Sleep Hygiene: Substances, EMFs, Routines and Boundaries with guest Dr. Sunny Raleigh [Sleep 08]
Sleep — we’ve all heard how important it is to get a good night’s sleep since we were small. But…is it really that important?
In today’s episode, we’re going to address this question. I’m joined by guest Dr. Sunny Raleigh, DO, Co-Founder & Medical Director of Restoration Healthcare, Inc., and we dive into the importance of sleep on the body’s functions and overall health (yes, the quality of your sleep makes a difference), as well as discuss the potential roots of sleep disorders and share tips for improving your sleep.
In this episode Dr. Kimber is joined by Dr. Sunny Raleigh. Sunny Raleigh, DO, is Co-Founder & Medical Director of Restoration Healthcare, Inc. — a Southern California-based healthcare practice that’s on a mission to restore hope and optimize the body’s innate ability to heal from within through the compassionate delivery of functional medicine.
A recognized expert in the treatment of chronic illness without a diagnosis, Dr. Raleigh is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, is American Osteopathic Association board certified in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine and Family/Osteo Manipulative Medicine, and holds membership in the American Osteopathic Association, the American College of Family Physicians, the Institute for Functional Medicine, and the International Lyme & Associated Diseases Society (ILADS).
Dr. Kimber and Dr. Raleigh discuss the importance of sleep, as well as share tips to help improve the quality of sleep. Because yes — sleep is that important! During their conversation, Dr. Raleigh helps inform the importance of quality sleep by relating it to the body's functions and overall health, along with discussing potential roots of sleep disorders, sharing stories from her college experience, and medical residency.
Key moments include:
02:21 - Dr. Raleigh discusses her personal relationship with sleep.
13:35 - How EMFs silently affect sleep.
25:17 - Impacts of the substances we put into our body and their impact on sleep.
36:37 - Establishing routines and boundaries before sleep.
Resources mentioned include:
EMF Analysis: Jack Black — EMFSafetySolutions.com
Wired Line: 949-261-7352
Lokosana Grounding Pad: Samina — https://saminasleep.com/lokosana-grounding-pad/
Keep in touch with Dr. Sunny Raleigh, DO:
Website: https://www.RhealthC.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/RestorationHealthcare1
Facebook: https://facebook.com//SunnyRaleighDO
Instagram: https://instagram.com/RestorationHealthcare1
Please remember that this podcast is not a replacement for treatment by a healthcare or mental health professional. This content is created for education and entertainment purposes only.
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This transcript has been created using A.I. please excuse any missed words or incorrect grammar.
Unknown Speaker 0:00
Welcome to I thought I was over this. I'm your host, Dr. Kimber, a licensed clinical psychologist, trauma healer and fellow life journeyer. Every episode we dive into the science of human, and whether you find yourself feeling like you've just hit an iceberg and don't know where help is coming from, or you're ready to trade in your raft for something bigger, you aren't alone, grab what you need, get comfortable. And let's do this. Before we jump in with my guest today, I do want to remind you, we are not acting in the role of your medical doctor or licensed psychologist on this podcast. So please seek your own medical advice if you have symptoms that are persistent, and pervasive. All right. Now let's get to it. Well, I am so excited today to have Dr. Sunny Raleigh with me and she is going to be giving us lots of information too. We are continuing to dive into sleep this season. So Sunny, why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself.
Sunny 1:19
Thanks for having me, Kimber. It's totally an honor. My name is Sunny Raleigh. I am a mom of three sons wife, a physician. I currently work out of restoration healthcare in Irvine, California, I am surrounded by an incredible team that really supports me and my staff. And we're hoping that today's discussion will shed some light on improved sleep and talk about my journey with sleep personally. And as a physician, yes, as a mom of three boys. And so yes, thanks for having me.
Unknown Speaker 2:01
I am so glad that you could be with us. I am thrilled to have you. It's always great to be in your presence. So kind of talking about your sleep journey. I'm sure there's many phases of your life, but what would you like to let us know about how you have related with sleep,
Sunny 2:21
I do have a pretty love hate relationship with the whole process. I love sleep a lot. And I will fully admit, when I rest my head each night, I am so thankful for what is to come over several hours. So I do love sleep. Now. The challenging phases of sleep in my lifetime, mainly revolved around training. So whether that was training for soccer, while in college, I played high level college soccer. And, you know, sleep was so important to I remember, once I was in Denver, and I had roommates that were not athletes, and it just didn't bode well for me. It's all about, you know, sleep and food two nights before a big game. So that's when I really became aware that others were not so bad, like I am, and then that carried over into medical training. And being a resident working shifts and being POST call. So you work all day and then work all night. And then you're still working until 10 to 12 The next morning, wow. Then you go home, and you're expected to sleep at 12 noon, to be ready to go the next morning back to work. And that POST call feeling is awful is the biggest decision behind which avenue of medicine to pursue. I was really on the fence between catching babies as an OB and then family practice and when it came down to the final decision of carrying a pager, I decided not to go into OB because I honor sleep so incredibly much that I chose family practice. And then I even evolved that practice into more of integrative Functional Medicine and the doors you know the bone stop at five o'clock. So my patients are very well aware that none of us carry pagers and we are not on call any longer. So huge huge sleep proponent and On to protect your sleep as much as possible. And having three sons in residency and then when I first came out into practice was not conducive to sleep. So I really designed this practice to be around walking my talk.
Unknown Speaker 5:23
Wow, that's incredible. You're like our perfect guest, because you are such a good sleep advocate I am all about we can't have good mental health without sleep. And so these podcasts are all about let's find the tricks to try to get more sleep.
Sunny 5:43
I mean, there's like an estimated 50 to 70 million Americans that have some form of a sleep disorder. And, you know, I think when roughly 1/3 of Americans have occasional insomnia, and which is the most common type of sleep disorder that we're aware of, but these statistics just show what an impact it has on our immune system, our productivity, of course, our mental health as you specialize in so well. So I find it to be an extremely important topic to address right off the bat with patients.
Unknown Speaker 6:25
Wow, can you tell us a little bit about the immune system and how its impacted by sleep?
Sunny 6:32
So yes, you know, with the quantity and quality of sleep, that is the time that our bodies are doing the best detoxification. So if you are allowing that process to unfold in its, you know, full Majesty, you will then be cleaning up those, you know, microglial cells during that sleep detox process. That's a huge starting point. While we are we sleeping? We are doing some of our best work.
Unknown Speaker 7:11
I love it. I love it. Did you as you describe some of the times where you didn't have good sleep? Do you have any tips for how to navigate that waking up? Or do you believe that we can make up sleep on the weekend, what's what's kind of your approach when you don't get good sleep?
Sunny 7:33
Well, when I think about residency, it was anxiety and stress induced insomnia, and of course, a pager going off. And I am the one that wears silicone earplugs in a library because of the sound sensitivity that I possess. And so when I'm on call sleeping with earplugs, and I miss the pager six times in a row, that then creates a little PTSD in me personally. And so then I didn't sleep well for months after that incident, because while I, you know, blamed myself for sleeping so heavily, and that I missed the pager. So in those times, knowing that it's stress induced, it's exceptionally vital to re regulate your nervous system, the act of you know, eating mindfully. So if I'm thinking of going into my evening, right after a stressful shift a day, now, I would, you know, take that time to really consciously down regulate some of that cortisol that's been pumped in which you know, it is a fight or flight response, and we're getting stuff done. And our list is has those checkmarks but it's time to then allow those adrenals to relax and rejuvenate and rebuild. So you take that shift into the evening. So if it's your yoga, practice your meditation practice, some people find it exceptionally meditating to fold clothes in, you know, have their hands in warm dishwater sweeping a floor, whatever that meditative practice may be. It's a conscious, you know, decision in the evening to shift and then you're going into meal prep. I really want to emphasize, you know, back to the immune system. The nutrients that we put into this holy temple are exceptionally important and the children in the practice I give them a Color Coded sheet that says I'd like you to have two servings of each color of the rainbow. The rainbow, right. And I would say, many, many, many adults have a very hard time getting into servings of each color of the rainbow daily, I'm not talking Yeah, equally, I'm talking. So you know that prep time for dinner that takes time to do that, to have those nutrient dense meals for yourself and your family. And then after dinner, whether that's a nice walk with your significant other or get your children out biking while you're walking. And then, you know, it's that routine into dinner time, where maybe it's a warm Epsom salt bath, I love the trick of two cups of Epsom salt, half a cup of sodium bicarb and 10, lavender drops to wax dissolve. And I have so many kiddos that I start that off early in their life, and they, you know, Fast forward four or five years, and now they're 1012 years old. And they use that bath time as their way to regulate their nervous system. So it's our job as adults and parents to set the tone. And again, you know, get these habits developed in these young children early in life. And we do it best by, you know, showing them how, and then I love the bedtime reading time where you're cuddled up in bed and you're reading a book, whether you're, you know, single, or you're a parent, you're taking that time on a hardcover book, not a Kindle. I want to know light getting into the brain and
allowing that melatonin to be released. You know, we're in the age where we have constant stimulation, and it is our job to set up those boundaries to say thanks, but no mas, it is my protected time and put that phone in airplane mode several hours before bed, because a lot of people are just a moth to the flame. And they cannot help but look, one last time what's going on out there in the world? And did they miss an important text or phone call. So it's yes, it's a hard thing to set that boundary but so vital. So I am still on with that shifting into the evening. But still focusing on that immune system needs a break from that cortisol surge.
Unknown Speaker 12:56
Well, I love so many things that you said. One is what a different reframe, about chores, that it can be part of our mindful practice. And then just recognizing our meal prep can be part of a rainbow. Like how fun. And also just the reminder that we can't really challenge the algorithm, the algorithm is going to win every time. So putting it on airplane mode and making that a habit is just such a good practice. So, so many good things, you
Sunny 13:35
know, I can go down a rabbit hole with the EMFs. But I just would say it is very important that that is nowhere near your head, not even in those same bedroom EMFs are constantly being emitted, especially with all the metal lamps. And you know, just the devices are routers. So if you could set up your router on an automatic timer where it is also shut down before bedtime. I think as everyone knows, and as you've discussed before, on your previous podcasts about boundaries with kids and their screen time, and they don't have the knowledge and the fortitude and the strength to do it. So we need to physically remove it from their presence. Yes, and you know, the love that surrounds that act is boundless. It's the greatest thing that we can do for these very young malleable brains. And they need their sleep so much their brains are in such a, you know, delicate mode of growth that we need to protect. So hitting those routers turned off. And all those phones in airplane mode are just a big emphasis with protecting that brain development and detox through the night.
Unknown Speaker 15:13
Yeah. And I learned one thing about the EMFs. With even if you have your airplane mode on, if you have your phone in your room, you need your location device off. In order to have the zero EMFs. We had an interesting situation in our house where I was having night sweats and wasn't hormonal, I couldn't figure it out. And I had a girlfriend who went into study about EMF, and she's like, we need a house. Can we look at your house? Will they test it our bed? It had 2000. Like megahertz, I don't remember what the unit is. It's supposed to be 200 or less. So we have devices, we hired a bio. I don't even know what they're called. But they're electricians. Yeah, so he came in, and we have switches that we shut off so that our bed is under 200. Because it's on an electrical panel wall. Yes, it was a whole different world, I had no idea and I was losing sleep and getting hot flashes from this.
Sunny 16:27
Yes, one of my favorite tricks with that as well, besides getting a full house EMF analysis, is using a local sauna grounding pad. It's available on a website called Samina, and you place it under your mattress, and it grounds your entire bed. So those little hacks and of course, having your home you know retrofitted with some grounding devices don't make a world of difference. And another thing on that kind of environmental piece I would like to emphasize is making sure that your home is as clean as possible. So, chemically, you know, mold is a huge issue in Southern California and everywhere. And we need to make sure that you know, your air is pure, the chemicals you're using to wash, those sheets are minimal. And as you know, no more glade plugins into the wall, emitting those toxic neuro toxic chemicals. So there's a whole host of things for you know that we all know about sleep hygiene, in general. But then taking it even a step further with making sure what's coming into your home is as clean and pure as possible. And if it's leaving your shoes at the front door has one major step when you walk through your door. That is also something that is a simple shift in mentality. It takes time for these habits to sink in. But we get to try it again, the next day, if we're not so great the day before.
Unknown Speaker 18:20
Right? I love that and we will make sure our I will make sure that we have that information in the show notes. Right. So I'll get it from you. Well, speaking of people who have some of the most major challenges with sleep or those with chronic pain, what do you tell your patients? How do you support their sleep habits?
Sunny 18:47
And yeah,
Unknown Speaker 18:48
what are some tips that you can give us
Sunny 18:51
living with chronic pain is a incredibly major impact on a lot of people's immune systems, their cognition, their productivity at home and at work. And when you're in pain, whether it's you know, arthritis, headaches, injuries, Lyme disease, it can lead to long term sleep deprivation, and then this lack of sleep quality, then perpetuates it and increases the perception of pain. And then you can be caught in a vicious cycle. So the estimate is 50 to 80% of people living with chronic pain suffer from some form of sleep disruption. And you know, with the RE framing sleep that's the biggest thing as far as that fear of I'm not going to sleep well tonight, when I'm going to be in worse pain them borrow, and then I'm not going to be able to not Not, not not. And it just keep going. So the concept of limbic retraining, right? Our limbic system does keep us alive. And it's important, but at the same time, it can go into overdrive and it can start perpetuating every thought we have. And so we do a lot of discussion in our practice, on Olympic retraining. And so it can look in many different ways. The first way is, you're not allowed to talk about your pain with anybody else. Besides,
Unknown Speaker 20:43
you're gonna love it. Oh, my goodness, I love that.
Sunny 20:47
And because it's something as simple as crouching down to get the, you know, pain out of the bottom shelf, and then standing up and moaning Oh, you know, because your knees and your back or whatever, even that act of the Mon makes that neuronal pathway deeper in our brain, that there's something wrong, that we are in pain. So I like to invite people to catch themselves and keep it to themselves. The constant talking and thinking and skate, you know, there's two different types of scanning the body, right? There's the scanning for problems. And then there's the scanning for health. And we prefer to shift that to scanning for what is working so well. Oh, how about that heartbeat? About that difficult call you just dealt with, with an unsatisfied customer, and how well you, you know, regulated yourself in that challenging situation. Those are the things that we want to reframe that brain. So as far as the concept of chronic pain, and it's disruption on sleep, absolutely, that's at a physiologic level. But we really like to focus, focus on that psychological level, to say, hey, let's, you know, fill in those deep canyons of pathways, you can get them less and less ingrained in our thought pattern. And so I do think having that mantra, your guided meditation, your favorite playlist, as you're drifting off to sleep, having your prayer, your journaling, those are, I'm not gonna say simple, those are important and vital habits to begin creating. And it doesn't need to be this 45 minute long session, it can be as quick as 30 seconds, maybe 90 seconds, and you're checking in with yourself in you're honoring all that your body just did for the day. And then taking that into, you know, the old days, everyone was like counting sheep, right. And now, you know, we can do different nostril breathing and focusing on that breath work is slowing down that cortisol pump, and bringing that regulation back into the system that may have gone awry. In our previous, you know, 18 hours of work.
Unknown Speaker 23:54
Yeah, I love that kind of bringing into gratitude, bringing into awareness, all that has gone right for the day, what a great way to end the day, and to give yourself permission to go to sleep. So good. I know one of the practices in for me with some of my chronic pain people is asking them to relax their body before they move it. And it's almost like it starts this awareness of I need to rethink, right? Because the natural thing, right is to brace. And so as we're retraining that, it's like, relax before you move. And it's interesting how these little things can really help retrain your mind and like you're saying, once we get sleep deprived, the perception of pain is so much higher. So when we can address it psychologically, we can't take away the pain but we can take we can decrease the experience of pain. Mm. So it's so so great. Well, I'm curious about what you think of some of the substances that people use melatonin, some people use alcohol to relax, we have marijuana, there might be more What are you thoughts on those? Yes.
Sunny 25:17
So you know, always paying attention to what medications and substances you were putting into your body, especially closer to bedtime absolutely matters. I mean, stimulants, like caffeine. And, you know, I definitely am aware that a lot of people need coffee to get themselves going in the morning. And if that's where you're at right now in life, that's fine. Just try to limit it, and cut it off by 12 Noon. No, minimize that black tea in the afternoon. And then, you know, as far as alcohol, which many people do perceive to calm them down, after a stressful week at work nightly, sometimes, to really understand that it actually disrupts your sleep architecture, and does not allow as restful sleep. And so when we're not getting the deep delta wave sleep, not dropping into REM sleep, we are much more on the superficial level. And then you know, sleep apnea, I'll just throw in here, if that is overlooked, that will absolutely disrupt your sleep. And so people that have excessive daytime sleepiness snore during the night, and, you know, some people cannot off at a red light or, you know, worst case scenario kind of narcolepsy where you're falling asleep, right. And that's, of course, needing asleep eval immediately. But like, you know, some individuals also rely on medications, so whether it's over the counter Benadryl, so a lot of the pm products is actually just Tylenol with Benadryl or at Benadryl. And Benadryl is a sedating each one blocker. And can be used short term for sleep cycles that have been disrupted, say, you know, an illness. So I do. If you have a really runny nose and you're coughing through the night and you're unable to sleep, you can take a Benadryl, whether it's at 12.5 milligram or 25 milligram, as long as you don't have high blood pressure. And that can kind of get you to sleep. So you again can get through this illness better by getting more restful sleep now, things like CBD, CBD is a breakthrough in sleep, you know, marijuana in general can be divided between THC, the tetrahydrocannabinol, and then CBD, the cannabinoid oils, and you know, some THC can act as a set sedative, but mainly it's stimulating. And again, you can break down your THC and different strains sativa and indica, which has, you know, different effects on different people, but on the whole, the safest bet for sleep is CBD, he can act at that cannabidiol receptor, and it can really induce more restful sleep, it also, you know, alters that sleep architecture. And so sometimes depending on you know, what your ratios are, I am recommending just a straight CBD product. Okay. But, you know, you say you have PTSD, and you have nightmares as your most disturbing symptom. Well, you might want to decrease your REM sleep, so you're not having those awful nightmares. So that's one way that cannabis is used for that particular symptom. And right you know, so the sufferers of chronic pain, also then benefit from the CBD use and they're not relying on opiates, for example, that was a, you know, medication that I would only reserve for post surgical times very acute You pain and ideally as short of a time as possible, and we're talking a couple of days, right? Then you transition into a CBD product. And you know, you're getting excellent sleep to improve that, you know, surgical postdoc timeframe for tissue healing, etc, you know, we don't sleep well with opiates, despite them knocking us out. You know, it's not the good deep sleep that we need. So yes, trying to stick with more of the holistic, so whether it's melatonin and you know, there's new studies that are coming out that different dosages of melatonin are needed in certain situations, and you can get up to 20 milligrams nightly, and in some cases, even up to 200 is safe for a very short term use. So I think a lot of the general population feels really safe with one milligram. And maybe if it's a really bad night, they might go up to five milligrams, but for short term use 20 milligrams, and even up is beneficial. Wow, using some herbal blends that has camo meals and five HTP. l theanine, those are very calming, and you know, that ritual of having evening tea. Ideally, it's a camera meal or sleepy time, and you're getting some of those beneficial effects of herbs to calm down the brain. You know, I think the prescription meds like Ambien, Lunesta, those are the non benzo sleep aids, those are for kind of more the worst case scenarios, when you are really suffering in a bad spell of sleep, those are helpful. And you always start with the lowest dose possible and use it as infrequently as you need to, I think older generations are reliant upon benzodiazepines, which are not the best for our sleep architecture. And of course, then they have a dependence upon that medication, which can cause its own problems. If you go on vacation and you lose your luggage, you know, things are not going to be pretty situation. So it's best to not get ourselves in those situations. But you know, I would say it's there for emergencies and some more extraneous situations. They're helpful, for sure. You know, and I think once individuals really work on their anxiety, in general, I think COVID brought out a lot of anxiety that may have been under the surface, and then just really peeked through and then just kept going for a lot of people. And again, that's back to that limbic system that, you know, that fear that lizard brain that says I'm in danger. And so as humans, we are no longer being chased by that saber toothed Tiger. And our brains need to be reminded of that. And so taking all of these measures is, you know, easier said than done, I fully understand that. And that's why it's these really small baby steps that feel achievable. And you're able to kind of pat yourself on the back as you're lying there working on your alternate nostril breathing by love that relaxation thing even before you move, you know, so that transition time leading up to the time your head actually hits the pillow can't be emphasized enough because you can't just say okay, I'm done by night it needs right, the that transition into that softer, calmer, you're processing some of your day's emotions and, you know, writing in that gratitude journal, yeah, and just trying to say, okay, what can I do? What is my power? What do I have control over? And I think we have a lot more control than we realize sometimes
Unknown Speaker 34:50
Yeah, especially when we're in fight or flight. We can't even think that creatively like what you know, what can I actually do in this situation? We are just So busy running metaphorically can be hard and hamster wheel Yeah. And you know, you finally
Sunny 35:06
allow yourself to slow down enough. And those thoughts can creep in the evenings can be really hard for a lot of people. And you know whether that is the time when a previous trauma happened. That's the time they used to call their mother who is now past time, you know, so much gets brought up in our emotions in the evening. And, you know, that's it's not by mistake that a lot of people reach for A, B or C to diminish those feelings in the evening. Yeah, so,
Unknown Speaker 35:46
so true. And I love how you just normalize how anxiety provoking evenings in particular can be. It's the time that we can let things come out. Yes. So I love that. Well, I'm so grateful that in all of the things you listed, there's just something for everybody. If you are a purist, so to speak, you reach for the camera meal, if you want to dive into something that sounds like it's super helpful look into the CBD. And if you absolutely have to, because you're racing thoughts can't stop, well, then you need to go visit your doctor and see if there's some short term solutions for you. Because the truth is, if we're chronically sleep deprived, we can't get out of anxiety spirals that are so severe. And we do need that extra help.
Sunny 36:37
Yes. And you know, it's a journey, it does turn a corner and get a little brighter when you do figure out a sleep pack that really works well for you. And, you know, I just can't emphasize that evening routine enough, it is not the time to check the bank account, it is not the time to engage in that difficult conversation you've been meaning to have with so and so it's just that time again, to protect your sleep at all costs. I love that. It's that chance to do it again, different tomorrow if it didn't go so well. Today. Yeah, that I want to encourage everybody that we're all a work in progress. No one knows all the answers to how this is done perfectly well. Because there is no, there's no right way. Yeah, and how it settles best in your body. You know how it resonates with you. That's what's most important. You know, some people need that little cuddle and a hug and the body warmth of someone else and others, you know, need to open up their Bible and read some passages and the next needs that candle lit warm bath. Yes. So I would just invite your listeners to explore different ways that they've been meaning to implement even just a little bit goes a long way.
Unknown Speaker 38:15
Yes, we all shift and change. It's so organic. I mean, one of the reasons I named this I thought I was over this is because just when we think that we found something something shifts so
Sunny 38:28
we got our flexibility. Oh, yes, yes. I think God gave me three sons with Aki different sleep patterns to remind me that yes, will shift
Unknown Speaker 38:46
Yes, I love that. Well, kind of one last thing, which is going to the wake up, I'm so curious what you help you know, some of your patients really have brain fog as a result of what's physiologically taken over. Do you have any routine suggestions when you wake up? It's every time no matter how much sleep you just have this severe kind of brain fog. Is there anything that you advise
Sunny 39:21
that can take on many different avenues? I of course go straight to you know, what are they actually sleeping on in when's the last time they've bought a new mattress? cased it, you know, washed those pillows, making sure that for that previous eight to 10 hours for children 12 to 14 hours that they have been resting on making sure that that is pristine and as clean as possible. And then taking out that variable you're Her eyes are awake and the alarms blaring, and you've already hit snooze three times, you know, those are the days that it's going to be a little rough to get that body moving. And so it does have to do a lot with our cortisol levels, our cortisol levels are supposed to be high in the morning, low at night. So you know, sometimes it's backwards, when you have had a very long challenging struggle with quality sleep, it can get flipped around, and you don't have the cortisol getting out by the adrenals in your blood pressure might be low, you're not getting perfusion to the brain. So the act of kicking your legs off the bed, can bottom out that blood pressure. So we see a lot of pots and dis autonomic people, like your blood pressure is not holding and their heart rate is racing. And they do feel like they're about to pass out as soon as they sit up from sleep all night. And like you mentioned earlier, I think it's such a great thing that I will also implement into my practice is relaxing before you're contracting, it checking in with your body, you know, in a way, it's a pep talk to yourself, Okay, I got this, I can do this right now. And some people need to, you know, take that thyroid med straightaway. And you know, thyroid is another thing to get evaluated. under diagnosed, in a lot of people in so if you really cannot get up in the mornings, it's like, what's your cortisol? And what's your thyroid doing? And then make sure we're not sleep apnea, right?
Unknown Speaker 41:49
Which I was, that was me, I was so tired all the time. And I finally got my thyroid levels are like, yep, you actually have hypothyroidism? Oh, huge, huge impact. Yes.
Sunny 42:04
Yeah. And, you know, hormones. You mentioned earlier, when women go into menopause, and they have no estrogen. And when we have an estrogen receptor on every cell in our body, in, you know, there's no more estrogen floating around brains can like, kind of decide to go offline. And so those are things, you know, of course, I mean, I can go into acid reflux in the night and you didn't sleep well, because you don't deal with your acid reflux. And it's that heartburn rising up into your esophagus and men with enlarged prostates, and they have to get up in urinate 14 times in the night, that's not normal. So those are things that those are the medical things that we address, right. As we all know, the use of caffeine is probably the world's number one treatment for that brain fog. And I'm not opposed to having a great cup of coffee. And, you know, having your great tea ritual first thing in the morning, I think that's a fine thing for a lot of people. Now a pot of coffee is going a little too far. And unfortunately, some people think that's, you know, they're normal. They have gotten to that point, which, you know, it's just a gentle layering back use of movement in the morning. So whether it's just getting out of bed and laying down and doing some cat cow yoga poses, maybe doing a downward dog, getting some flow of that oxygen to those vital organs to that brain to wake us up a bit. And some people need a brisk walk in cool air. Others need to get straight to the peloton. You know, a lot of people do really well with that exercise first thing in the morning. Again, your level of exercise is what is best for you in your body. Right? Yes does not need to be the sweat band and the gym bag. And you know, it can be a gentle restorative yoga practice, and it can be five minutes. So I'm getting that moving and intermittent fasting is a nice way to also keep that body into ketosis. And there's a really great way to kind of boost your coffee if you're going to use some, you know, Kerrygold butter and some Brain Octane. It's fats that are kind of really giving that brain and a little extra kick first thing in the morning. A lot of people have heard of bulletproof coffee. And so that is a way for those first 3040 minutes to get kind of move in a lot of people feel that just getting their day going in an intentional manner, can also kind of kickstart that heart and might be the time to do a little bit of journaling. Early morning before the children wake up time do yourself to set the intention for your day. And you know, some people have a practice that they've been doing their whole lives that they know may not be the best for them. And IE, a Coca Cola or a doughnut, you know, I would say it's a gentle shift out. And those shifts do make a big difference, one baby step at a time.
Unknown Speaker 45:48
I love that one baby step at a time. That makes it doable, right. It has been amazing to have you you have just shared so much helpful, interesting information for our listeners. And I'm so grateful that you have been here. How can my listeners find you and learn more?
Sunny 46:11
Well, Dr. Kimber, thank you so much for having me. It's been a total honor. And anybody that has interest can check out our website. It's the letter our health, the letter c.com. So our health see.com. And we have a great number of blog posts on there and sleep is mentioned in several of them. We are in Irvine, California, and we are hiring two new physicians and the new patients and opening a clinic up in Westwood in the fall. So we are available for anybody interested in integrative and functional medicine.
Unknown Speaker 46:59
I love it. And we will definitely have all those links in the show notes.
Sunny 47:04
Thank you so much. Thank
Unknown Speaker 47:05
you. It's been fantastic. That is a wrap. Thank you so much for being here today. Subscribe on your podcast platform. I have a newsletter comes out twice a month. Send me an email info at I thought I was over this.com And I'll put you on the list. Bye for now.