The Sleep Detective podcast: why you can't sleep and how to fix it

Martha Lewis
  • 4.7 (22)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated Weekly

Can't fall asleep? Or stay asleep? Tried everything? In this podcast, sleep expert and functional health coach Martha Lewis gets into the science of why you can't sleep in both your body and your mind. She tells you how to find the root cause of your sleep issues so you can sleep well naturally. She talks about what to do when you can't fall asleep, natural remedies for insomnia, why you have trouble sleeping, and what causes chronic trouble sleeping. If you've tried everything and you still can't sleep, this podcast is for you. You are meant to sleep well! and you can cure your insomnia!

  1. 12h ago

    262: How to Sleep Well Even When Work Is Stressful

    Download the How to Sleep Well Even When Work Is Stressful Guide: thesleepdetective.com/workstress If work follows you to bed at night, this one's for you. Most people assume the fix is a better bedtime routine. But if you're lying awake with your brain still running through everything that happened today and everything waiting for you tomorrow, the problem started long before you turned out the lights. In this week's episode I walk you through exactly what I do, and what I tell my clients, to stop work stress from sabotaging sleep. Here's some of what we cover: The mindset shift that stops the after-hours rumination loop (this one changed things for me personally) Why telling yourself you're overwhelmed is making your sleep worse and what to say instead Simple workday habits that lower your cortisol before you even get to bedtime What to do on the nights you worked late and you're wired when you get home These are real, specific changes, not generic wind-down advice you've already heard. 00:00 Work Stress Insomnia 01:05 Mind Body Approach 01:56 Set Mental Boundaries 04:16 Stop Rumination Loop 05:23 Calming Self Talk 06:50 Workday Focus Hacks 09:19 Deep Work Scheduling 11:07 Busy Season Wind Down 12:02 Calendar Time Blocking 14:20 Evening Cutoffs No Screens 16:07 Free Guide Next Steps

    17 min

  2. Jun 17

    261: The Five Phases of Overcoming Insomnia

    📅 Book a free consultation to get started with the Complete Sleep Solution program: https://p.bttr.to/3VJwvDs 🌐 thesleepdetective.com If you've tried everything and you still can't sleep, this episode is going to reframe everything. After working with hundreds of clients, I've mapped out the five phases everyone goes through on the way to sleeping well again. And I want to share them with you, because most people quit right before things turn around. In this episode you'll learn: Why you're stuck and what finally breaks the cycle What the process of actually getting better looks like, including the part nobody warns you about Why a bad night doesn't mean you're back to square one The story of a 70-year-old client who went from hospitalized the night before his first call with me to sleeping solidly through the night and running for mayor 00:00 Insomnia Breaking Point 00:52 Phase One Feeling Stuck 02:29 Bill’s Story and Hope 04:54 Phase Two Find the Cause 07:02 Phase Three The Rollercoaster 09:10 Phase Four Big Improvements 10:34 Phase Five Sleep Freedom 11:43 Next Steps Work With Me

    13 min

  3. Jun 10

    260: Could Heavy Metals Be Ruining Your Sleep?

    Get the Sleep Mineral Analysis: https://thesleepdetective.com/sleep-mineral-analysis If you've tried everything for your sleep and still can't get answers, heavy metal toxicity could be what nobody has looked for yet. In this episode Martha walks through what heavy metals do to your sleep, where they're coming from in everyday life, and how she approaches it with her clients, including a client story that shows exactly why this test matters. What you'll learn: What heavy metals actually do to your body and your sleep Which metals Martha sees most often in clients — and exactly where they come from Why mineral deficiencies make heavy metal toxicity worse Why you can't clear gut infections like H. pylori if heavy metals aren't addressed first How Martha tests for heavy metals and what the results tell her The protocol she uses, and why she never starts with aggressive detox 00:00 Why You Still Can’t Sleep 00:55 Laurie’s 20-Year Insomnia 02:19 How Metals Wreck Sleep 03:24 Hidden Exposure Sources 04:48 Minerals Before Detox 05:42 The Test Most Miss 06:16 Sleep Analysis Offer 07:25 Laurie’s Recovery Plan 08:08 Results and Next Steps

    9 min

  4. Jun 5

    258: Introducing the Sleep Mineral Analysis

    Get started with the Sleep Mineral Analysis: https://thesleepdetective.com/sleep-mineral-analysis If you've tried magnesium, sleep hygiene, maybe even the doctor who told you your bloodwork looks fine, and you're still waking up at 3am, this week's episode is worth your time. I just put together something new, the Sleep Mineral Analysis, and this episode walks you through exactly what it is and what's in it.  It's built around a test called the HTMA, and it reads something standard bloodwork never looks at: three months of mineral activity in your tissue. What's depleted, what's out of balance and whether heavy metals are sitting in your body interfering with your sleep. Mineral imbalances and heavy metals were a big part of the reason why I didn’t sleep well for 2 years. Here's what the episode covers: The test that reads three months of data your doctor never looks at Why your bloodwork can look completely normal while your minerals are depleted How mineral imbalances and heavy metals drive 3am wake-ups Why magnesium doesn't work for everyone and what to check instead Everything included in the Sleep Mineral Analysis and how to get started If you've already tried the standard answers and they haven't worked, the right test may just not have been run yet.

    7 min

  5. Jun 3

    257: From 3 Hours of Broken Sleep to 8 Hours a Night — What His Doctor Never Tested

    📅 Book a free consultation to get started with the Complete Sleep Solution program: https://p.bttr.to/3VJwvDs 🌐 thesleepdetective.com If you’ve tried everything (the sleep programs, the routines, the mindset work) and you’re still lying there awake, this week’s episode is going to hit close to home. I sat down with a client (Dennis) who dealt with this for years—sleeping just 3–4 hours a night, waking constantly, doing everything he was “supposed” to do… …and nothing worked. Until we looked somewhere no one else had. Here’s what we get into in this episode: Why sleep programs that focus on the mind often aren’t enoughThe hidden imbalances that can keep your body from sleeping (even when you’re exhausted)What actually changed when we addressed the real drivers of his insomnia Within about a month, things started shifting. Now he’s sleeping 7–8 hours a night AND getting his energy back because we finally addressed what was underneath it. If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything right and still not sleeping, this will connect some dots. 00:00 Why Sleep Hygiene Fails 00:54 Meet Dennis Case Study 01:31 Life With Chronic Insomnia 02:27 What He Tried Before 03:09 Lab Results Reveal Imbalances 04:22 Fixing Gut Hormones Cortisol 05:37 Biggest Breakthrough Explained 07:05 Timeline To Better Sleep 07:57 Beyond Sleep More Energy 08:16 Medical System Misses Root Causes 09:27 Wrap Up And Next Steps

    10 min

  6. May 27

    256: 5 Unconventional Sleep Fixes Nobody Tells You About (Without Medication)

    🔗 Free guide — 5 Unconventional Sleep Fixes Nobody Tells You About 📅 Book a free consultation to get started with the Complete Sleep Solution program: https://p.bttr.to/3VJwvDs 🌐 thesleepdetective.com Most people who can't sleep have already tried the obvious things — the bedtime routine, the screen cutoff, the magnesium gummies. This episode is about what comes next. Peter is a 78-year-old scientist who spent a decade on Ambien, saw multiple sleep specialists, and was on a CPAP for years. None of it solved his sleep. When we ran functional lab tests, we found two things no doctor had ever looked for, and addressing them changed everything. In this episode I walk through five unconventional things that actually move the needle on sleep: the underlying body systems most people have never been told to look at. If you've tried everything and you're still not sleeping, this is where I'd have you start. 00:00 Why You Still Can’t Sleep 00:52 Peter’s Insomnia Story 02:08 Fix 1 Balance Blood Sugar 04:41 CGM and Hidden Resistance 06:22 Fix 2 Anti Inflammatory Eating 08:02 Fix 3 Support Adrenals 10:29 Fix 4 Liver Detox Support 13:28 Fix 5 Calm Nervous System 15:01 Free Guide and Resources 15:23 Peter’s Results and Wrap Up

    17 min

  7. May 20

    255: Still Waking Up at 3AM? The Root Causes We Finally Found - Case Study - Wes

    Book a free consultation to get started with the Complete Sleep Solution program so you can get your sleep back for good: https://p.bttr.to/3VJwvDs Wes considered himself a good sleeper his whole life. Then he spent 18 months waking up at 3am, lying there for an hour or two, trying everything he could think of. Nothing worked — until we ran comprehensive functional lab testing and found what everyone else had missed. In this episode I walk through his full case: what the tests showed, what we did about it, and the one change at month five that finally unlocked 7-8 hours of sleep. If you've tried the standard approaches and you're still waking up in the middle of the night, this one is for you. 00:00 Sleeper to Insomniac01:16 What Wes Already Tried01:54 Cortisol and Hormone Clues05:31 Gut Test Red Flags07:37 Neurotransmitters and Minerals11:01 Early Lifestyle Tweaks13:05 Supplement Strategy Explained15:58 Gut Protocol and Binders19:10 The Breakthrough Timeline20:46 Five Month Win

    21 min

  8. May 13

    254: Why Your Sleep Supplements Stopped Working (And What to Do Instead)

    If you want to get to the bottom of why you can’t sleep, book a free consultation with me here: https://p.bttr.to/3VJwvDs If you've tried melatonin, magnesium, valerian, CBD etc., and maybe even started combining them hoping something will finally stick. And maybe it worked for a while. But now it doesn't. Or it never really did… It's actually not a supplement problem. It's a signal your body is sending you. And in this episode, I'm going to show you what it's actually saying. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why common sleep supplements often stop working over timeWhat’s actually driving your sleep issues underneathWhat needs to change if you want your sleep to work naturally againI also share the story of a client who tried everything, and still couldn’t sleep, until she finally understood what her body actually needed. 00:00 Supplements Stopped Working 00:52 Meet Carol’s Sleep Spiral 01:48 Why Common Sleep Aids Fail 03:30 Stop Guessing Start Testing 04:13 Carol’s Root Causes Revealed 05:17 The Step By Step Fix 06:37 Results and Next Steps

    7 min
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4.7
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About

Can't fall asleep? Or stay asleep? Tried everything? In this podcast, sleep expert and functional health coach Martha Lewis gets into the science of why you can't sleep in both your body and your mind. She tells you how to find the root cause of your sleep issues so you can sleep well naturally. She talks about what to do when you can't fall asleep, natural remedies for insomnia, why you have trouble sleeping, and what causes chronic trouble sleeping. If you've tried everything and you still can't sleep, this podcast is for you. You are meant to sleep well! and you can cure your insomnia!

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