Sleep: Why It’s Not Just About a Sleeping Pill
If your GP’s answer to poor sleep is “here, take this pill,” it’s missing the point.
Sleep struggles are right at the top of the symptom list I see every day. Yet they’re also one of the most ignored, as we drag our tired bodies through another day hoping tonight will be different.
The truth? Sleep doesn’t exist in isolation. A pill might knock you out for one night, but unless you fix the cause, the cycle continues.
Eventually, you reach the point where you’ll do anything for just one good night’s sleep. And while that one night can make the world look rosier, it doesn’t fix the problem, it only buys you 24 hours of relief.
The Truth
Poor sleep isn’t just an inconvenience. It hijacks your hormones, your mood, your metabolism, and even your relationships.
If I had the answer to guarantee a good night’s sleep every single night in one pill? I’d be the wealthiest human in the world (I wish!). Instead, I live a modest lifestyle with substantial educational debt, lol. There is no magic pill.
What I do have is a way to uncover the cause. Here are just a few reasons for poor sleep (prepare to be surprised)
Hormones
Unbalanced hormones can reduce our stress resilience increasing cortisol and reducing the hormones that would typically help us relax and sleep.
Stress
Most of you will have experienced sleepless nights during stressful periods or events. You aren’t imaging it! Stress dysregulates cortisol so it may be high at all the wrong times. Ideally it should be highest about an hour after waking but if we are chronically stressed that might not happen til much later in the day which leaves us ‘tired and wired’.
Blood sugar dysregulation
If your blood sugar is dysregulated, then you may find low blood sugar waking you in the middle of the night as the liver works overtime releasing extra glucose to buffer it. Eating a bit of protein before bed may help but I would be more concerned about the ‘why’ here. Why is you blood sugar that dysregulated?
Liver overload
You may have heard of ‘the red wines’? No? It’s a name for the sleepless night we have after alcohol. Some people pass out which gives us the idea we’ve had a good night’s sleep but really it has been alcohol induced and far from restful. Or the extra activity our liver must deal with can actually wake us up and make it harder to sleep.
There are literally just a few reasons that might be causing insomnia. There are many more! More often, sleeplessness is a messy combo of a few. And the kicker? Lack of sleep feeds these issues, creating a snowball effect.
Address the cause, stop the snowball. That’s why I get results that last.
Start with the Basics!
Track your sleep. Is it worse after a stressful day or just before your period? Do you wake up tired even after a full night’s rest? Find out why you’re sleepless in the first place by tracking it.
Prioritise your sleep. Make it non-negotiable. Build bedtime routines, create a calming bedroom, use block-out curtains, turn off noisy appliances, ditch the screens, and make your bedroom a place of peace.
Fix your daytime habits. They often dictate how you sleep at night. Keep coffee minimal (and before lunchtime), reduce or cut alcohol (it’s the enemy of deep sleep), get morning sunlight to reset your circadian rhythm, and move your body. Walk, stretch, lift weights… just move to tire out your body, not just your mind.
Regular sleep doesn’t come from a magic bullet. It comes from small, boring habits done consistently. The good news? That’s also how you get lasting change.
You are far from alone in this sleep-deprived world. Sleep has become the holy grail. But it’s within your reach if you shift from band-aid fixes to long-term, sustainable habits.
It’s not about a pill for an ill. It’s about consistency, self-care, and treating the cause…not just the symptom.
Your sleep issues may be more complex than you first thought, and that’s fine! It’s incredibly common. If the regular advice just isn’t cutting it, don’t be shy. Book in for an appointment so we can uncover what’s really going on.
If sleep has become your holy grail, it’s time to stop chasing band-aids.Book an appointment and together we’ll look at the whole forest, not just the trees so you can finally enjoy sweet, restorative sleep every night.
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