The Connection Between Sleep & Your Liver

Feb 7

One of the more common challenges I hear from women who are struggling with their metabolism is their lack of sleep. Either they have trouble falling asleep, they wake up frequently, and/or they have trouble falling back asleep (the dreaded wake up between 2 and 4AM). This leaves women exhausted, weary, and stressing over sleep, which only leads to more issues. Your liver is often connected to these challenges but there are ways you can naturally support your liver!

We think of the liver as a detox organ but it has over 500 different functions. One of which is the processing of glycogen for glucose. In a world where "low carb" and "keto" diets are all the rage, women are getting too few quality carbohydrates to provide glucose to their cells. Glucose is the preferred energy source of your body. If you are low on glucose, your body will start to eat at your own tissues to create it if you aren't getting enough (a process called gluconeogenesis).

If your liver is over-burdened or sluggish, this process slows down. Our liver gets sluggish because of a lot of reasons...

alcohol
medication
birth control
stress
toxins in foods and products we're exposed to
poor diet
...and more

When we think of "detoxing", we often think of alcohol BUT there are many other things affect our livers. Taking a hard look at what your'e exposing yourself to is really critical.

The LAST thing your body needs is for you to go sugar free, low carb, or keto as this adds more stress to an already overburdened liver.

While your body does not do well with processed foods that are also high in sugar, going sugar free or carb free isn't ideal. Your body needs the GOOD sugars from fruit, vegetables, maple syrup, honey, raw dairy, etc. Even organic cane sugar isn't the devil - as long as it's not over-consumed. (I add a bit of sugar into my tea each day!)

A few other ways to support your liver (for a better night of sleep):

Castor Oil Liver Pack to reduce inflammation (I like the ones from Queen of the Thrones)
Eat a nutrient dense, balanced, metabolically supportive diet (this is what I teach in my Nourish + Thrive Course)
Remove seed oils from your diet (canola, soy, soybean, safflower, sunflower, peanut, etc.)
Make sure you're pooping! People go straight to a liver detox without making sure they're eliminating what comes from it first. If you aren't pooping (and for that matter sweating) regularly, don't try to detox anything or you'll just end up recirculating toxins in your body and then your liver will become sluggish.
If waking up in middle of night is common, try a small snack about 60 minutes before bed (a homemade gummy, glass of milk, etc.)
Better manage your stress (stress is a HUGE reason people wake up throughout the night)
Reduce (better yet eliminate) your intake of alcohol
Reduce (better yet eliminate) your intake of recreational drugs
Minimize medication (talk to your doctor about what is absolutely necessary for your health)
Get off hormonal birth control (there are so many other healthier, natural ways to handle your fertility)
Use MetaPWR and Zendocrine essential oil blends from doTERRA (apply over your liver and on bottoms of your feet)