When I first moved to the East Village six years ago I used to toss and turn and have crazy night tremors about someone barging into my apartment and kidnapping me.

We’ve all been there, right? Right? (nervous glance)

I had never had trouble sleeping before – quite the opposite in fact. I was always the one who could sleep like a baby, anytime and anyplace.

I must get it from my dad, who’s a globetrotting professional jazz musician who can literally fall asleep in seconds, anywhere.

Sleep is the most important thing you can do for whole health and weight loss, and it’s often shrugged off as a waste of time. CRINGE.

When you sleep the body fully assimilates all the great nutrients you’ve given it, ushers the stuff you don’t need toward your digestive system, repairs and renews skin, hair, and nails, and reorganizes the nervous system (and every other system) for high energy the next day.

I’ve always known the value of sleep, so when I started having these tremors that left me wide awake and terrified, I got curious and discovered two primary sources of fear (tremors) and sleep troubles, both of which were really impacting my life at the time:

1. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (and my personal experience), fear is rooted in the gut.

95% of serotonin, the feel good hormone we need for happiness and a calm mindset, is housed in the gut.

Isn’t that crazy?

Serotonin is what helps us feel confident and happy every day, rather than fearful and anxious.

I did competitive soccer, cross country and track from around nine years old until I was 17, and I would always get an upset stomach before games and meets.

Why? Because I was nervous, and my digestive system responded accordingly. I put a lot of pressure on myself, to put it lightly. See that connection?

When I started to have these night tremors and sleep issues, I realized that I was also having out-of-character digestive issues and feeling pretty anxious every day.

To heal my digestion and in turn my sleep, I started meditating, practicing yoga regularly at my local East Village studio, and eating and drinking naturally probiotic-rich foods like sauerkraut and kombucha.

I also started eating mostly warm, cooked foods. Learn the reason here.

Bottom line? If you’re having sleep issues, get curious about what’s going on in your gut.

It’s not the easiest subject for everyone to talk about, but it’s the foundation of physical and mental health for every human – there’s no avoiding it.

If you want to dive deeper and work with a professional who’s also been there personally (me), leave a comment below or shoot me a note at lula@goodtastebylula.com.

2. The second missing piece that healed my fear and sleep issues was playing hard. 

Yep.

Remember when you were a little kid and you would run around all day and then fall asleep five seconds after your head hit the pillow?

There’s something to that. When you fully and authentically exhaust your physical body it’s much easier to sleep.

Playing hard also knocks out adrenaline and cortisol, the stress hormones linked to fear and anxiety.

You could do backflips and summersaults in your head all day (aka angst and worry) and that will definitely harm your sleep, but when you do actual backflips and summersaults – or whatever heart-pumping, fun, playful exercise you love – you’ll notice a huge improvement in your quality of shut-eye.

Sweat for at least 30 minutes every day (if you don’t already) and let me know if that helps.

Already working out and still having sleep issues?

You might need to up the intensity or duration so that you feel completely invigorated afterward, and then completely sleepy when it’s time to say night-night.

Do you have trouble sleeping? What have you tried already to help yourself truly relax and reboot?

Are one or both of the root causes I talked about true for you?

Share in the comments below or shoot me an email at lula@goodtastebylula.com.

I read every single email, and I can’t wait to support you and guide you toward a solution that works for you as an individual.

P.S. Miss last week? It was a juicy one. Learn The Main Factor Killing Your Energy. It might freak you out.