Harnessing the Power of Sleep for Cancer Recovery

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Combatting insomnia while navigating the tumultuous waters of cancer treatment can feel like an uphill battle, but our latest episode offers a review of what you can employ to reclaim your night's rest. 

With each Tuesday release, our conversations aim to uplift and enlighten you on a journey that covers more than just health; it's about nurturing the mind and spirit, too. 

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Episode Transcript

Bettina M Brown (00:09):
Hello and welcome to this special short of
In the Rising podcast.
This podcast is your companionon the journey through cancer,
offering support, insights and acommunity for fighters and the
incredible families who stand bythem.
So it's pretty well known thata lack of sleep can have a
negative impact on you, andhaving that extra stress going

(00:32):
through treatment or evensupporting someone going through
a major medical crisis createssleep difficulty as well.
Insomnia is a fairly commonsleep disturbance that is
defined as having the difficultyin either falling asleep,
maintaining the sleepiness orhaving a lack of quality of
sleep, and so there can beincreased daytime fatigue,

(00:55):
irritability and moodiness.
And when that extra stresscomes, like when you're going
through that cancer treatment,that can affect all realms of
your life, especially sleep.
And how it affects your body isalso incredible itself.
The nervous system createshigher amounts of adrenaline and
cortisol, so we have a higherfight or flight type of response

(01:18):
all the time, and it wears yourbody down over time and reduces
your immune system, becausewe're supposed to be able to run
away from the bear and relax,but if that bear is chasing you
for months at a time, you'reexhausted.
So what can we do to get bettersleep Well.
Dr Cassie Wilder, founder of theMinneapolis Integrative

(01:40):
Medicine Clinic, shared a fewtips.
Some of the best changes thatyou can do to get better sleep
at night actually start in themorning.
So normally you have highercortisol levels in the morning,
but adding increased light toyour morning helps increase that
cortisol where some of us areflipped.
We're having too much melatoninin the morning and too much

(02:00):
cortisol at night.
That keeps us wired and tiredat the same time.
But creating a really strongmorning routine can be just as
beneficial as that nighttimeroutine.
Adding some lavender pillowspray, dimming the lights at
night to promote that melatoninproduction is also helpful.
And my favorite suggestion isadding physical activity to your

(02:23):
daily life as well.
Anything that promotes movement, even for 15 minutes, is
helpful.
Start looking at a journal ormeditation to help you manage
your stress and your worries.
For some people, finding thatsupport system to share their
concerns is also helpful becauseit stops that ruminating that
going over and over and overagain.

(02:44):
Our cardiovascular system isalso affected.
It can increase our bloodpressure and our heart rate and
cause inflammation in thatcirculatory system.
And, lastly, your sleeplessnesscan also affect your gut.
It can make you feel bloated,have a loss of appetite and your
overall digestive health.

(03:04):
So you can even be eatingnutritious food but not really
absorbing all the nutrients.
So tune in on Tuesdays for anempowering journey through
topics that touch your heart,while going through treatments
such as relationships, health,self-care and mindset.
The whole point of the podcastis to inspire and challenge and

(03:24):
enrich your life.
Subscribe to Never Miss an Inthe Rising podcast episode and
until next time, let's keepbuilding one another up.