Insomnia is common in Lyme and many co-infections. Restoring proper sleep is essential in your healing. I struggled so much with insomnia. Although Lyme and Bartonella are mentioned as common causes, it is also worth mentioning that Babesia affects the sleep center in the brain.
Below this list of ideas, you will find resources to explain the cause of insomnia and additional tips.
Over the years, I have found that different things helped at different times in my healing.
All of these can be found for 25% off here:
ASHWAGANDHA
CBD
CORTISOL MANAGER (i used Integrative Therapeutics brand)
L-THEANINE
MAGNESIUM
MELATONIN
TART CHERRY
There are many great combination supplements that include various successful things such as:
Rhodiola
Lemon balm
Passionflower
Chamomile
Lavender
Valerian root
L-theanine to name a few.
Just type SLEEP in search bar on the fullscript link above and some great combinations come up.
MEDITATION AUDIO:
"When I was my worst, I would have intense anxiety going to bed because I was filled with fear due to symptoms when I would lay down. I was shaky and in extreme pain so I couldn't shut my brain off and get to sleep. I needed to sleep to heal and escape. So this exact audio is what finally helped me go into a deep sleep. There are many and she is amazing but this one in particular helped me the most. I listened to it hundreds of times. I hope this helps you."
"Greater sleep latency, decreased sleep efficiency and a greater arousal index were noted in Lyme patients."
"Watch as our patients describe the difficulty they have falling asleep, staying asleep and just getting a decent night’s sleep with Lyme disease. Lyme disease disrupts many of the regular rhythms of the body, with sleep being a major one."
"Poor Sleep Quality Shown for Lyme Disease Patients."
"Doctors should look for patterns in their patients and always appreciate that treating people with Lyme disease is about shades of gray, because the infections create symptom pictures that are never black and white."
RAWL'S TIPS
1. Exercising builds up adenosine, really important for helping sleep. (See our exercise post)
2.Helping your system calm down through the day helps set the stage for better sleep at night.
3. Other things that can help sleep in the evening just to have a mild capacity to induce sleep, passionflower is excellent, has some muscle relaxing qualities. Lemon balm is very good. Gaba can sometimes be beneficial. A little bit of melatonin can be helpful, but there are many, many herbs."
"Sleep is often disturbed in chronic Lyme disease. Lack of adequate sleep worsens pain, causes fatigue, increases inflammatory cytokines and suppresses the immune." system.https://www.treatlyme.net/guide/sleep-the-natural-medicines
"There are many factors in Lyme disease that cause sleep problems. Each of these factors should be addressed to improve sleep."
Food ideas:
"While this isn’t a comprehensive list, these foods and drinks that help you sleep have been backed the most by research."
I was told this is a good book. I haven't read but respect the source that told me
"Sleep Smarter" by Shawn Stevenson
SLEEP ISSUES POST
These tips can also help you get better sleep.