SLEEP - POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Updated: 4 days ago
Insomnia is common in Lyme and many co-infections. Restoring proper sleep is essential in your healing. I struggled so much with insomnia. I have been in the 3 AM club so many times, I should have been given a lifetime membership card. If you are reading this in the middle of the night, welcome. You are not alone.
Over the years, I have found that different things helped at different times in my healing.
Short on time or energy? A quick-view graphic with the key points is at the bottom of this post.
If you want to understand why Lyme and co-infections affect sleep, read my education post:
Where a product has a buy link, it is right under that product. Sign up here first for the Fullscript discount (25% off):
START WITH THE BASICS
Dr. Marty Ross teaches an order of steps for sleep in Lyme. I love this because it reminds us that sleep supplements are not the first step.
Step 1: Calm the inflammation. He explains that the extra inflammation from these infections can disturb the sleep centers of the brain. He uses things like curcumin, quercetin or glutathione for this step.
Step 2: Build good sleep habits (see the list below).
Step 3: Look for other causes with your doctor, like sleep apnea, restless legs, pain, anxiety at bedtime, or waking too early with low mood.
Step 4: Then add natural sleep helpers, or ask your doctor about prescription options if those aren't enough.
He also says 7 to 9 hours is the goal, and the hours before midnight are the most restful.
SLEEP HABITS THAT HELP
- Go to bed at the same time every night (a Lyme-literate doctor suggests no later than 10 PM)
- Keep the lights low in the evening and turn off screens after dark, or use the night light setting on your phone
- Get daylight in the morning and afternoon
- Keep your room cool, dark and quiet
- Use your bed only for sleep, and get up if you can't fall asleep
- A small protein snack before bed can help if low blood sugar wakes you up
- Drink less in the evening so you aren't up to pee
- Keep caffeine early in the day
- Gentle movement during the day, as your body allows
- Take energizing supplements earlier in the day (my post on what to avoid in evening is at the bottom)
- Global Lyme Alliance shared that the most important step for Lyme-related sleep problems is treating the infections themselves, along with good sleep habits.
- Dr. Horowitz also points out that sleep apnea, restless legs, getting up to pee at night, and hormone problems can all disrupt sleep, so they are worth checking.
WHEN TO TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR
- Snoring, gasping, or stopping breathing at night: ask about a sleep study.
- Restless legs: a Lyme-literate doctor suggests asking for an iron (ferritin) test, and notes Bartonella, and sometimes Babesia, can be behind it.
- Pain keeping you awake
- Nothing is helping
HISTAMINE AND MAST CELLS
Histamine is a wake-up chemical in the brain. A 2026 medical case report described a man whose severe insomnia improved after his doctors focused on histamine with antihistamines, a low histamine diet, and removing scented products from his home. It is only one person, but it is worth asking your doctor about if you also have allergy-type symptoms.
Find Relief, created by my amazing doctor, Dr. Thoring, was formulated to support the body's natural immune, histamine, and inflammatory balance. It includes quercetin, one of the ingredients named in step 1 for calming inflammation. My mast cell solutions post is linked at the bottom too.
SUPPLEMENTS AND HERBS
Studied the most for sleep:
- Magnesium: most studies show modest help, especially if you're low
Learn more and find products here:
Buy here (Researched Nutritionals Magnesium Glycinate):
- Melatonin: best for sleep timing problems
Buy here (Klaire Labs Melatonin 3 mg):
- Chamomile: tea or extract, mostly positive studies
Buy here (Buddha Teas Chamomile Flower Tea):
- Tart cherry: small studies, mixed results
Learn more and find products here:
Buy here (EuroMedica Tart Cherry):
- L-theanine: one of my favorites, a 2026 review found better sleep quality
Learn more and find products here:
Buy here (Integrative Therapeutics L-Theanine):
Promising, but need more research:
- Glycine: small studies, better sleep quality and less next-day tiredness
Buy here (Designs for Health Glycine Powder):
- Ashwagandha: may help most when stress keeps you up
Learn more and find products here:
- Inositol: early research
Often used by Lyme doctors:
- Curcumin: used in step 1 for inflammation
- 5-HTP: a Lyme-literate doctor uses it, but never with antidepressants
- Passionflower and lemon balm: found in many sleep blends
- Valerian and hops: found in many sleep blends
- GABA: less research, but some people find it calming
- CBD: helps some people
- Cortisol Manager: I used the Integrative Therapeutics one
Learn more and find products here:
SLEEP COMBINATIONS
Many sleep formulas combine several of these, like valerian, lemon balm, passionflower, hops, L-theanine and magnesium. A Lyme-literate doctor says some people need to layer a few things together, and if one helps a little, it can be combined with another. Type SLEEP in the search bar on Fullscript to see the combinations. I have put the most popular with positive feedback below to make it easier.
Buy here (Vital Nutrients Sleep + Recover: saffron, lemon balm, passionflower, ashwagandha, 5-HTP, L-theanine and melatonin; not with antidepressants unless your doctor is guiding you):
Buy here (SFI Health Sleep Support: passionflower, valerian, ashwagandha, GABA and L-theanine):
Buy here (Designs for Health Insomnitol: lemon balm, passionflower, valerian, chamomile, 5-HTP, GABA, L-theanine, vitamin B6 and melatonin; not with antidepressants unless your doctor is guiding you):
Buy here (Transformation Enzymes CalmZyme: hops, skullcap, valerian, wild lettuce and digestive enzymes):
Buy here (Karuna Sleep Formula: lemon balm, valerian, hops and passionflower):
Buy here (Premier Research Labs Tranquinol: magnesium, lavender, lemon balm, passionflower, turmeric, valerian, L-theanine, saffron and magnolia):
FOOD IDEAS
- Tart cherries or tart cherry juice
- Two kiwis about an hour before bed (small studies found better sleep)
- Chamomile tea
- Foods rich in magnesium, like pumpkin seeds, almonds and spinach
BEFORE YOU START
- Never take 5-HTP with antidepressants
- Some combination formulas contain 5-HTP or melatonin, so check the label
- Johns Hopkins says not to use melatonin if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have an autoimmune disorder, a seizure disorder or depression. Talk to your doctor first if you have diabetes or high blood pressure.
- If melatonin isn't helping after a week or two, Johns Hopkins suggests stopping and talking to your doctor
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist before mixing sleep herbs with sleep medicine, anxiety medicine or alcohol
MY EXPERIENCE
- I have personally noticed my sleep got worse when my MCAS symptoms were not under control.
- My meditation audio: When I was at my worst, I had intense anxiety going to bed because I was filled with fear about my symptoms when I would lay down. I was shaky and in extreme pain, so I couldn't shut my brain off. I needed sleep to heal and escape. One meditation audio is what finally helped me fall into a deep sleep. I listened to it hundreds of times. It's in my post below.
- One I personally love: Find Relief, formulated by my doctor, Dr. Thoring. For calming inflammation (step 1), it is my personal top recommendation. It is amazing.
RELATED POSTS
WHICH SUPPLEMENTS TO AVOID IN EVENING
MAST CELL / MCAS POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
BAD DREAMS NIGHT TERRORS
SOURCES
Global Lyme Alliance, Lyme and sleep problems (2024)
Johns Hopkins Medicine, Melatonin for sleep (2026)
Nutrition Reviews, Sleep supplements review (2026)
Frontiers in Sleep, Histamine and insomnia case report (2026)
Dr. Richard Horowitz, Why Can't I Get Better? (2013, older source, still worth reading)
Disclaimer: Rise Above Lyme makes no claims about any possible benefit of using any product mentioned within this site. Always consult with your doctor before adding anything. The information shared is based on personal experience, years of accumulated researched resources from Lyme Literate doctors and polls conducted within Lyme groups from actual patient experience using these solution ideas.
Comments