assess your state of adrenal health. Give me a call or email me and we can set up your free Functional Wellness consultation. Learn what your options are and take control of your health!
http://www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/programs/tests/item/449-adrenal-questionnaire.html [1]
Have a great day! I hope this information helps you find your way to improved sleep and wellness.
Deirdre Rawlings, ND, PhD advises clients in her local area of Atlanta, Georgia, USA in person as well as remotely, both individuals and groups/corporations. While she has a focus on advising those with fibromyalgia or developing symptoms with a focus on nutrition as solution for wellness, her expertise is global and 'wholistic'. Her complete information can be found at http://www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/ [2]. She is the author of "Foods that Help Win the Battle Against Fibromyalgia"; check out Amazon.com and Barnes and Nobel.
Links:
[1] http://www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/programs/tests/item/449-adrenal-questionnaire.html
[2] http://www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/
[3] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/are-you-waking-middle-night#comment-1509
[4] http://twitter.com/lumigrate
[5] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/are-you-waking-middle-night#top
[6] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/login?destination=node/909%23comment-form
[7] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/register?destination=node/909%23comment-form
[8] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/are-you-waking-middle-night#comment-1510
Comments
Wonderful information and, from what I've experienced and learned/come to understand, 'right on'. Thank you for providing this info, Deirdre. I printed it out and find it's a good thing to review from time to time and chart your progress (or digress, as the case sometimes is, unfortunately). I encourage everyone to follow the link yo uprovided and take the questionnaire to heart/mind. It's work well worth it to have improved sleep, no matter what your chronic illness/chronic wellness level. ~~ Mardy
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [4] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!
Wonderful information and, from what I've experienced and learned/come to understand, 'right on'. Thank you for providing this info, Deirdre. I printed it out and find it's a good thing to review from time to time and chart your progress (or digress, as the case sometimes is, unfortunately). I encourage everyone to follow the link yo uprovided and take the questionnaire to heart/mind. It's work well worth it to have improved sleep, no matter what your chronic illness/chronic wellness level. ~~ Mardy
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [4] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!