19/10/2025
If my patient walks in with whatever condition and they're not sleeping well...this is our starting point. Your aim and goal is to get 90min deep sleep per night and here is why:
Article by Pete Wurst
Sleep isn’t just rest — it’s restoration, detox, repair, and recalibration.
While you sleep, your body doesn’t shut down — it shifts into its most vital healing mode, repairing damage, processing the day’s biochemical stress, and orchestrating a symphony of detox and regeneration that no pill or protocol can mimic.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝘿𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥
Brain Detox (Glymphatic System): At night, your brain cells shrink by up to 60%, allowing cerebrospinal fluid to wash away metabolic waste, including beta-amyloid and other neurotoxins associated with cognitive decline.
Mitochondrial Repair: Damaged mitochondria (your cellular batteries) are cleaned up and recycled through mitophagy. Without sleep, mitochondrial function declines, leading to fatigue and poor cellular performance.
Hormone Reset: Melatonin rises (triggered by darkness), cortisol lowers, growth hormone peaks, and s*x hormones are rebalanced. Without proper sleep, thyroid, insulin, estrogen, and leptin all go haywire.
DNA Repair & Cellular Healing: Your body repairs oxidative damage from toxins, stress, EMFs, and inflammation. Without this nightly repair, aging accelerates and chronic disease risk rises.
Immune Regulation: Your immune system uses deep sleep to sort, tag, and remove abnormal cells. Natural killer cells peak. Poor sleep weakens immune surveillance — opening the door for infections and even cancer.
Liver Detoxification & Bile Flow: Your liver works in sync with your circadian rhythm and does most of its detoxification and filtration work at night — particularly between 1–3 a.m. (as noted in Traditional Chinese Medicine). During deep sleep, the liver:
• Filters the blood
• Processes toxins, drugs, and hormones
• Produces and recycles bile (crucial for fat digestion and toxin elimination)
• Converts stored glucose for stable blood sugar overnight
If you're not sleeping during this window — or your sleep is fragmented — liver detox slows, toxins recirculate, bile becomes sluggish, and hormone clearance suffers. Over time, this can contribute to estrogen dominance, poor digestion, histamine issues, and morning fatigue
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙎𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝘿𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩𝙨
Even one poor night of sleep reduces insulin sensitivity, raises cortisol, increases inflammation, and impairs memory. Chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to:
• Brain fog, depression, and anxiety
• Weight gain and leptin resistance
• Autoimmunity and gut permeability
• Infertility and low libido
• Detox stagnation
• Cardiovascular risk, blood pressure issues, and metabolic syndrome
• Hormonal burnout, especially in women over 30
𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙎𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙩-𝘾𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙮
Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating the kind of sleep that heals you at the cellular, hormonal, and neurological level:
𝟭. 𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙍𝙝𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙢
• Your body’s circadian rhythm is regulated by light exposure and time-based cues. When you sleep and wake inconsistently, your body’s hormonal flow (especially melatonin and cortisol) becomes disorganized — leading to insomnia, fatigue, hormone imbalance, and poor detox.
• Aim to be asleep by 10:00–10:30 p.m., when melatonin production naturally rises and liver detox begins (in Traditional Chinese Medicine, liver time is 1–3 a.m.).
• Avoid “social jet lag” — even a 1-hour shift on weekends confuses your internal clock.
• Natural light upon waking triggers a cortisol spike (healthy in the morning) and begins the melatonin cycle for that night.
𝟮. 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩
• Sunlight entering your eyes (not through glass or sunglasses) activates the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in your brain, setting your internal 24-hour clock.
• Serotonin is produced from morning light, which later converts to melatonin at night — so poor morning light = poor sleep.
• Cloudy day? You’ll still get 10,000+ lux of brightness outdoors vs. only ~500 lux indoors.
• Bonus: grounding while in the sun (barefoot on grass, dirt, or sand) adds an anti-inflammatory charge to your body and helps reset disrupted rhythms.
𝟯. 𝘿𝙞𝙢 𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙩
• Artificial blue light from screens, LEDs, and overhead lighting tricks your body into thinking it’s still daytime — blocking melatonin and keeping your nervous system alert.
• Swap bright lights for red or amber bulbs, or use salt lamps and candlelight after sunset.
• Wear blue-light blocking glasses (amber or red lenses) if screen use is unavoidable.
• Even a nightlight or digital clock in your room can suppress melatonin by 30–50%, leading to lighter sleep, fewer dreams, and more night wakings.
𝟰. 𝙀𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚
• Late-night eating spikes insulin and signals the body that it’s still “active daytime,” delaying melatonin release and liver detoxification.
• Going to bed hungry can cause blood sugar crashes, which your body responds to with a spike in cortisol and adrenaline — often triggering 2–4 a.m. wakeups.
• If this happens, a light protein + fat snack (e.g., nut butter, hard-boiled egg, warm bone broth with collagen) can stabilize overnight glucose.
• Avoid high-carb or sugary snacks before bed — they cause a crash and trigger night wakings or vivid dreams.
𝟱. 𝙊𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙎𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙀𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩
• Cool temperatures (65–68°F) help your core body temp drop — a critical signal to initiate sleep. Warmer temps interfere with this drop and reduce deep sleep.
• Sleep in total darkness — use blackout curtains or a sleep mask. Light triggers your pineal gland to reduce melatonin even through closed eyelids.
• EMFs can disrupt brainwave activity and heart rate variability. If sensitive, turn off your Wi-Fi, avoid charging electronics by the bed, and consider shielding solutions.
• Synthetic bedding or memory foam mattresses often off-gas (release) VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Opt for natural fibers like cotton, wool, latex, or organic bamboo.
• Mold spores and mycotoxins are common in humid or old bedrooms and can disrupt breathing, histamine, and brain repair during sleep.
𝟲. 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝘿𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙮
• Sleep onset requires a shift into parasympathetic “rest-and-digest” mode — something most people don’t experience after a hectic day.
• Create a consistent evening ritual: warm bath, herbal tea, soft music, oil massage, stretching, journaling, or breathwork.
• Castor oil packs over the liver or abdomen help increase parasympathetic tone and reduce inflammation.
• Try vagus nerve stimulation: humming, gargling, alternate nostril breathing, or gentle neck massage.
𝟳. 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 (𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙉𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙)
Use natural remedies with respect — start with terrain and rhythm before layering supplements.
• Magnesium glycinate or threonate: calms the HPA axis and relieves muscle tension. Threonate crosses the blood–brain barrier for cognitive calming.
• L-theanine: an amino acid found in green tea that increases alpha brain waves and enhances calm focus. Great for sleep onset without grogginess.
• GABA: helpful for racing thoughts and people with trauma-based insomnia. GABA is your brain’s primary inhibitory (calming) neurotransmitter.
• Glycine: supports temperature regulation and can help with falling and staying asleep.
• Botanicals: lemon balm, chamomile, passionflower, skullcap, California poppy, or valerian can be used in teas, tinctures, or glycerites. Rotate herbs every few weeks to maintain sensitivity.
• Melatonin: use low-dose (0.3–1mg) or liposomal form if needed. Higher doses may disrupt your natural rhythm unless under guidance. Best used short-term or post-shift travel.
• Bonus tools:
→ Grounding: reduces inflammation, resets cortisol rhythm, and improves HRV (heart rate variability).
→ Red light therapy at sunset: mimics the natural glow of firelight and promotes mitochondrial melatonin production.
𝘽𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙢 𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙚
You can take all the supplements in the world…
Eat clean, detox, go to therapy, work out…
But if you’re sleeping 5 broken hours a night — your body stays in survival mode.
Sleep is your body's greatest tool for detox, hormone balance, emotional regulation, and immune repair.
It's not a luxury — it's the foundation.
