From Exhaustion to Energy: Strategies for Sleeping Better with Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)

Getting restful sleep is imperative to the healing process. Many important things happen when we sleep deeply. Our bodies repair muscle and tissue, produce hormones that regulate growth and appetite and take the information we encountered during the day and make long term memories. 

Deep, restful sleep is vital for our mood, memory, immune system, weight management, blood sugar and heart health. 

The bottom line is: you need sleep. It’s going to be hard to heal without it.

If you have EBV and struggle with sleep, this post is for you. I’ll explain why sleep is essential, what might be disrupting it, and share practical tips you can try tonight for better rest.

Our Sleep-Wake Cycle: The Circadian Rhythm

There are two hormones to remember when it comes to the sleep-wake cycle or circadian rhythm: cortisol and melatonin. Cortisol is highest in the morning to wake you up and prepare you for your day. It slowly declines as the day goes on and is lowest at night. Melatonin is stimulated by darkness and rises in the evening, making you drowsy to prepare your body for sleep. 

When this cycle becomes dysfunctional, you’ll feel tired and groggy in the morning, have a hard time falling asleep or wake up in the middle of the night. 

Because it’s regulated by light and darkness, one way to reset your circadian rhythm is to make sure you get sunlight exposure during the day and darkness in the evening. Get outdoors for at least 10 minutes in the morning to tell your brain that it’s daytime and it’s time to be awake. In the evening turn down the lights, use candles or salt lamps and keep your home dim, quiet and calm. This will stimulate melatonin to get you ready for bed.

Why Sleep Is Essential for Healing

There are different stages of sleep, with the REM stage being a very important stage for healing. REM sleep is when we are dreaming and our brain is actively processing information from the day, making memories and replenishing neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. It’s also when we make human growth hormone (HGH) that helps the body repair. 

Not getting enough sleep can lead to decreased cognition, diabetes, depression, anxiety, weight gain, carbohydrate cravings, overeating, poor memory and make you more susceptible to illness. 

But I’m a Night Owl

I’m going to be blunt and say you’re probably a night person by habit or circumstances from when you were a child or young adult. Or maybe you’re a busy mom and that’s the only time you can get for yourself. What’s probably happening is your adrenals have become dysfunctional, increasing your cortisol and lowering your melatonin or their levels are not appropriate for the time of day/night.

Ask yourself if you’re ignoring your sleep signals. You may feel like you get a “second wind” and have to ride it out until you feel sleepy again. This second wind is your cortisol spiking at night when it should be at its lowest. When you feel sleepy, get into bed and try to sleep, even if it feels “early” to you.

Blue Light From Electronics Suppresses Melatonin

The reason that you want to avoid electronics starting about 1 hour before bed is the blue light they emit from the screens. That light prevents melatonin from being released in our brains. Start with using the blue light filter that is on many phones and set it to automatically turn on in the evening. This filter will make your screen’s light appear softer and warmer. 

You can also download apps on your laptop to have the same effect. One that I love using is called f.lux. I have it set to turn on at sunset and turn off at sunrise. 

I’ve seen this simple change help a past client who was a photographer. She realized that she was editing her photos at night and not using a blue light filter. Once she did, she slept better because she was reducing her blue light exposure.

If you’d like to learn more lifestyle changes you can do for better sleep read my blog post here. 

Foods and Medications That Interfere With Sleep

Avoid food, beverages or medications that might keep you awake or prevent you from getting deep, restful sleep. These can include energy drinks, coffee, alcohol, decongestants, B vitamins, steroids, beta blockers, and antidepressants.

Prevent Blood Sugar Crashes

If you wake up at night around 3am - 5am, it might be because your blood sugar is dropping during the night and stimulating the release of cortisol. Our brain loves glucose as a fuel source and it needs it even when we’re sleeping. If you haven’t eaten a balanced dinner or a snack before bed, your brain will signal that it needs more glucose and this can spike cortisol. 

Eat a balanced dinner with both carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrate options can be broccoli, salad, asparagus, cherries, sweet potato, carrots or whole grains like rice or quinoa. Protein can be from animal protein or legumes. 

If you’re eating a good dinner but still waking up, try having a small snack before bed. You can do a smoothie or chia seed pudding with fruit. This is an easy snack to make ahead of time so you have it ready at night.

Supplements for Sleep

If you’re having a really tough time getting enough sleep, try these supplements. There’s no shame in needing them now in order to get better sleep. As your circadian rhythm resets, you may not need them as often or at all. 

Melatonin

This comes in a variety of strengths so I recommend starting low and working up to the dose that works for you, usually around 1-3 mg/night. It comes in capsules, tablets and sublingual tablets that you let dissolve under your tongue allowing it to get into your bloodstream faster. There is also a type called timed-release that releases a dose soon after you take it and then again a few hours later, which I like to recommend if you are waking up at night. 

Melatonin can cause vivid dreams, headache, dizziness and makes some people feel groggy on waking. If this happens, try lowering your dose. 

L-theanine

Theanine is an amino acid that’s derived from green tea. It can help promote calmness, relieve anxiety and promote deep sleep. It helps increase a calming neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and can give you a calm yet alert feeling. A good form to use is called Suntheanine. You can also use it during the day for anxiety. Suggested dose: 100 -200 mg at bedtime.

Calcium and Magnesium

Calcium helps the brain make melatonin and a deficiency can lead to poor quality sleep. Magnesium is needed for GABA production, is good for muscle relaxation and can improve sleep quality by decreasing cortisol so it’s also beneficial for the adrenals. 

When To Dig Deeper

If you’ve tried all of the above and are still not getting great sleep, consider looking into other potential causes of your sleep issues. 

Sleep apnea

If you or your partner snore, consider doing a sleep study for sleep apnea. Sleep apnea interferes with sleep because you temporarily stop breathing, your brain doesn’t get oxygen and it wakes you up. This can put you at higher risk of cardiovascular disease. 

Diabetes 

As we talked about above, blood sugar regulation may play a role in sleep disturbances. Getting your glucose and hemoglobin A1c checked may be a good idea if you suspect diabetes. 

Adrenal Testing

If you’re waking feeling unrested even after getting a lot of sleep, you feel wired-tired, you don’t get tired until very late or you have an afternoon dip in energy around 3pm, consider testing your adrenal function. 

A simple way to do this would be a cortisol blood test first thing in the morning around 8am. A more comprehensive test would be a cortisol rhythm test where you take 4 samples throughout the day. This can tell you if your cortisol is spiking when it shouldn’t, if you have flat cortisol, or have too much or too little. Testing usually runs about $200 and can be either saliva or urine. I like to use the DUTCH Adrenal panel for this. 

Summary

Getting restful sleep is essential for healing from Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Deep sleep impacts mood, immune function, weight management, and heart health. If you have EBV and struggle with sleep, it’s important to understand why sleep is so vital and what might be disrupting your rest. This post covers the role of your circadian rhythm and tips to improve sleep, including diet and lifestyle changes and supplements. Prioritizing sleep is key to healing, and with small adjustments, you can start feeling more rested and energized.

If you liked this post and found it helpful I'd love to know! Feel free to share this post with anyone who might like to read it. 

If you’d like to stay in touch, follow me on socials. If you'd like to work with me 1:1, book a free consultation call. 

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time!

-Dr. Jamie 

Resources

Gazella, Karolyn, and John Neustadt. “Insomnia: An Integrative Approach.” Natural Medicine Journal, vol. 11, no. 2, Feb. 2019. https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/ journal/2019-02/insomnia-integrative-approach

Kines, K. (2018). The Epstein-Barr virus solution: The hidden undiagnosed epidemic of chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and autoimmune disease - how to heal and regain your life. Holistic Nutrition Press

Teitelbaum, J. (2007). From Fatigued to Fantastic (3rd ed.). Avery.

This website is not intended for the purpose of providing medical advice. All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.