Can’t Fall or Stay Asleep? Your Sleep Questions Answered

The Dr. Hyman Show

Dr. Mark Hyman

Medicine, Health & Fitness, Nutrition

4.5 • 9.1K Ratings

🗓️ 20 April 2026

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sleep is one of the most important and most overlooked drivers of your health. If you’re struggling to fall asleep, waking up at 2–4am, or getting a full night’s sleep but still feeling exhausted, your body is trying to tell you something. Poor sleep isn’t just about habits, it’s a signal that key systems like your nervous system, blood sugar, hormones, or circadian rhythm are out of sync. In this episode, we break down what’s actually disrupting your sleep and how to fix it at the root. Here’s what you’ll understand: • Why sleep issues are rarely just one problem and how stress, blood sugar, and circadian rhythm all interact • The real reasons you can’t fall asleep, wake up in the middle of the night, or feel tired despite 7–8 hours • What actually helps (and what doesn’t)—from magnesium and melatonin to nervous system regulation • The 5 core pillars of better sleep and the highest-impact changes you can start tonight Sleep isn’t something you force, it’s something that happens when your body feels safe, balanced, and supported. When you address the root causes, better sleep becomes not just possible but predictable. Visit ⁠functionhealth.com for 160+ lab tests at just $365 a year. Have a question you’d love answered on Office Hours? Submit it here (0:00) Sleep Quality vs. Duration and Introduction (1:06) Common Causes of Poor Sleep (6:53) Addressing Common Sleep Questions (10:43) Evening Routines and Sleep Timing (12:37) Metabolic, Hormonal, and Hidden Sleep Issues (17:43) Recommendations for Deeper Sleep and Repair (19:33) Supplements and Strategies for Better Sleep (22:22) Key Takeaways and Quick Wins (26:13) Conclusion, Listener Engagement, and Closing Remarks

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're doing what you're supposed to do, you're in bed for 70 hours, and yet you wake up feeling
0:05.0	on refresh, foggy like you can go right back to sleep.
0:08.0	Now in most cases, it's not about how long you're sleeping, it's about the quality of that sleep. Welcome to office hours.
0:26.5	This is our dedicated one-on-one space to go deeper, get clear, and explore what truly moves
0:31.0	the needle for your health.
0:32.0	I'm Dr. Mark Hyman, and each week we're going to pull back the curtain and share the insights,
0:35.9	the research, the lessons that don't always make it into our conversations with guests. Because at the end of the day,
0:41.5	you are the CEO of your own health. And for many of you, your family's health, too. And you
0:45.9	might not feel it all the time, but you have far more power in agency than you realize.
0:50.2	I'm glad you're here. This episode is brought to you by Function Health, empowering you to live 100 healthy years
0:57.1	with over 160 lab tests for just $365 a year and use the code mark 2026 to get $50 off your membership.
1:06.7	Sleep, you know, is one of the most important foundations of your health. And honestly,
1:12.3	I'm one of the most frustrating. Now, if you struggle to fall asleep, if you struggle to stay
1:16.5	at sleep, if you wake up feeling exhausted, I promise you, you're not alone. And I want to know,
1:21.5	despite what social media tells you, poor sleep isn't just caused by one bad habit or one missing
1:26.7	supplement. It's the result of a few
1:29.0	biological systems that are out of sync. So in today's office hours, we're going to slow things down.
1:34.2	We're going to answer the most common questions about sleep, what's actually going on to your
1:37.8	body and what helps in real life. Now, this isn't about perfect sleep routines. It's about
1:42.3	understanding your sleep patterns and giving your body what it needs to rest and to repair.
1:47.7	Now, here's why sleep breaks down.
1:50.5	This is the big picture.
	...

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