Balancing exercises are some of the most restorative movements you can make — for the mind and body.
This is the reason various mind-body disciplines — such as yoga — have always utilized balancing postures: they synchronize the mental and the physical better than most other activities we can engage in.
Here are some favorite tools to help encourage and take advantage of the benefits of balancing.
By improving your balance — in both lower and upper body — you can improve the health of your entire system.
The BOSU Ball is a staple of the modern gym and training session.
Creating an unstable surface to stand on — by putting the round side face-down (feet standing on the flat side) — the body has to constantly adapt and improve its balance. This strengthen’s the body’s joints (including the ankles, knees, and hips), core muscles, tendons, and leg muscles, while also synchronizing the nervous system.
You can also use this for upper body work, by doing pushups and planks with either hands or feet on the ball. The BOSU Ball is known for being well-built and durable, and is the standard among gym equipment of this type.
The ORIGINAL model was the first of its kind, and still is absolutely perfect for home use.
The PRO model is designed for use in gyms, and is capable of withstanding even higher traffic and use.
The NEXGEN is a new offering, built with supremely high quality and improved grips for more extreme training.
Simply inflate with air, and you’ve got an unstable surface to practice your balances.
This little balance disk is surprisingly helpful for being so cheap.
It’s not super tiny, but it is much more portable than a BOSU ball. It won’t give you nearly the range of possibilities a BOSU ball does, but it could be a quick “warm-up” before you head out the door — or an introduction to balancing.
I recommend the balance disk for beginners, or for experienced movers who want a portable option or variation from other, more challenging balancing tools.
PROs:
Pretty decent amount of stimulation to balance
Smaller, more portable
Well-made, durable
CONs:
Not as versatile or challenging as the BOSU ball
Very portable when deflated — (but re-inflating takes a few minutes)
RATING: 6.2/10
This is amazing as a quick, portable balancing tool. It’s absolutely better than nothing. However, if you can spend more on something more challenging (like a BOSU ball), you should. I enjoy owning both.
3
Lebert Parallettes
(amazon)
Parallete bars are incredible as a movement trainer.
They’re also excellent for building strength in the core and upper body. I consider them an essential component for building your core, shoulders, and entire upper body with balance between all parts.
PROs:
Super high quality
Two color options
Supports up to 400 lbs
CONs:
Smelly rubber feet/end caps.
RATING: 9.3/10.
These would be a 10/10 if the rubber end caps didn’t offgas so much. Remove them and let them offgas in the garage, or outside for a while.
At the time of this posting — the yellow set is quite a bit more affordable than the chrome. They must have had difficulty selling the yellow color.
4
Revolution Balance Board
(amazon)
This board allows you to mimic surfing, as you slide left-to-right, this really takes your balancing skills to the next level. The motion is limited to left-right motion (no forward-back), but nevertheless requires you to incorporate forward-back balancing to avoid falling either direction.
DIY — Make Your Own
You can make your own version of this for very, very cheap with two items from a hardware store: a $7-10 30 inch laminated wooden board (laminated is stronger) and a PVC pipe (they’ll often cut it for you — 16 inches should be about right). You might want to sand down the edges so they don’t scratch the floor.
PROs:
Convenient
Fun
Excellent trainer
CONs:
Pricey
You can make your own for under $20
Won’t last a lifetime
RATING: 8/10
I’d seriously consider making your own for much cheaper. You can always “upgrade” down the road if you really love the concept!
Here’s what I’m currently doing to improve my health.
Updated: 7-28-19
(check back for updates, I’ll update soon)
Some Rules I Follow
Try one new idea at a time. Problems almost always arise from trying too many things in too-short of period.
Understand how each component of my health regimen fits together. If I don’t understand it, it’s more risky for me.
Never do something (especially long-term) just because another person is doing it. That person could easily be harming themselves, or doing things that only work given their personal challenges.
The food I eat is balanced: carbs and protein and fats — and digestible.
I am now eating food with virtually zero food restrictions.
I do avoid artificial sweeteners and flavors.
I eat mostly whole foods, although I don’t restrict added sugar. I do eat refined grains — in fact, starch is essential for me to feel my best, sleep well, and stay regular.
Macro Ratio
Roughly a 2:1:1 ratio (by calories).
I eat intuitively (I don’t measure calories or macros anymore, although I did for some time). I generally get a feel for where “2:1:1” probably is. If I want a little more protein, or carbs, or fat… I’ll add more. After years of paying attention to this, I can figure out what I want/need.
I think about what my gut will need to digest well… not just what my taste buds want.
I’ve gotten myself into endless conundrums with nonsensical, extreme nutritional supplementation.
Therefore, it’s become a core concept for me to never find myself lost and confused about nutrients, ever again.
Fat Solubles
1-2x/week. I seem to need more Vitamin A than the other Fat Solubles. Therefore, I take this more frequently (daily).
Vitamin A — 1x/day (at night)
Vitamin D — from sunlight, daily.
Vitamin E — 1x/week
Vitamin K — 2x/week
B-Vitamins
The Naturelo multivitamin is an excellent source of balanced B-vitamins.
B1 — 1x/week (allithiamine)
B2 — 1x/week
B6 — 1x/week
Choline — 1x/week
I don’t seem to need more B12 than this supplement provides.
Minerals
Sodium — Moderate intake.
Potassium — Lowish intake (what’s in the Ultima powder and veggies).
Calcium — Moderate/high intake. Mostly from dairy.
Magnesium — 3-6x/week.
Zinc — I avoid zinc. It makes me feel bad. (UPDATE Fall 2019: When I stopped visiting a moldy environment regularly, zinc tolerance improved, and supplemental zinc gave noticeable energy and calmness).
Copper — 1-2x/day. Chlorophyllin. Has long balanced out my high zinc. Consistently makes me feel great.
Iodine — Not needing much right now.
Selenium — About once per week.
Lithium — 1x/week
Strontium — 2x/month
Molybdenum — 1x/week (to lower high sulfur)
Amino Acids
Glycine — currently not taking/(is present in magnesium glycinate)
What might be even more important than the actions I take each day? How I think about my health.
Organizing my thoughts — into important topics — is one of the most important habits I developed as I came back into health.
I stopped viewing everything through a single lens — whether it be the thyroid, the gut, mold, or something else (various diets, perhaps).
Instead, I came to understand these essential topics — each its own standalone pillar of health that matters deeply and universally for all people.
That means I couldn’t simply focus on one area — gut health, or light, or sleep — and expect to recover.
Of course, there’s so much overlap between each area — so envisioning these clearly defined “essential topics” helped me delve into health zones without becoming lost in the weeds.
These days — and for many years now — I don’t worry about doing a million health activities each day. I just think of these essential topics: light, sleep, the gut, food, nutrients, etc.
I often make sure I’m doing something for each pillar every day.
I take stock — how I’m doing lately — for each topic. For example: “What’s my therapeutic light been like recently?”
From time to time, I’ll focus more on one area than another. I’ll also take a break from certain areas periodically — to see how doing less affects me.
Viewing these as “essential topics” also allows me freedom from health-group dogma. I know a given essential topic is important, and I can maintain my focus on it, even as I explore various approaches to that subject — exploring advice from various sources. I can take or leave advice about, say, the circadian rhythm without changing my appreciation for the topic, itself. I know it’s important.
As I work through different approaches, I keep the best ideas — and weed out those that didn’t help, or those that made me feel worse.
Over time, the way I view these essential topics has become only about the universally-good ideas discovered along the way.
Organize your thoughts into essential topics and you’ll be free to rise above the dogmatic traps we find online and, instead, build your own approach — one that resonates with you and thus provides you sustainable results.
The satisfaction of knowing that you’re supporting a great cause
— Travis
What people are saying…
I can personally attest that Travis Burch is the real deal. I’m forever grateful to have crossed paths with him. His in-depth understanding of nutrition, lifestyle and the environment is astounding. He has a faculty for tuning in and listening that effectively sets him apart from others in the field. Thank you, Travis! (read full testimonial)
Diane TantimonacoCalifornia, USA
The material on this website is extremely clear cut, organised and actually very enjoyable and easy to read. Never have I been so interested and excited when looking into health. (read full testimonial)
Josh ClementUK
Travis Burch is extremely patient and really listens. He has helped me recently discover some major issues with my regimen and I’m forever grateful! (read more testimonials)
Mandy RodeCanada
I so appreciate you and your work — the mindset you’ve given me is invaluable. You’ve trained and taught me well! You are practical, not selling an agenda and so open-minded. It’s so clear how much thought you’ve put into the site, and the content AND delivery of content is unparalleled. (read full testimonial)
Matt FriedmanMassachussetts, USA
Travis has pretty much given me my life back and I can’t thank him enough for it! And his ideas and perspectives on health feel absolutely FOUNDATIONAL to me. I’m pretty convinced that Travis’ coaching would be helpful to pretty much everybody. (read the full testimonial)
The immune system needs all the support it can get during a crisis.
In this uncertain time, strategies to shore up biological weaknesses and nutritional imbalances are at the very top of the list for boosting immunity.
Everything mentioned in this article has been shown to be effective for boosting immunity against viruses and even past coronaviruses in published studies.
We can strengthen the immune system from the ground up — via two avenues foundational to general health: nutrients and lifestyle.
Adults
Suggested Schedule
Multivitamin —Daily.
Vitamin D — Daily**
Vitamin A —Every other day**
Vitamin C —Daily.
Zinc —Daily**
Echinacea —Daily.
Heat — Daily, multiple sessions.
Sunlight —Daily, multiple sessions.
** for duration of illness, then stop.
If you’ve supplemented high doses — of any of these — in the past 6 months, consider skipping them during the illness.
Immune function may be improved by restoring deficient micronutrients to recommended levels, thereby increasing resistance to infection and supporting faster recovery when infected.
A strong multivitamin has A) whole-food based, high-quality ingredients at B) biologically-appropriate, balanced doses — not megadoses, which can create imbalances.
Naturelo’s formulation is well-balanced, absorbable, w/adequate zinc content — the only one of its kind among a vast ocean of subpar multivitamins.
Vitamin D and Vitamin A are partner nutrients which are central to immune function.
Poorly represented in most diets (D is only available from sunlight and A is only available from liver), they are both critical for metabolism, sleep, and hormone production.
A deficiency in these can make you extra susceptible to illnesses.
D
Vitamin D is a hormone produced when the body receives UVB light.
Vitamin D is perhaps the most important immune nutrient.
This is a moderate-to-high dose of Vitamin D3 (the biologically-active form) with a small amount of cofactor Vitamin K2, needed to allow Vitamin D work in the body.
It’s an excellent idea to take absorbable magnesium to support Vitamin D. Magnesium is not readily found in modern food, so it’s a good idea to supplement it daily, anyway.
WHEN SICK, Take 5000IU Vitamin D daily — with a meal.
(Consider avoiding Vit D if supplemented heavily in the past — to avoid overdose).
NOTE — Sunlight is a superior form of Vitamin D, but is only available around midday, in the summer.
A
Vitamin A is the sister hormone to Vitamin D, enabling it to work optimally.
Other antiviral herbs may be viable alternatives to boost immunity during illness. Here’s a list of options:
(click to explore more options)
6
Heat
Heat is incredibly therapeutic for nearly every health condition — especially for supporting the immune system.
Why? In part, because pathogens are severely weakened in high heat. Look no further than what your own body does when sick: It raises the temperature in your tissues, a fever.
Venture Soft Far Infrared Heating Pad
UTK Ultra-Soft Far Infrared Heating Pad
Exposure to warmth is critical when fighting off illness and preventing it. The heat will also help you feel better in the process.
Apply heating pad for 20 minutes on chest, then 20 minutes on the back. Optional: Sit on pad for several hours.
Did you know? Heat is infrared light.
Read more about the stunning health effects of light.
7
Sunlight
If you’re sick, get outside.
UV light is naturally germicidal — especially against viruses. UV frequencies can penetrate into the skin, and can even inactivate viruses that have worked their way into skin tissues.
Morning light is the healthiest light you can get — even without any UV.
Don’t wait until you’re sick to spend time outdoors. Ward off illness — before it arrives — with regular sunshine.
Get outdoors every day — for as long as possible.
8
The immune system activates at night — functioning best when we sleep deeply.
Research is finding that when you sleep is more important than how many hours you sleep. Thus, the circadian rhythm is more important than the total hours of shuteye.
Fix the circadian rhythm to fix sleep. Explore the Sleep section for more.
Read more:
Children
When it comes to children, it’s important to simplify.
Kids are smaller bodies that require smaller doses of nutrients. Children’s health needs are different than an adult’s — they are often more sensitive, and thereby susceptible to harm caused by excessive supplementation.
Multivitamin
Kids need low, balanced doses of high-quality nutrients, too.
Not all children’s multivitamins meet the standards of quality and balanced dosages.
LUCAS, HOST OF QUAX PODCAST: “This is by far the most comprehensive interview I have done on how to be the healthiest you can be.”
What people are saying…
I can personally attest that Travis Burch is the real deal. I’m forever grateful to have crossed paths with him. His in-depth understanding of nutrition, lifestyle and the environment is astounding. He has a faculty for tuning in and listening that effectively sets him apart from others in the field. Thank you, Travis! (read full testimonial)
Diane TantimonacoCalifornia, USA
The material on this website is extremely clear cut, organised and actually very enjoyable and easy to read. Never have I been so interested and excited when looking into health. (read full testimonial)
Josh ClementUK
Travis Burch is extremely patient and really listens. He has helped me recently discover some major issues with my regimen and I’m forever grateful! (read more testimonials)
Mandy RodeCanada
I so appreciate you and your work — the mindset you’ve given me is invaluable. You’ve trained and taught me well! You are practical, not selling an agenda and so open-minded. It’s so clear how much thought you’ve put into the site, and the content AND delivery of content is unparalleled. (read full testimonial)
Matt FriedmanMassachussetts, USA
Travis has pretty much given me my life back and I can’t thank him enough for it! And his ideas and perspectives on health feel absolutely FOUNDATIONAL to me. I’m pretty convinced that Travis’ coaching would be helpful to pretty much everybody. (read the full testimonial)
The satisfaction of knowing that you’re supporting a great cause
— Travis
What people are saying…
I can personally attest that Travis Burch is the real deal. I’m forever grateful to have crossed paths with him. His in-depth understanding of nutrition, lifestyle and the environment is astounding. He has a faculty for tuning in and listening that effectively sets him apart from others in the field. Thank you, Travis! (read full testimonial)
Diane TantimonacoCalifornia, USA
The material on this website is extremely clear cut, organised and actually very enjoyable and easy to read. Never have I been so interested and excited when looking into health. (read full testimonial)
Josh ClementUK
Travis Burch is extremely patient and really listens. He has helped me recently discover some major issues with my regimen and I’m forever grateful! (read more testimonials)
Mandy RodeCanada
I so appreciate you and your work — the mindset you’ve given me is invaluable. You’ve trained and taught me well! You are practical, not selling an agenda and so open-minded. It’s so clear how much thought you’ve put into the site, and the content AND delivery of content is unparalleled. (read full testimonial)
Matt FriedmanMassachussetts, USA
Travis has pretty much given me my life back and I can’t thank him enough for it! And his ideas and perspectives on health feel absolutely FOUNDATIONAL to me. I’m pretty convinced that Travis’ coaching would be helpful to pretty much everybody. (read the full testimonial)
You just want relief from being awake. Why can’t I fall asleep? What’s wrong with me?
Maybe a sleep supplement solves the problem for a while. That is, until the solution wears off as the body builds tolerance and becomes resistant to it.
The body creates new cells that have fewer chemical receptors for the supplement’s active compound that induces sleep.
Sleep doesn’t need to be induced, though. It’s a natural process or, at least, it can be.
Maybe it’s the unnatural stuff — or even the unnatural way we do/take natural stuff — that prevents the body from being able to sleep.
Get To The Root Cause
Anxiety about insomnia can certainly make the situation worse.
That’s why it’s so important to understand what is at the root cause of poor sleep.
There’s not as much room for anxiety about poor sleep if we have a deep understanding of our body — what works for us and the general factors that improve or harm sleep.
If you find yourself struggling with insomnia, look at this list of potential causes. If you recognize something on this list, you’ll have identified a potential cause of your insomnia. Which means it can be fixed holistically.
Let’s clear some things up, and hopefully reduce anxiety about sleep.
Deep Causes Of Insomnia
Sleeping In
Perhaps the premier cause of insomnia is sleeping in late.
Sleeping in throws off the circadian rhythm so deeply that, without doing anything else “wrong,” sleep can become extremely difficult.
Some folks are able to overcome the negative impact of sleeping in by being extremely active during the day — athletic types and performers can sometimes appear to “get away with” a later circadian rhythm. These people are typically younger and haven’t faced the scourge of debilitating health problems, and live on the high of sheer exhaustion. They may be able to “pass out” at night, but this is certainly a recipe for future insomnia.
For the rest of us, sleeping in greatly disrupts the ability to fall and stay asleep the following night. The circadian rhythm is delayed, meaning melatonin simply won’t rise the next evening.
Serotonin is created by morning light and, without this light stimulus, evening melatonin will not be adequately created from that serotonin.
For those folks interested in the ill effects of high serotonin, perhaps the most reasonable way to fight back is bright sunlight — which balances serotonin by raising dopamine during the day and lowers serotonin at night by properly converting it to melatonin.
Sleeping in robs the body of the necessary morning light stimulus, sets the circadian clock backward several hours and harms the efficiency and inevitability of sleep the following evening.
Insulin sensitivity (a marker of diabetes) is also impaired by sleeping in, which could directly lead to a metabolic energy deficit at night. Needing to eat late at night to induce sleep, or waking up hungry? Sleeping in could be impairing your glucose metabolism all day, destabilizing your blood sugar, and making it harder to stay asleep through the night.
On the other end, staying up late at night will contribute to insomnia, mostly because it makes sleeping in more likely. Late nights also introduce bright light at night (this is correlated with nearly every disease risk factor) which makes sleep less efficient, and thus further impairs an early rise the next morning.
When staying up late for any reason — whether socially or otherwise — it’s still best to follow natural light cycles to some extent. Better light cycles certainly make it more easy to wake up early after a late night.
If sleeping in has become the norm, the answer is to simply wake up early while supporting this change with simple circadian hygiene steps.
When shifting to earlier mornings, it will be necessary to endure one or multiple short nights of sleep. The days following short nights of sleep don’t have to miserable. The beauty of being awake early, even if tired, can shine through the temporary challenge of resetting the circadian rhythm.
Again, when coupled with other pro-circadian habits — proper light cycles, daily movement, meal timing, etc — forcing an early rise can invite exhaustion and “sleep pressure.” This sleep pressure, when coupled with better circadian habits can lead to an excellent reset of the circadian rhythm after long periods of sleeping in.
These tenets of good sleep hygiene — waking up early, being active, eating on time, and moving a little — are incredibly effective at restoring sleep in their own right and represent the solution to the type of insomnia that occurs as a result of sleeping in.
Unfortunately, there are some situations that can derail sleep to its core — on their own — and, when these situations become bad enough, sleep hygiene is not enough to overcome them. Let’s explore some of them:
Nutrient Imbalances
Nutrient imbalances are becoming exceedingly common in the modern health world, especially in the groups dedicated to boosting metabolism and hormone production/manipulation.
Decades of science have provided studies demonstrating the pro-metabolic and prohormone effects of nearly every substance and chemical on the planet.
It only takes a little research to find lists of biochemicals, vitamins, and hormones that research suggests will boost or block a desired biological activity.
Unfortunately, this method of supplementation may be pyrite — fool’s gold.
While a young and healthy person may be able to take hormones and nutrients without apparent harm — for instance, a college-aged fitness enthusiast taking steroids, stimulants, estrogen blockers, or high doses of nutrients to increase lean muscle and burn fat — for folks who aren’t already extremely healthy this approach can be a disaster, and sleep is often where the negative symptomology is ultimately displayed.
For folks who have been battling chronic illness for several years, this “metabolic boosting” and “hormonal manipulation” can lead directly to a no man’s land of severe insomnia with no clear path out of it.
Supplemental hormones can use up nutrients, leading to depletion of minerals and vitamins.
Hormone-blockers can lead to depletion of certain hormones — and then cause the body to create new cells that are hypersensitive to the hormone being blocked. This is especially common with estrogen-blocking supplements like DIM and calcium d-glutarate, along with cortisol blockers like Seriphos (and cortisol-lowering herbs, to a lesser extent).
Over time, supplemental vitamins and minerals can cause severe nutritional imbalances, especially when focusing on boosting desired biological results. Nutrients should rarely or never be taken for their drug-like effect — whether it’s to induce sleep, alter the metabolism, nudge hormone balance, or elevate performance — and especially not long-term and in doses that far exceed 100% of the recommended daily value.
The fat-soluble vitamins(D, A, E & K) are especially known to cause sleep disturbances when levels are imbalanced or too high in the system.
The fat-solubles are incredibly powerful at boosting the immune system (they are quite antimicrobial) and are equally pro-metabolic. This means they are essential for health. It also means they can produce excellent results upon initial supplementation — with a happy honeymoon period of solid results — only to be followed by worsening symptoms that persist for weeks or months after the nutrient supplementation ceases.
When Vitamin D levels have become too high, it may even be necessary to avoid UVB light frequencies from the sun (from midday, summer light) until Vitamin D levels can return to a healthy level.
Vitamin A is a double-edged sword, much like Vitamin D. Much of the population will be deficient in both D & A, and yet some will be dangerously high in one or both (usually after supplementation). If one is low, that deficiency alone can wreck sleep. If one is high, that excess (or “vitamin toxicity”) can equally disrupt sleep.
Vitamin A & Vitamin D are just as likely to ruin sleep in excess as they are to restore sleep in deficiency.
Additionally, of particular importance is one’s sodium and potassium balance.
In chronic illness and hypothyroidism, sodium levels are often depleted, so adequate daily sodium intake can be incredibly pertinent for sleep. Any nutrient — when too low or too high — will raise levels of cortisol, and this is true of sodium in particular as a primary electrolyte.
Many folks will need to restrict sodium intake and balance it with potassium.
Monitor this critical, fragile ratio daily, doubly-so if insomnia is a recurring issue.
For example, restless leg syndrome (RLS) is especially related to sodium/potassium balance. RLS is also linked to Vitamin D/A balance, as well as calcium/magnesium balance. If any nutrient is low or high, restless legs can present.
All in all, anynutrient, when out of balance with its cofactors (read: all other nutrients), can cause persistent insomnia until supplementation has stopped and the body can balance itself once again.
It can take weeks for sleep to return when nutrients and hormones have been thrown out of whack, although improvements can often be noticed within mere nights of stopping the offensive supplementation.
Low Calories
Insomnia can certainly be caused when too-few calories are eaten, or when calories are eaten too late in the day.
Glucose tolerance is lower at night and higher in the morning.
When calories aren’t eaten early, they are less efficiently metabolize later in the day — leading to an energy deficit that can only be ameliorated by further, excessive caloric intake.
Simply put, eating too little early means even more calories must be eaten later in the day to compensate — to keep up with energy requirements of the body.
In this state, adequate caloric intake may become essential to facilitate sleep. Erratic blood sugar (possibly as a result of a disrupted circadian rhythm or low-grade infection) can directly cause insomnia. The obsession with caloric restriction as a path to longevity can directly impair health, particularly if it disrupts quality sleep.
When blood sugar regulation is a concern, it’s increasingly important to 1) eat enough calories and 2) eat those calories on time: early and not late.
The caveat: if you find yourself unable to sleep due to insufficient calories during the day — there may be no other choice but to get up and eat sufficient calories to induce sleep.
Snacking at night isn’t ideal (poor glucose metabolism, eating signals “daytime” to the brain), but insomnia is easily a worse outcome. Eat what’s needed for the night, and get back on track in the morning and over time.
Sedentarism
Daily movement is a major component of good sleep.
Movement reinforces the circadian rhythm by suppressing melatonin and signaling daytime to the brain’s clock (suprachiasmatic nucleus).
Additionally, movement burns through glutamate stores, allowing for a more appropriate GABA-glutamate balance in the evening which facilitates better relaxation of the nervous system.
Exercise also improves liver bile flow and digestive wellness, allowing for more efficient absorption of nutrients and, therefore, improved metabolic function.
The lymph system is nourished by daily exercise and, when sleep cycles have been impaired, the lymph system depends upon movement even more to clear lymph and the toxins housed inside it. This increased reliance on movement is because the circadian rhythm is critical for lymph function. In circadian disruption, movement is all that remains to stimulate lymph flow (along with, potentially, manual lymph drainage, massage and infrared light).
Some well-intentioned health advice recommends extreme resting and avoidance of exercise. While this advice is based on some measure of truth (long-term overexertion can harm health), it mustn’t ignore the fact that daily, tolerable levels of movement are critical to digestive motility, lymph function, and preventing insomnia.
Nightly Hydration
Bodily hydration is a major challenge in chronic illness.
It can be a struggle to maintain homeostasis and fluid balance due to chronic inflammation and poor nutrient absorption.
Monitoring fluid intake — as well as water quality — is important when sleep is a challenge.
There’s certainly a “Goldilocks zone” for each person when it comes to fluid intake.
The amount of water required will vary depending on the diet and intake of minerals. Sunlight, light therapy, heat therapy, exercise, and mineral intake will all greatly increase daily water needs.
In hypothyroidism, it’s common for folks to restrict water intake and increase sodium consumption. This improves fluid balance due to hyponatremia as a result of various health challenges: low hormone levels, high inflammation, poor gut health, and poor nutrient absorption.
Increasing this sodium-to-water balance may help sleep. However, it’s possible to go too far in either direction: You may find water to impede sleep during the night, and sodium induces sleep. You may wake up a few hours later dehydrated (from the sodium), and need more water.
Ultimately, this is a sign of severe fluid imbalance. Frequent night urination can be a sign of many things: diabetes, mold toxicity, high EMF exposure, and high inflammation. The root causes of fragile fluid balance need to be addressed going forward, rather than merely addressed through intense sodium/water balancing.
Poor Gut Health
Poor gut health can cause each bite of food eaten to turn into endotoxin in the gut.
In dysbiosis of the gut, nutrients will be poorly absorbed and, when absorbed, will not reach cells efficiently due to inflammation.
Pathogens become comfortable in the gut, eating food and causing inflammation. They’ll even enter the bloodstream — a place they certainly don’t belong — and trigger a strong immune response (more inflammation).
Some folks are able to find some spotty relief by removing problematic foods from the diet (such as grains, fibers, or animal products). However, this does not totally address the underlying health problems and may cause imbalances over time (due to an imbalanced diet).
If insomnia is truly persistent, it’s certainly possible gut health is a root-cause factor.
Of course, the circadian rhythm is a primary controller of overall gut health. Therefore, attacking both the gut and sleep simultaneously through great sleep hygiene and a solid gut health regimen may present a valid approach.
Sick Buildings
There’s no reason to go in-depth on this topic, here.
However, if you’re really struggling with insomnia and absolutely nothing else is helping, you might want to explore your building — and see if it’s a sick building.
When water damage grows significant mold — or air conditioning units go unmaintained and grow mold — this can cause insomnia all by itself.
Mold releases toxins called mycotoxins which directly cause inflammation. Its spores can also be allergenic and even become lodged in the mouth and nose and grow fungal colonies (possibly the gut, too). The scent of mold (technically “volatile organic compounds” or VOCs) is particularly disruptive to the sensitive body, too.
EMF, on the other hand, doesn’t affect everyone equally — but if you’re someone who is affected by it, it can cause sleep to flatline on its own, as well.
Get to know your sleeping domain — is it within high-risk distances for any of the EMF-emitting sources in this chart?
It’s an ongoing process to understanding mold and EMF in the environment.
Mold is becoming a modern epidemic as buildings are built with cheaper materials and tighter envelopes (less air exchange), and are inhabited and owned by people who are too busy, ignorant, or financially limited to properly maintain their premises.
EMF prevalence is rising exponentially, with current 2020 average exposure levels most likely exceeding previous decades’ average exposure levels on a magnitude of millions of times more radiation — and that’s just the wireless component of EMF, not magnetic and electric fields, which may have remained more constant. One thing is for certain: EMFs are biologically active and not completely inert.
Conclusion
If you’re struggling with insomnia, it’s most important to understand why it’s happening rather than look for a quick fix.
As tempting as it is to find a quick solution — and as sweet a relief a few decent hours of sleep might be — in the long run, the only thing worse than having insomnia now is still having chronic insomnia in the distant future.
Instead of searching for random, fleeting fixes, it’s best to see if we can analyze our situation and remove the common major obstacles that are capable of — on their own — causing debilitating, unrelenting insomnia, the kind that can occur despite even the best of sleep hygiene habits.
The satisfaction of knowing that you’re supporting a great cause
— Travis
What people are saying…
I can personally attest that Travis Burch is the real deal. I’m forever grateful to have crossed paths with him. His in-depth understanding of nutrition, lifestyle and the environment is astounding. He has a faculty for tuning in and listening that effectively sets him apart from others in the field. Thank you, Travis! (read full testimonial)
Diane TantimonacoCalifornia, USA
The material on this website is extremely clear cut, organised and actually very enjoyable and easy to read. Never have I been so interested and excited when looking into health. (read full testimonial)
Josh ClementUK
Travis Burch is extremely patient and really listens. He has helped me recently discover some major issues with my regimen and I’m forever grateful! (read more testimonials)
Mandy RodeCanada
I so appreciate you and your work — the mindset you’ve given me is invaluable. You’ve trained and taught me well! You are practical, not selling an agenda and so open-minded. It’s so clear how much thought you’ve put into the site, and the content AND delivery of content is unparalleled. (read full testimonial)
Matt FriedmanMassachussetts, USA
Travis has pretty much given me my life back and I can’t thank him enough for it! And his ideas and perspectives on health feel absolutely FOUNDATIONAL to me. I’m pretty convinced that Travis’ coaching would be helpful to pretty much everybody. (read the full testimonial)
No Single Nutrient Is Safe To Supplement Every Day
Nutrients interact With and Oppose each other.
How common is it to supplement with a nutrient on a daily basis?
It’s extremely frequent.
Across health groups and modalities, each approach often has “favorite” nutrients, which are sometimes taken too frequently, too consistently — and for too long.
It’s a problem on its own, but it’s compounded by the tendency to demonize the very nutrients that might balance out this preferential supplementation. This is often done in hopes of “nudging” hormonal balance in a preferred direction.
Over time this supplementation approach leads to potentially-severe imbalances between various nutrients in the body.
Supplemented nutrients stand the risk of rising too high, while the neglected ones fall too low.
The problem, here, is that all nutrients have myriad interactions with other nutrients — throughout the body.
In a manner of speaking, all nutrients oppose each other, either competing for absorption or “using up” each other. There are some exceptions (mostly in times of relative deficiency), but even with the exceptions, the general rule still applies: increasing levels of a nutrient ultimately works to deplete other nutrients.
The question, then, is: How long does it take to cause an imbalance between nutrients?
The answer: Not that long — especially when chronic illness is in play.
In chronic illness, there’s a shortage of energy supplied to the body. Related are poor gut health and, with it, poor nutrient absorption. This leads to widespread nutrient deficiency — across the board.
An imbalance between nutrients is easy to create via uneven supplementation when the body is somewhat deficient in all nutrients. It often doesn’t take long for any particular nutrient to cause problems. It may only take a few months or, sometimes, (much) less.
Additionally, widespread nutrient deficiency can be made worse by exogenously pushing the metabolism faster than a compromised gut can absorb nutrients. Elevated toxicity due to mold, chemical exposure, and/or endotoxin creates inflammation that blunts nutrient absorption into both the bloodstream and individual cells.
2
Most Nutritional Supplements Are Only Safe 1-2x/Week
Most individual nutrient supplements provide 100-300% of the recommended daily value.
Some are much higher than that.
These products should almost never be taken daily.
Even a low-dose — say, 100% RDV — will create an imbalance over time if supporting nutrients are not also supplemented at a similar rate. This can happen in mere weeks in the chronically ill. Doses higher than 100% will only hasten the imbalance.
Imbalances happen because each nutrient exists within a family of other nutrients. For example: Minerals interact tremendously with each other. Each mineral has a major partner, with whom powerful interactions, synergy, and opposition are in play.
The ratios of each mineral with A) its partner and B) other cofactor nutrients deeply matter for human health, and the body struggles to keep these ratios in balance during illness — due to aforementioned reasons.
The same is true for the fat-soluble vitamins and B-vitamins, two additional “nutrient families” for whom balance between nutrients is critical. There are even endless interactions between nutrients of different families — too many to properly be aware of on a day-to-day basis.
To supplement one nutrient, while avoiding a partner nutrient or other cofactors, will skew the ratios between nutrients over time.
These imbalances can be theoretically avoided by taking a blend of all nutrients in a family (or simply, all nutrients — as in a multivitamin) in a dosage around 100% of the RDV.
However, problems arise even with multivitamins: Very few multivitamins limit their dosages to around 100% RDV. In fact, most advertise their super-high doses as a selling point. There are other problems with most multi-vitamins, as well, including ingredient quality and imbalanced ingredients in the product, itself. It’s not uncommon to see 150% of one nutrient and 1100% of a partner nutrient.
On the other hand, if we supplement a nutrient at a moderate dose (around 100% RDV), we can usually take that nutrient about twice per week without causing terrible imbalances, provided there are no pre-existing nutrient imbalances (usually caused by uneven supplementation practices).
A twice-per-week dose of any nutrient allows for the benefits of said nutrient to be enjoyed while minimizing the risks of imbalance.
However, two things must be noted about thE 1-2x/week schedule:
Over time, imbalances can still occur at this low-dose schedule.
At some point, cofactors and supporting nutrients must be considered. We cannot supplement a single nutrient — even at 2x/week — while ignoring its relationships with other nutrients.
Many factors will determine how well a twice-per-week dose improves your health: body size, nutrition in the diet, digestive health, and current nutritional status. It is possible to require weeks or months of ongoing supplementation with a nutrient to iron out pre-existing imbalances. This may continue for a few weeks or months until the imbalance is corrected. However, this can easily result in a “false-positive” as the new nutrient improves symptoms for weeks or months (as an old imbalance is corrected), only to “stop working” and begin to cause problems (as a new imbalance is created). This false positive is also observed in the first-time supplement-taker: Any single nutrient will almost certainly yield noticeable results until problems are created and the product is (hopefully) discontinued.
The most common symptoms of nutrient imbalance as a result of improper, unsafe supplementation are insomnia and fatigue. Dysregulated cognitive and emotional function can also present, as will digestive disturbances such as constipation, diarrhea, or food sensitivities. Nearly any nutrient, when too-high or too-low can and will cause these symptoms.
To maintain already-existing nutrient balance: A low-and-slow regimen is suggested, with infrequent, balanced supplementation of all nutrients. This can be achieved via low-dose multivitamin blends and wise individual nutrient supplementation — keeping in mind the 1-2x/week rule.
Low-dose multivitamins should not be taken daily to A) avoid over-supplementation and B) to allow the body to balance itself without the influx of supplemental nutrition. Perhaps most importantly, regular days off from nutritional products can provide an opportunity for observation of how one feels without the influence of supplements.
3
If A Nutrient Becomes Elevated
You Can Lower It To SAFER LEVELS
The way nutrient interactions work, it’s very possible to overdose on a single nutrient using common supplementation practices.
Just take one or multiple daily doses of a nutrient for weeks or months. Voila — levels in the body will likely become too high.
However, this is partly a “relative” imbalance, meaning an imbalance between one nutrient and its cofactors. This nutrient’s levels may not be terribly high yet, but if the cofactors’ levels are low in the body, we observe all the symptoms of moderate or major overdose.
When the cofactors’ levels are brought up, the oversupplied nutrient levels can begin to fall toward normal as the body metabolizes the excess nutrient.
(How badly a new imbalance affects you will depend on how strong or weak your body is — and whether you’re taking few enough supplements to notice why and when you start feeling worse).
To correct a relative imbalance, you must know which nutrients are needed — which nutrients are the main cofactors of your problem nutrient.
You should also know if you’ve taken any cofactors in excess in the past. If a cofactor nutrient has also already been supplemented in excess, taking more of it will not help, and will only make matters worse.
It requires a wise understanding of nutrient interactions to safely and properly lower an elevated level of any nutrient.
Of course, by far the simplest path is to avoid over-supplementation in the first place.
The satisfaction of knowing that you’re supporting a great cause
— Travis
What people are saying…
I can personally attest that Travis Burch is the real deal. I’m forever grateful to have crossed paths with him. His in-depth understanding of nutrition, lifestyle and the environment is astounding. He has a faculty for tuning in and listening that effectively sets him apart from others in the field. Thank you, Travis! (read full testimonial)
Diane TantimonacoCalifornia, USA
The material on this website is extremely clear cut, organised and actually very enjoyable and easy to read. Never have I been so interested and excited when looking into health. (read full testimonial)
Josh ClementUK
Travis Burch is extremely patient and really listens. He has helped me recently discover some major issues with my regimen and I’m forever grateful! (read more testimonials)
Mandy RodeCanada
I so appreciate you and your work — the mindset you’ve given me is invaluable. You’ve trained and taught me well! You are practical, not selling an agenda and so open-minded. It’s so clear how much thought you’ve put into the site, and the content AND delivery of content is unparalleled. (read full testimonial)
Matt FriedmanMassachussetts, USA
Travis has pretty much given me my life back and I can’t thank him enough for it! And his ideas and perspectives on health feel absolutely FOUNDATIONAL to me. I’m pretty convinced that Travis’ coaching would be helpful to pretty much everybody. (read the full testimonial)
Nothing on earth improves melatonin in the human brain like bright sunlight. Clear heat lamps can be an excellent supplemental bright light on the following days:
Cloudy days
Days where you’re stuck indoors
Sunny days where UV is high
One daily 20-minute session of very bright light therapy — rich in red and infrared light — is proven to deepen sleep. This supplemental light is especially necessary on days of little sunlight exposure.
Clear heat lamps are the superior source of supplemental red & infrared. They’re affordable and provide optimal light frequencies.
Sunlight, of course, is the original, best source of infrared light — just don’t sunburn.
The most harmful wavelength at night is blue light — which, unfortunately, floods our modern world 24 hours per day.
The darker the bedroom, the higher melatonin rises in the brain — which ensures better sleep.
People in modern society who are exposed to dim light at night during sleep… could show interference in their sleep, resulting in a decrease in total sleep time and poor sleep efficiency.
Inadequate caloric intake leads directly to insomnia.
It’s important to know your daily caloric needs — and meet them.
If you’re lying in bed and unable to sleep — especially with a history of undereating, restrictive dieting, or hypothyroidism — it’s extremely unlikely you will fall asleep until you get up and eat.
In nearly all situations like this, it’s best to get up and eat enough calories to induce sleep. Sometimes, this means you’re eating a large late-night snack.
While eating at night is certainly not optimal for health, when the body is behind on calories there isn’t another choice other than to catch up, even at night.
Therefore, eat the calories needed tonight to promote sleep — but make it a point to eat early meals tomorrow than eating all evening.
Therefore, eating early in the day sends proper signals to the brain about when day/night is.
By contrast, eating late in the day sends the wrong signals about the time of day — and lowers melatonin at night.
Stay “ahead” of the daily need for calories! By 1 pm, the body should already be digesting 2/3 of its calories for the day.
By 8 pm, 100% of the day’s calories should be eaten.
Making up for missed breakfast and lunchtime calories in the evening is a circadian trap — and can profoundly impair sleep quality.
Eat three early, timely meals each day.
While calories and meal timing are important, creating balanced meals is of increased importance when digestion is weakened — and when sleep is struggling.
Carbohydrates-to-Protein
The key balancing a meal is the carbohydrates and protein ratio.
2:1 is a solid middle-ground, carbs-to-protein.
Figure out if you’re going to eat moderately high or low fat — as well as how much fiber your gut can tolerate… but these two variables are much less important than the carb-to-protein ratio.
Sugar vs Starch
Many people are avoiding one or both.
This may work for some, but when struggling with insomnia, it’s possible that a little (or moderate amounts) of both can really improve sleep.
A higher dietary glycemic index was significantly associated with a lower risk of poor sleep.
If you have to exercise right before bed, research shows that more-intense exercise is best for sleep.
Move All Day Long
Move naturally in varied ways all day rather than being sedentary most of the day and piling all your movement into a single workout session.
This further connects your brain to the natural circadian rhythm.
The present data found that (sun exposure) and (sun exposure plus exercise) showed positive sleep-related hormonal responses, sleep habits, and quality of sleep.
High glutamate is nearly ubiquitous in poor gut health — and this contributes to feelings of restless legs and the inability to relax.
Movement has the important characteristic of burning through excess glutamate in the body.
Sedentary Jobs/School
Many indoor jobs or school settings require sitting much of the day.
Sedentary lifestyles are commonly associated with obesity and other markers of disease, but a lack of movement also fails to provide the signal to the brain that daytime has arrived.
In job and school settings, make the most of any break time to move, stretch, and flex the muscles — sending signals to the brain that say: “We’re moving the body — it’s daytime.”
Even standing while class or meetings are commencing can give the body a chance to “move” when it would otherwise be sitting.
As important as it is to move all day, a quick, moderately-intense exercise session might be even more helpful when stuck in a sedentary setting most of the day.
Sleep more deeply.
What people are saying…
I can personally attest that Travis Burch is the real deal. I’m forever grateful to have crossed paths with him. His in-depth understanding of nutrition, lifestyle and the environment is astounding. He has a faculty for tuning in and listening that effectively sets him apart from others in the field. Thank you, Travis! (read full testimonial)
Diane TantimonacoCalifornia, USA
The material on this website is extremely clear cut, organised and actually very enjoyable and easy to read. Never have I been so interested and excited when looking into health. (read full testimonial)
Josh ClementUK
Travis Burch is extremely patient and really listens. He has helped me recently discover some major issues with my regimen and I’m forever grateful! (read more testimonials)
Mandy RodeCanada
I so appreciate you and your work — the mindset you’ve given me is invaluable. You’ve trained and taught me well! You are practical, not selling an agenda and so open-minded. It’s so clear how much thought you’ve put into the site, and the content AND delivery of content is unparalleled. (read full testimonial)
Matt FriedmanMassachussetts, USA
Travis has pretty much given me my life back and I can’t thank him enough for it! And his ideas and perspectives on health feel absolutely FOUNDATIONAL to me. I’m pretty convinced that Travis’ coaching would be helpful to pretty much everybody. (read the full testimonial)