CIRS & Insomnia: Why You Can’t Sleep (Low MSH, Melatonin, Cortisol) + Practical Fixes

Barbara and Jacie discuss insomnia as a common CIRS symptom, explaining that CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) can occur in genetically predisposed people exposed to biotoxins like mold, algae blooms, or venomous spider bites, leading to chronic inflammation, cytokine activity, low MSH, and downstream disruption of melatonin, cortisol, and other hormones. They share ways to improve falling asleep (morning sunlight, dim evening lighting, low-dose melatonin, bedtime grounding routines, time-boxing bed use, and acupuncture) and staying asleep (addressing nighttime blood sugar drops with a protein/fat or protein/fiber snack, and managing nocturia from ADH/osmolality dysregulation with electrolytes, fluid timing, and pre-bed bathroom trips). They also cover unrefreshing sleep, sleep environment optimization, hormone testing (including DUTCH panels), and supplements and supports they use, including magnesium, L-theanine, glycine, and KPV, emphasizing practitioner guidance and treating CIRS as the root cause. For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Sleep: intro and disclaimer 00:45 What Is CIRS? 02:01 Low MSH and poor sleep connection 03:51 Circadian rhythm resets 05:55 Lighting to support sleep 06:23 Melatonin Done Right 06:46 Anxiety disrupting sleep (cell danger response) 08:37 Benefits of acupuncture 10:09 Why you have trouble staying asleep 11:00 Tips to stabilize your blood sugar 11:53 Nocturia (needing to pee in the middle of the night) 14:00 Unrefreshing Sleep: tips and tricks 15:40 Hormones and Testing 18:33 Personal Sleep Stacks 20:48 Ashwagandha Nightshade PSA 21:31 KPV for Low MSH 22:27 Wrap Up and Next Steps For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com HELPFUL LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE: Our episode on what CIRS is: https://youtu.be/eqso4R0cQhg?si=9klrfHeuyKGfUJ4n Order Jacie's book! The 30 Day Carnivore Bootcamp: https://a.co/d/7MgHrRs The CIRS Group: Support Community: https://thecirsgroup.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecirsgroup/ Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources: Jacie’s book on the Carnivore diet!  https://a.co/d/8ZKCqz0 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladycarnivory YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LadyCarnivory Blog: https://www.ladycarnivory.com/ Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching: Website: https://www.actlikebarbara.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actlikebarbara/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@actlikebarbara Jacie is a Shoemaker certified Proficiency Partner, NASM certified nutrition coach, author, and carnivore recipe developer determined to share the life changing information of carnivore and CIRS to anyone who will listen. Barbara is a business and fitness coach, CIRS and ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and a big fan of health and freedom. Together, they co-founded The CIRS Group, an online support community to help people that are struggling with their CIRS diagnosis and treatment.