Holistic Sleep Coaching was her last stop before antidepressants.
Functional health saved me: “I haven't felt that good since my early 20’s!”
Kerri is 37 years old, a full-time working mom juggling family, life and everything else without anyone noticing what was happening with her.
Her life was good and not overly stressful. But she didn’t enjoy it because of her mood changes that came whenever her sleep was bad. There were thoughts of suicidal ideation at some point.
Kerri’s main concerns
When Kerri came to work with me, her biggest complaints were insomnia and depression from her struggles with sleep, and she had some serious skin issues. She had been living with 2 - 4 hours of sleep per night for a big part of the last 15 years!
The list of everything Kerri had tried was long: therapy, antihistamines, medical marijuana (which ended up making her feel super depressed), watching TV to fall asleep, not watching TV before bed, meditation, and a long list of supplements she had researched online that were supposed to help with sleep and mood.
She had had a ton of blood work done, which had always come back “normal”. “I know something is going on in my body that is messing up my sleep.” But no doctor was willing to look into that (or knew what to look for). I see this a lot in my clients.
Does this sound familiar?
You are burning out, and your doctor tells you to manage your stress so that you can sleep better, or they prescribe medications (which rarely work long term) or send you to see a therapist. And guess what: Kerri had had therapy and can deal with stress and anxiety pretty well, actually - but still wasn’t sleeping.
All she wanted was:
The confidence to be able to fall asleep most nights without drugs or supplements
No feelings of depression for no reason
Feel energetic and interested in doing things in life
Feeling like her "normal" self again
“I've got a lot of time left on the planet, and I'd like my family and friends to know that I am enjoying it alongside them and not faking my way through it.”
But what are doctors and lots of therapists missing?
What doctors are missing is that there are other things outside of the general stress we experience that can keep us up. This is where a functional approach to health and holistic sleep coaching comes in.
Simply put, the rise of our stress hormone cortisol in the system that suppresses melatonin (our sleepy hormone) keeps you up or wakes you up. And yes, if you are constantly on the go, that will impact you, but other things can have an effect as well:
Inflammation or a leaky gut
A sluggish liver
Low progesterone or estrogen levels
Parasites (gross, but I see them in more than 50% of my clients)
Nutrient deficiencies and heavy metal toxicity/
You can have the best meditation apps, sleeping pills or weighted blankets; if your body is unhealthy, it will sabotage your sleep.
Functional testing for sleep
And this is where the functional testing comes in that I help all my clients do. Tests most of your doctors will not run. We look at what is going on in your gut, how your hormones are doing, your thyroid markers, nutrient deficiencies and heavy metals to get a full picture. Kerri was so frustrated that she hadn’t gotten the help she needed! She told me this: “You are my last stop before antidepressants.”
The process
Kerri was super committed to figuring this out. She took all the lab tests at home (yep, no need to go to a lab, the test kits are shipped straight to your door), and we got to work on her diet and daily routines while waiting for the results to come back.
"I’m waking up less and less in the middle of the night!”
This was her feedback before we even had her results back - so just after a few weeks !!! And when the tests came back, we had the answers to many of her symptoms: the sleep issues, the depression and anxiety and the skin issues that had been bothering her for so long.
Kerri’s test results
She had a parasite. Parasites are nocturnal and release toxins while we sleep. They are a significant contributor to insomnia. She had an H pylori infection that triggered inflammation in her gut.
Fun fact: Cortisol is not just our stress hormone - but also an anti-inflammatory. So guess what the body releases when you have inflammation and are trying to sleep? Cortisol.
And this is your body trying to help you but sabotaging you at the same time. (BTW: An estimated 70% of the world’s population has h pylori at least once, 80% of my clients have it - and most don’t even know).
Kerri also had copper dysregulation, likely from her copper IUD and previous use of hormonal birth control. An overload of copper often causes anxiety and sleep issues. She was also running on fumes; her cortisol was pretty bottomed out.
About a month into the full protocol, I got this text from her: “Sleep is feeling easier and easier, AND I’m due for my period today, which is bananas.”
What made Kerri’s sleep story a successful one?
Her commitment and willingness to follow the protocols
I was in her back pocket for 6 months
And this is so important. You can get great functional tests done with many practitioners; your naturopath can run most of them. But to make the changes in your life that help your body heal, you need someone to support and hold you accountable. Because the magic happens in between the appointments.
“I often have questions; I can’t imagine waiting between appointments to ask Annika what to do. I am thankful her approach includes so much connection.”
Kerri’s sleep coaching results
Remember, within a month, Kerri was already starting to sleep better, which improved as time passed. “I’m sleeping 6-8 hours per night, my skin is slowly clearing up, and I feel no depression, zero. It’s remarkable.”
Kerri is her old self again! She has enough energy for her family and her job again. She is happy, enjoying her life and doing everything she loves: playing with her daughter, exercising, attending shows and concerts and meeting her besties for brunch. “I haven't felt that good since my early 20”s!”
Her mom’s boyfriend recently found out about Kerri’s sleep issues. “What, you had sleep problems? For 15 years? That must have been awful. I would have never known.” Yes, it was awful, and this is finally over! Kerri trusted the process and is seeing her success!
What Kerri has to say about her sleep success
"Annika seems to understand how my body behaves better than any doctor I have ever encountered. Best yet. She listens to me. Deeply and genuinely. She wants me to heal as much as I do. I tell every human I know, and all strangers I meet in the street, that my functional practitioner is a wizard.”
Ready to get your sleep and health back on track?
If you are done with trial and error and throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, I’m here for you. Let’s get to the bottom of the issue, address it and move on.