Insomnia and Candida

Improving poor intestinal flora may gradually help a person get better sleep. There are several things associated with Candida overgrowth that will affect sleep. Excess ammonia, excess histamine, food allergies, low magnesium, and immune system changes are all associated with Candida and they may contribute to the sleep problem.

One of the reasons for poor sleep is excess ammonia. Some intestinal bacteria produce a lot of ammonia. Ammonia causes an increase in serotonin turnover. This increased turnover of serotonin is thought to cause sleep disturbances. Changing the intestinal flora by using things like bifidus and lactulose can reduce the ammonia in the body.

Yeast don’t make a lot of ammonia, so their contribution to the sleep problem is probably less dramatic. However, getting rid of yeast may help. Yeast make a toxin called acetylaldehyde. This depletes alpha ketoglutaric acid. Alpha ketoglutaric acid helps the body remove ammonia. Yeast also deplete taurine and coenzyme B6. These are also important for good sleep.

IgG allergy reactions to food can cause sleep disturbances. Candida is often associated with food allergies. Therefore, in this manner, Candida overgrowth may be indirectly interfering with sleep. Certain cytokines and antibodies to cytokines can also disturb sleep. These cytokines can be increased by the body’s reaction to intestinal flora. This is yet another way that the intestinal flora may alter sleep patterns.

Sometimes an antihistamine taken at night helps people fall asleep. To reduce histamine formation, more magnesium may be helpful. Also, correcting a thyroid problem can help too. In hypothyroidism, it is common for there to be an excess of histamine. Candida overgrowth may be part of the problem here, because it may induce hypothyroidism and reduce magnesium levels.