Cortisol and Sleep

 $22,000 on a sleep study, a psychiatrist, two neurologists, and 18 months of Ambien before someone tested his cortisol pattern

Had a client come to me after almost 2 years of severe insomnia. Not "trouble falling asleep." Waking up at 2-3am every single night with his heart pounding, drenched in sweat, brain racing. Couldn't fall back asleep. Tried everything. Melatonin. Magnesium. CBD. Trazodone. Ambien

Sleep study said no apnea. Psychiatrist said anxiety. Neurologist #1 said "some people are just light sleepers." Neurologist #2 said try a weighted blanket

Nobody drew a cortisol curve

We ran a 4-point salivary cortisol. His pattern was inverted. Cortisol was low in the morning (which is why he needed 45 minutes and 3 coffees to feel alive) and spiking at 2am. His adrenals were dumping cortisol in the middle of the night because his blood sugar was crashing while he slept because his liver glycogen was depleted because he'd been undereating for a year trying to lose weight on some influencer's deficit plan

That's it. That was the whole problem.

What fixed it:

> Added 400 more calories before bed. Specifically carbs and protein to sustain liver glycogen overnight. Rice + eggs + a glass of milk

> Stopped the caloric deficit entirely. Moved to maintenance calories with enough starchy carbs to keep glycogen topped up

> Added salt to meals (sodium supports adrenal function and blood sugar regulation)

> Dropped the intense evening training that was further depleting glycogen stores

Within 10 days he slept through the night for the first time in a year and a half

$22,000. 4 practitioners. 18 months of a Schedule IV controlled substance. And the fix was eating a bowl of rice and eggs before bed

If you're waking up between 1-4am with your heart pounding, your blood sugar is probably crashing. Eat more. Especially before bed

I go deep on cortisol, sleep, and the metabolic causes behind insomnia on my substack. link in bio if you want the full breakdown