Sleeping Through Chemo (Part 1)
A three-part guide to reclaiming sleep during cancer treatment
Sleep problems are among the most common and most distressing side effects of cancer treatment. Many patients live with overwhelming daytime fatigue paired with an inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or waking too early. Insomnia can begin before treatment, intensify during chemo, and persist for years after it ends.
This 3-part guide does not offer a pill to suppress the problem. It treats insomnia as a signal that the body’s internal terrain is dysregulated and walks you through how to identify and correct the root causes across interconnected systems.
First, we establish a framework for identifying causes of your insomnia, reset your circadian clock and address hormone imbalances. The second part covers autonomic nervous system regulation, mind-body therapies, diet, and exercise. Finally, we take a deep dive into insomnia-fighting supplements and herbs that you can use during cancer treatment.
If you haven’t already, read Why Chemotherapy Wrecks Your Sleep and Two Things Your Oncologist Can Do Right Now To Help You Sleep. This guide is a continuation from those discussions.
The three-factor framework
Sleep medicine uses a three-part lens to understand insomnia:
