Your blood can tell you so much about what’s going on inside your body. You’re one blood test away from knowing if your nutrient levels need a boost or if your stress levels are screaming out for a spa break. But did you know it can also uncover some of the reasons behind poor sleep? If a full eight hours eludes you – and little ones aren’t behind it – an at-home blood test may pinpoint some of the potential causes.
The trick is knowing which health markers are most closely linked to those restless, sleepless nights. When levels of certain nutrients are too low, or stress hormones are too high, your sleep can become anything but relaxing.
So, whether you’ve already taken an at-home blood test or you’re thinking about trying one, here’s how it could tell you far more about your sleep than any of those night-time tracking apps…
1. Stress is disrupting your rest
You don’t need us to tell you that stress and bad sleep go hand in hand. When you’re trapped in a cycle of overthinking, drifting off is a challenge – to say the very least. But it’s not just a whirring brain that has you tossing and turning through the early hours; when you’re stressed, your cortisol levels soar, putting your body in ‘fight or flight’ mode.
Your cortisol levels naturally climb higher in the morning, but should level out as the day goes on. So, if you suspect stress could be impacting your sleep, try taking your blood test later in the day. This will give you a truer measure of whether cortisol levels are staying elevated when they should be winding down. If your test shows they’re spiking, it may be time to prioritise calm before bed.
2. Your body needs more sunlight
If you need another excuse to complain about the British weather, here it is: because we spend months seeing so little sunshine, vitamin D deficiencies amongst Brits are common. The “sunshine vitamin” plays a key role in regulating your sleep-wake cycle, so when your vitamin D levels are low, your body clock can be thrown off balance.
The solution? Checking your vitamin D levels with a General Wellness Blood Test. If they’re low, it’s probably time for two weeks in the Maldives… or a supplement packed with the power vit, like the Magnesium Capsules. These capsules are also powered by (clue’s in the name) Magnesium, which contributes to normal psychological function and normal functioning of the nervous system – ideal for an evening wind-down.
3. Your iron and ferritin are low
Iron is usually associated with reducing tiredness, and it’s true that low iron and ferritin levels can be responsible for fatigue. (Ferritin is your stored iron, BTW.) But, just because too little iron makes you feel exhausted, that doesn’t mean you’ll be sleeping easy each night. Anyone who’s anaemic (myself included) will tell you that the persistent tiredness is often accompanied by restless nights.
This is less about how tired you feel and more about imbalances in your body. A study in the Chinese Medical Journal found that those who are anaemic are more likely to suffer from insomnia. The reasons for this aren’t yet clear, but it could be due to reduced oxygen flow to the brain, which may cause sleep disruptions, or the discomfort of restless leg syndrome, which is a common problem when iron levels are low. So, if you’re sleeping poorly, and your at-home blood test shows low iron and/or ferritin levels, it may be time to up your iron levels to give your body the boost it needs.
4. Your thyroid is under or overactive
Your thyroid is a powerful little gland that’s found at the base of your neck, and it regulates a whole range of functions, including your metabolism, heart rate, body temperature, and – you guessed it – how well you sleep. The General Wellness Blood Test measures your thyroid hormones to reveal if you have an overactive or underactive thyroid. Both of these scenarios can lead to sleep disturbances, but in very different ways…
If you have an overactive thyroid: you may have that ‘wired yet tired’ feeling come bedtime. Your brain might be saying it’s time to sleep, but your body will be restless, meaning it takes a while to drift off.
If you have an underactive thyroid: you may experience persistent fatigue that, instead of making you feel sleepy, leads to overtiredness or poor quality rest. You may find that, even if you’re getting the full eight hours, you still feel groggy and drowsy during the day.
5. Your hormones are off balance
The impact of even a small hormone shift will never fail to amaze us at Cannaray. It takes just a little fluctuation in estrogen or testosterone, and sleep patterns can be thrown off. Think this might be the culprit? A General Wellness Blood Test tracks your testosterone to check it’s within the normal range for your age, while also measuring key health markers that contribute to hormone balance, like albumin or HbA1c levels.
How to improve sleep with a blood test
If you want to find out what might be behind your sleep problems, an at-home blood test is a great place to start. The General Wellness Test is our most in-depth panel, tracking all of the markers above: cortisol, vitamin D, iron, ferritin, thyroid function and hormone balance.
So, how does it work?
- Order your blood test – we recommend the General Wellness Test – and receive your complete, easy-to-use kit in next day’s post.
- Follow the instructions. We provide detailed step by steps to show you how to collect your blood sample with a quick, painless ‘button’ device.
- Send your sample to our lab. Post it in the prepaid envelope on the same day you take your test, so the sample is fresh for analysis.
- Receive your results. After our team of clinicians have reviewed your sample, you’ll be sent an email with a secure link, where you can view your results.
- Pay attention to the markers that affect sleep. Remember: that’s your cortisol, vitamin D, iron, ferritin, thyroid function and hormone balance.
- Improve your wellness routine. Equipped with the knowledge of any deficiencies or imbalances that could be impacting your sleep, you can confidently take steps to rebalance your routine – whether that’s managing stress, improving your diet, increasing sunlight exposure or introducing targeted supplements.
If our clinicians deem it helpful or medically necessary, you may also be invited for a free consultation to discuss your next steps, giving you personalised guidance on how to improve your sleep and overall wellbeing.
Ready to get started? Have a look at our at-home blood tests and begin taking back control of your sleep.
