Severe insomnia in chronic illness is almost never about sleep itself. Viral neurotoxins, liver congestion, toxic heavy metals, and adrenal stress are the real disruptors, and until you identify which one is working against you, nothing you try at bedtime will hold. This is the story of how I found mine, and what actually healed it.
Key Takeaways
- Chronic insomnia in people with chronic illness often has a physical root cause, not a behavioral one.
- Viruses like Epstein-Barr excrete neurotoxins that disrupt sleep in three ways: hypersensitivity, body pain, and reduced neurotransmitter activity.
- Liver stress and toxic burden are two root causes of sleep disruption that are frequently overlooked.
- Identifying your specific insomnia root cause changes which supplements and protocols will actually help you.
- Sleep is directly tied to immune function. Healing your sleep is healing your body.
- A Medical Medium® sleep protocol that includes celery force, sleep-supporting supplements, and dietary change helped me recover after nearly five years of insomnia.
What the spider bite set in motion
I collapsed like a ton of bricks onto the warm mat. It was 2017, and what started as downward-facing dog in the middle of yoga class ended with me face down on the floor from my left arm collapsing. The cause was a poisonous unknown spider bite. At that moment it became clear that my immune system was weak and my health was in an acute state. I was advised to go to the ER.
Against my hope to heal naturally, and after speaking with Anthony William, who informed me of how poorly my immune system was performing, I took the prescribed oral antibiotics. After 40 years of sleeping well, the toxic overload from this spider bite turned me into a struggling insomniac. And that was only the beginning.
The spider bite had triggered a viral reaction in my body and liver issues. I could not move my arm without excruciating pain in my left hand. For months it was either paralyzed or I had a very limited range of motion. The neurological fatigue was so severe that I was bedridden for almost a year. I was told I had Neurological Lyme disease.
With Neurological Lyme came chronic fatigue, brain fog, inflamed nerves, muscle aches, physical weakness, and the neurological Lyme sleep issues I had never experienced before. It would take me a year to get out of bed and another three to four years to fully lift the neurological fatigue. With viral activity in my body creating neurotoxins that cause hypersensitivity, aches and pains, and diminished neurotransmitter activity, my sleep was unquestionably disrupted.
“Viruses such as Epstein-Barr excrete neurotoxins, which are disruptive to sleep in three main ways: (1) They trigger hypersensitivity in the central nervous system, which governs sleep; (2) they create body aches and pains, which can prevent you from relaxing enough to sleep; and (3) they can diminish neurotransmitter activity. In this way, viral neurotoxins can create the issues of not being able to fall asleep for hours, or waking in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep.”
Anthony William, Medical Medium® Thyroid Healing,
pg. 246-247
What my chronic insomnia looked like
Despite my history with ill health prior to my bite, I had always been able to sleep well. Falling asleep and staying asleep were never my issues. I relied on sleep to help me fight adrenal fatigue and support my immune system. Sleep is essential to healing. It is directly tied to the strength of your immune system.
“Sleep is essential to immune function. It allows neurotransmitter chemicals to restore themselves after being burnt out by viral neurotoxins.”
Anthony William, Medical Medium® Thyroid Healing,
pg. 237
It took only one month after getting bitten for me to start noticing sleep issues. By month two I was struggling with full chronic insomnia symptoms. For me that looked like waking up multiple times a night and being unable to fall back asleep. It would take me hours to return to sleep. On other nights I would wake around 5 or 6 AM with my body unable to shut down again.
In the beginning, when the reaction to the bite was at its worst, I also had difficulty falling asleep at all. The nights were long and isolating. During the day I felt exhausted and wired at the same time. It would take me almost five years to fully recover my ability to sleep. My insomnia evolved over that time, but for years it never let up. Had it not been for Medical Medium® protocols and following a healing lifestyle, recovery would have been longer. Or perhaps it would not have come at all.
Understanding your insomnia root cause
There are many different triggers for chronic insomnia. It can be a combination of factors: emotional hardship, sleep apnea, MSG buildup in the brain, viral activity, toxic heavy metals, or liver issues. Mine were a combination of viral activity and liver problems. The spider bite triggered acute viral activity in my body, and my liver and lymph were doing all they could to keep me alive by storing the poison.
My experience with insomnia did not really start to shift until I read Medical Medium® Thyroid Healing by Anthony William. He writes in depth on the topic of sleep, and I was able to identify in that book what I was going through. Knowing the insomnia root cause matters because it determines how you approach healing. What is going on in your body tells you which protocol to follow.
For example, someone whose sleep is disrupted by toxic heavy metals in the brain would benefit from the Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie or a heavy metal detox protocol. Someone with liver issues would benefit from cleaning up their diet and taking liver-supporting supplements. You can also read more about the hidden stressors affecting your health that I cover separately on the blog.
What helped me heal
During the hardest part of the first six months, I followed my Medical Medium® sleep protocol very strictly. My approach included:
- Completely plant-based and fruit-forward diet
- Vitamin C IV therapy
- Heavy emphasis on hydration with green juices and living water
- Wheatgrass juice daily
- Supplements to support the immune system and reduce viral load
- Rebounding
- Prayer
Sleep supplements that support healing
Not all natural sleep supplements that support insomnia work the same way. Some have a sedative quality that helps you relax and fall asleep. Others work by supporting your nervous system and boosting your liver’s function. The right combination depends on your root cause.
Supplements that helped me during this time:
- California poppy seed
- GABA
- Melatonin
- 5-HTP (hydroxy tryptophan)
- Magnesium glycinate
- Magnesium L-threonate
- Valerian (beneficial for some people, not all)
- Passionflower
- Lemon balm
- Chamomile
- Lavender
Beyond sedative-quality supplements, vitamin C and zinc support the nervous system and liver function without a calming effect. Celery force was the supplement I relied on most during the day. At my worst I took up to 11 capsules in a single day. It has a remarkable ability to support brain function and focus when you are running on poor sleep, and it supports the conditions needed for better sleep at night.
For deeper support on healing sleep through Medical Medium® protocols, the Deep Sleep Masterclass goes into the root causes and tools in much more detail.
Take the free sleep quiz
I know how debilitating it can be to experience insomnia, especially if you came from a history of sound sleep. Everything becomes harder. Your patience and focus are taxed, your brain moves slower, and you feel exhausted and wired at the same time.
If you are experiencing disrupted sleep and believe it is rooted in a physical cause, I want to help you find clarity. In my case, I was able to pinpoint the source: the spider bite. For most people, though, sleep disruption rarely comes from one thing alone. The root cause can be your liver, your adrenals, your nervous system, a viral load, a toxic burden, or a combination of several of these.
To help clarify what may be working against your rest, I created a free, 2-minute sleep quiz that helps you identify your possible sleep disruptor so you can stop guessing and start supporting your body.
Had my body not been prepared and equipped, I could have died from that spider bite. It is because of God, Anthony William’s healing guidance, my family’s support, and my own dedication to everything I had learned that I can now help others heal from life-altering symptoms and illness.
To your health and happiness,
Muneeza
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Frequently asked questions
What is the root cause of chronic insomnia in people with chronic illness?
For many people with chronic illness, chronic insomnia traces back to liver stress, toxic heavy metals in the brain, viral activity, or adrenal exhaustion. Each of these disrupts sleep differently. Viral neurotoxins, for example, create hypersensitivity in the central nervous system, reduce neurotransmitter activity, and cause body pain that prevents relaxation. Identifying which factor is driving your insomnia tells you which protocol to follow.
Can a Medical Medium® sleep protocol actually help severe insomnia?
Yes, in my experience it can. I followed a Medical Medium® sleep protocol for almost five years as I recovered from Neurological Lyme disease triggered by a spider bite. The protocol included a fully plant-based diet, viral-fighting supplements, liver support, heavy metal detox, and sleep-specific supplements like melatonin, magnesium glycinate, and GABA. The protocol addresses the physical root cause rather than suppressing symptoms.
What sleep supplements are recommended for chronic illness-related insomnia?
Supplements that support sleep in the context of chronic illness include melatonin, magnesium glycinate, magnesium L-threonate, GABA, 5-HTP, California poppy seed, lemon balm, passionflower, and valerian for those who respond well to it. Beyond sedative-quality supplements, vitamin C and zinc support the nervous system and liver. Celery force was the supplement I relied on most during the day to support brain function when I was sleep-deprived.
