Human biologist and biohacker Gary Brecka believes insomnia and poor sleep could be linked to a gene deficiency in a high percentage of human beings. But what supplements can improve this deficiency and help to improve insomnia and sleep?
What Causes Insomnia?
People who suffer from insomnia often have very active minds and they find it hard to switch off their thoughts. Gary Brecka says: “Insomnia is not an inability to sleep. It has nothing to do with how tired you are or a lack of how tired you are. It has to do with whether or not you can quiet your mind.”
If you struggle from insomnia you may have noticed that even though your mind and body is exhausted you still can’t fall asleep. With our thoughts racing it’s difficult to enter a state of sleepiness which sees us fall asleep. Brecka states: “People that can’t sleep, don’t sleep for one major reason – when their environment quiets their mind wakes up. You lay in bed tired and your mind turns on.”
The biohacker believes people who suffer from insomnia start to dismantle thought as they get into bed. They think about all the things they have done that day or what they have to do tomorrow and this prevents the mind from quietening and the body from falling asleep. Brecka explains: “It’s your mind keeping you awake, not that your body’s not tired. Why does you mind keep you awake? Well, just as we create thought, we also dismantle thought.”
Gary Brecka believes the inability to switch off your thoughts is due to your genetics rather than your current state of mind or stress levels, although the two are linked. He believes a high percentage of human beings have a gene mutation called COM-T. He explains: “If you have this gene mutation you lack an essential amino acid called L-methionine. When L-methionine goes up into the mind it allows your body to break down thought and quiet the mind.”
Gary Brecka’s Sleep Supplements
Gary Brecka recommends taking a gene test to see if you have any gene breaks/mutations. He says: “When you look at the sequence of breaks that somebody has then you can tell them exactly what supplement to take. When they take this supplement their body is no longer deficient.”
According to the biohacker, the COM-T mutation is the most common among insomniacs and poor sleepers. Having this mutation means you are deficient in COM-T and COM-T is responsible for the process that helps us “break down thought” and switch our minds off on an evening before we fall to sleep.
Brecka explains: “COM-T breaks down catecholamines. What are catecholamines? Ephedrine, norephedrine, dopamine, what we commonly call adrenaline. People with these gene breaks are generally night owls - they have very active minds.”
If you take a gene test and you have the COM-T gene mutation there are 2-3 supplements Brecka recommends taking depending on your specific diagnosis. He says: “If you have this gene mutation COM-T I’ll tell you exactly what supplement to take and it will become a permanent thing of your past. It’s called L-methionine, you take that and Methyl Folate, and depending on where the gene break is and how severe it is you may add something called SAM-e.”
He continues: “These sound like fancy names. They’re just fancy names for vitamins and amino acids - all of these are in your bloodstream right now.”
Magnesium is another supplement that can help with sleep. More than 15% of Americans are thought to be magnesium deficient.
Gary Brecka Sleep Tips
Luckily, there are ways we can improve our sleep latency, the time it takes us to fall asleep, without taking supplements. Our habits throughout the day can vastly improve our circadian rhythm and improve our sleep. One of Gary Brecka’s top tips to improve our circadian rhythm is by getting early morning sunlight.
Discussing the benefits of getting early morning sun, Brecka states: “The first 45 minutes of the day there’s no UVA, there’s no UVB, so no damaging rays from the sun. You get healthy blue light from the sun, not the kind of blue light you get from a screen, but you get really healthy, natural blue light and this will do more to reset cortisol and melatonin receptors than anything you do for your sleep/wake cycle.”
He continues: “Believe it or not – getting first light will do more for your sleep tonight than it does to wake you up in the morning. Your night of sleep really starts from the moment you wake up. The closer you are tied to the circadian rhythm of the sun the better.”
Want to become the healthiest version of yourself?
Download our free guide - The 10 Quickest Ways to Improve Your Health
Start drinking the healthiest water backed by 1,250+ scientific studies:
1 comment
You’re spot on with the sunlight and before 10 am. The best way to absorb it, is through your back; as it is a large canvas to present to the sun.