If you have dealt with mold, mycotoxin illness, or Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), then you likely know how it feels to be missing sleep. Insomnia and poor sleep have been known to literally drive people insane. Lack of sleep decreases your recovery, lowers immune function, negatively impacts mood and mental health, slows detoxification, affects memory, ages you faster, and not to mention creates fatigue! In this post we will be learning how mold steals your sleep and how to take it back!
The Connection Between Mold Exposure and Sleep Disruptions
There are actually many pathways that mold affects that can cause insomnia, disturbed sleep, and poor recovery:
Neuro-Endocrine Disruption
Hyperarousal (Fight or Flight)
Histamine
Respiratory Distress
Frequent Urination
Neuro-Endocrine Disruption
When we inhale or consume mycotoxins, the toxins produced by mold, they can inflame our brain. This primarily impacts our hypothalamus and pituitary, suppressing hormones such as MSH, VIP, ADH, and ACTH. This imbalance then leads to weight gain or loss, increased estrogen, decreased progesterone, and decreased melatonin. All of these pathways negatively affect sleep, making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. One other pathway that is impacted in our brain is endorphin production, so we end up more depressed (which can leave you exhausted but unable to sleep) and more sensitive to pain.
Hyperarousal (fight or flight)
Hyperarousal is when our body and nervous system are stuck in a perpetual stress response; you often hear of this as feeling “wired but tired.” A person in this state can’t relax and feels overstimulated, but they have no energy because they aren’t sleeping. Mycotoxins, due to brain inflammation and histamine, can leave us anxious, hyped up, and unable to sleep.
Histamine
Mold exposure has been known to stimulate histamine production and drive mast cell activation syndrome. We rightly associate histamine with allergies and rashes, but in our brain, it keeps us awake and alert. (This is why antihistamines typically make you drowsy, they can block histamine in your brain). Excess histamine leaves you overstimulated and unable to shut your brain down for sleep and relaxation.
Respiratory Distress
If you can’t breathe well, it’s difficult to get comfortable at night. Nasal congestion, sleep apnea, difficulty getting full breathes, and asthma are all part and parcel to mold exposure AND they prevent good quality sleep.
Frequent Urination
Ask any older man with prostate issues and he will tell you that getting up to pee all night truly impairs your ability to get a good night’s rest. When the mycotoxins inflame your brain, especially the hypothalamus and pituitary, it has the effect of lowering ADH (antidiuretic hormone). This hormone’s job is to help you retain water in your kidneys. When it gets lowered you can have frequent urination, dehydration, static shocks, nose bleeds, and constipation. Many “moldies” have frequent urination, and it’s because of low ADH from mycotoxins.
Creating a Sleep-Friendly, Mold-Free Environment
Effective Testing for Mold
Creating a mold-safe environment in your home and sleep sanctuary is key and the first step to our 7 Steps to Mold Recovery. A good way to do this is to use EC3 Mold Plates to test the air, carpets, furniture (mattress), air vents, and even your nose. Dr. Dennis has published research showing that mold plates should have less than 4 mold colonies for recovery. We shoot for 2 or less in our patients.
Cleaning and Reducing Mold Exposure in the Bedroom
If there are high amounts of mold in your space, we recommend professional remediation and making sure the source of the mold has been corrected. Using HEPA air purifiers, weekly fogging with EC3 Mold Solution, vacuuming regularly with a HEPA vacuum, and wiping down surfaces with EC3 Mold Wipes or EC3 Enzyme Cleaner Concentrate goes a long way to keep the environment sleep friendly and clean. Also, wash your clothes and sheets regularly in EC3 Laundry Additive. Don’t forget that you can set the evening mood of relaxation with an EC3 Candle to reduce mycotoxins and mold spores in the air too.
Sleep-Supporting Protocols for Mold-Sensitive Individuals
Start with Detox
Clearing out mycotoxins and reducing neuro-inflammation is the main driver to restoring sleep and circadian rhythms. Reducing exposure helps but then we can further clear out the junk by supporting your liver, healthy bowel movements, and binding up toxins. MycoDetox Liver Support, Bio-Active Binder, and NAC are a great bundle for this step.
Clear the Sinuses
A hidden source of mold that effects the brain and sleep is the sinus cavity. Sinus infections from mold and fungus occur in almost every case of mold toxicity that I see. Doing daily NasoPure sinus flushes and utilizing nasal sprays is important.
Repair Sleep
Once you have supported detoxification and begin working on the sinuses, you can start to support sleep. Some supplements such as magnesium, melatonin, calcium, saffron, and others can improve relaxation and sleep but when we need a bigger push and want to support brain healing, we have been using CellTropin with Micro Balance’s new product, Ahh Sleep. This new product homeopathically supports natural sleep cycles and the relaxation response.
Putting Mold to Bed
Poor sleep is a part of mold illness for many reasons, but regardless of the specifics, it plain sucks. But you aren’t doomed. Focus on creating a clean environment, detox the mold toxins, clear your sinuses, and support healthy sleep with a good protocol. We’re here to help if you need us.
Questions? Comments? Write to us below. We love your input and feedback.
Dr. Martin Hart has earned a reputation for being one of the leading clinicians in natural healthcare. Committed to many more years of excellence, Dr. Hart is a highly trained, board-certified chiropractor trained in kinesiology, homeopathy, functional medicine, and American Biological Medicine. Dr. Hart is here to pave the way for the quality of care you have been searching for this whole time.
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