The Real Cause of Insomnia, and Solutions

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In this article, The Real Cause of Insomnia, and Solutions, we look at what the studies say about insomnia and solutions that include diet, supplements and supportive modalities.

Before I understood the root cause of insomnia — which I’ll discuss more here — I believed the common explanations along with their usual solutions:

• Hormone-balancing needed: supplements (herbs, adaptogens)
• Adrenal glands (HPA axis) taxed: adrenal supplements, including animal-sourced adrenal extract pills
• Gut health fixes like L-glutamine
• Nutrient deficiencies — often addressed with the wrong supplements like vitamin D, B vitamins and amino acids
• Stress management — which is a factor
• Comprehensive lifestyle adjustments — different than the ones we’ll discuss

While there is truth to some of these, we’re going to hone in on the lesser-known causes of insomnia that lead to deeper, more lasting results.

What is insomnia?

Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, waking during the night, trouble resuming sleep, waking too early, not feeling refreshed after sleep, and losing productive time during the day due to fatigue.

Toxic Bile, Mineral Imbalance, and Sleep: A Brief Overview

A growing body of research suggests that many chronic sleep disturbances and nighttime symptoms may be rooted in toxicity — specifically, the buildup and improper handling of toxic bile.

The body eliminates toxins by packaging them into bile, but when bile becomes overloaded or begins to leak into the bloodstream, its components can disrupt sleep, hormone balance and cardiovascular health. Whether the bile is carrying excess vitamin A or excess copper, these compounds can keep a person awake at bedtime or cause sudden nighttime awakenings.

Bile, Vitamin A, and Thyroid Function

Retinol-binding protein (RBP) is produced by the body to bind vitamin A in the bloodstream. When RBP levels are elevated, it indicates that vitamin A is circulating in the blood.

Vitamin A can circulate in the blood when bile leaks into the bloodstream, since bile carries vitamin A.

Vitamin A — or RBP — circulating in the blood often indicates bile leakage that affects sleep.

This leakage has downstream effects: elevated vitamin A is associated with depleted folate and B12, higher homocysteine and increased blood pressure. It can also interfere with thyroid regulation.

Research on emerging cardiovascular risk factors in obese children highlights the connection between circulating vitamin A and metabolic stress, including disruptions relevant to thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).

Another study also shows a link between sleep apnea and elevated serum retinol-binding protein-4 (RBP-4).

Copper, Zinc, and Sleep Quality

Mineral balance also plays a central role in sleep.

Studies (1, 2) show that individuals with optimal sleep have the highest zinc levels, the highest zinc-to-copper ratios and lower copper.

When copper becomes elevated — especially at night due to bile leakage — it can trigger classic symptoms: anxiety at bedtime, racing thoughts, heart palpitations, nighttime urination or waking with a “hot” feeling. These are common signs of circulating copper.

Sleep Loss and Bile Disturbance

Animal research further supports this connection. In one study, mice restricted to four hours of sleep per day for eight consecutive days showed significantly increased bile acids in the serum, liver and intestines.

Sleep deprivation directly altered bile handling, amplifying systemic exposure to toxins.

Additional reviews show that bile follows a daily rhythm. When sleep cycles are disrupted, bile rhythms become disrupted as well, contributing to weight gain, metabolic dysfunction and increased bile leakage into the bloodstream. (We see this in people who work the night shift. Weight gain is almost inevitable.)

Nighttime Bile Dumps

Many individuals who struggle with insomnia describe a recognizable pattern: waking suddenly, feeling hot, mentally overstimulated or needing to urinate. These episodes reflect a nocturnal “bile dump,” in which bile acids and their toxins enter the bloodstream.

Copper-related symptoms — agitation, intrusive thoughts, palpitations — often accompany these events.

Solutions and Support Strategies

While there is no single solution for everyone, several approaches may reduce bile-related nighttime symptoms:

• Low-copper and low–vitamin A diet
• Zeolite before bed to help bind copper (Learn what it is and which zeolite to choose here.)
• Activated charcoal before bed to bind vitamin A and other bile-carried toxins

Expect gradual improvement, with occasional bile dumps still possible

Mineral Support

Ensuring adequate magnesium, potassium and zinc supports mineral balance and helps calm the nervous system. Zinc in particular helps counter high copper and supports more stable sleep patterns.

Conclusion

Disturbed bile flow, vitamin A toxicity and copper imbalance may underlie many cases of insomnia. Understanding the links between bile physiology, circadian rhythms and mineral balance allows for targeted dietary and supplemental strategies that support more restorative sleep.

Various Causes of Insomnia — What we’re not told

Most articles on sleep and insomnia are looking in the wrong places when it comes to finding a deep and lasting solution.

We all know how exciting it is to find a sleep “fix,” but most either a) don’t last or b) come with unwanted side effects.

A common example:

We’re told that insomnia is caused by busy lives and elevated stress hormones.

Additionally, our love for late-night media disrupts the natural rhythm of the body — with bright light and emotional stimulation delaying rest.

True. But …

Stress — What we’re not told:

Stress causes the body to release extra bile. These bile acids then signal through receptors that influence mood and nerve activity. When bile acids rise in the bloodstream or gut, they can activate pathways connected to emotional centers of the brain. Because different bile acids trigger different signals, researchers are investigating how bile-related stress responses may contribute to anxiety — which, of course, interferes with sleep.

The liver is the main site of ceruloplasmin production, the protein responsible for binding most of the copper in the bloodstream. With stress, the effectiveness of ceruloplasmin may get out of balance, leaving more copper unbound.

At the same time, anxiety and stress can rapidly deplete zinc, since the body uses zinc heavily during physiological stress. Zinc is crucial for supporting and regulating the calming neurotransmitter GABA. When zinc is low, GABA function weakens, leading to chronic over-arousal, heightened excitability, restlessness and sleep disturbances.

Excess unbound copper further contributes to this excitatory state.

Diet — What we’re not told:

Diet is another contributing factor. Sugar and vegetable oils can wreak havoc on hormone production.

What we’re not told?

To avoid foods high in copper and vitamin A. In fact, we’re often told the opposite.

Pregnancy and hormones — What we’re not told:

For others, insomnia begins with autoimmune symptoms or hormone changes, such as after pregnancy or during peri-menopause.

What we’re not told?

Pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and lactation demand more zinc. The body’s zinc needs rise dramatically because both mother and baby require more; zinc levels often fall even if intake increases. Studies show hair zinc levels steadily decrease during pregnancy, and many women don’t meet recommended intake during this time.

Insomnia is more common in women because our hormone variations are more frequent.

Making Sure Your Sleep Hygiene Is in Place

You’ve probably heard of implementing better “sleep hygiene” during the day. But if you suffer from insomnia, you may already be doing all of these things. You may even find it frustrating, as I did, to implement all the daily recommendations and still not sleep.

Here is a brief list, just to be thorough:

• good diet: limited fats, good protein at dinner, balanced carbs
• magnesium supplementation
• morning or midday sun exposure
• avoiding caffeine after midday
• dry brushing to improve lymphatic flow
• reducing blue light before bed (f.lux, blue-blocking glasses, or ending screen time early)
• calming the mind
• sleeping in complete darkness
• keeping the room cool

For me, many years ago now, with more babies and declining health, these choices didn’t fix insomnia. The organs that produce balanced hormones were simply over-taxed. I eventually resorted to melatonin because I knew I needed sleep to reduce inflammation.

How Low Progesterone Affects Insomnia

Once perimenopause hit (pre-menopause), a new set of causes came into play. If you’re over 40, this may sound familiar: low progesterone and/or histamine/mast-cell issues.

Progesterone helps with sleep because it converts to a sedating neurosteroid that soothes GABA receptors. When progesterone falls, estrogen can become dominant. For me, the best solution was reducing or balancing estrogen.

What we’re not told: Copper is estrogenic. When we reduce copper and use a binder like zeolite, estrogen levels gradually improve.

For years, I used supplements like DIM, calcium d-glucarate, and black cohosh. Eventually, I no longer needed these “band-aids” once I reduced copper.

Sulfur-based supplements like DIM often help short-term because they slow detox — keeping toxins in the liver longer instead of allowing them to be excreted in bile. Long term, this is not a good solution.

UPDATES

I completely rewrote my original article on insomnia solutions. As far as what I used to recommend …

I no longer recommend:

• L-arginine (may cause long-term bile duct damage)
• Glutathione (it’s a sulfur containing anti-oxidant that slows down detox)
• Adrenal glandular extracts (this is not the right approach)
• Vitamin B6 (due to neurotoxicity concerns)
• Adaptogenic herbs (because they only shuttle “trash” to the liver)

I also no longer recommend pituitary or hypothalamus supplements. The best way to support healthy hormone levels is to reduce vitamin A in the diet, as excess vitamin A damages the thyroid over time. The fastest thyroid recovery I’ve seen — including my own — happens on a low-vitamin-A diet.

Two Natural Modalities for Insomnia

1. Sleeping on a grounding sheet

Many years ago, I learned about grounding, bought a half sheet, and experienced firsthand how effective it is for resetting the body for rest (normalizes cortisol). I enjoyed many months of relief from insomnia after buying it.

Holisticprimarycare.net reports:

A pilot study… showed a 54% reduction in midnight cortisol levels and a 34% increase in 8 AM levels… patients reported better sleep and less pain and stress.

Here’s where to buy a great grounding sheet.

The liver makes ceruloplasmin, which binds most of the copper in the blood. During stress, ceruloplasmin often rises, but the system can become unbalanced, leading to more “free” copper circulating. Grounding helps by calming the stress response and bringing copper handling back into balance.

2. Craniosacral massage

I’ve visited a craniosacral practitioner three or four times. On my second visit, he told me my hypothalamus was overactive and focused on releasing it. I slept well for two months afterward. He couldn’t replicate that session again, but the results were remarkable.

Craniosacral therapy uses gentle touch to support the central nervous system and encourage physiological release. Many practitioners specialize in treating insomnia.

Other Considerations: Histamines

According to 23andMe, certain genetic variants impair histamine breakdown. Too much histamine can cause sleep problems. Histamine also acts as a neurotransmitter that wakes you up in the morning and regulates appetite.
Some individuals need a low-histamine or MCAS-friendly diet. I experienced fast relief — within weeks — using a low-copper and low-vitamin A diet. 

A low histamine diet or relief from MCAS may be necessary for some who suffer from insomnia. I share here how I accomplished this with a low copper and low vitamin A diet. I had relief from histamine issues in just a couple of weeks!

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