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"Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together."
Why deep sleep is the essential window where your body produces the cytokines needed to coordinate your immune response and repair what’s broken.
How to use CBT-I techniques and the Magnesium Strategy to silence the 2:00 a.m. brain-chatter and reclaim your bed as a place of rest.
Simple, earth-based practices like morning light therapy and grounding to reset your internal clock and lower systemic inflammation.
Hey Everyone!
If you’re reading this, I want you to know I see you. I know how heavy the path can be, and I know how loud our bodies can feel when we’re just trying to find a moment of peace. A topic that comes up more than almost anything else is the struggle to get a good night’s rest.
When I was walking through chemotherapy, I remember lying there at 2:00 a.m., exhausted to my core but with a mind that wouldn't shut off.
Did you know that between one-third and one-half of people with cancer experience sleep disturbances? That is nearly double the rate of the general population. This goes beyond being tired. It's about giving your body the night shift it needs to help repair what is broken.
It's during those deep hours of rest that our bodies produce cytokines, proteins like Interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor, that coordinate our immune response and combat inflammation.
The Daily Immune Ritual I Trust All Winter Long
Winter is when I’m most intentional about supporting my immune system, and Pique’s Daily Immune has become one of my non-negotiables. It’s the kind of daily ritual that feels supportive, not overwhelming and one I actually look forward to.
What sets Daily Immune apart is its liposomal vitamin C, which helps deliver nutrients more effectively to your bloodstream and immune cells, where they can truly do their job. I notice the difference in how steady and resilient I feel, especially during colder months when my body needs extra support. The addition of elderberry gives it that extra layer of seasonal immune defense I trust.
Daily Immune supports my everyday immunity, collagen production, skin resilience, and antioxidant protection all in one simple step. I love that it fits seamlessly into my routine and tastes bright and refreshing.
Winter wellness doesn’t need to be extreme to be effective. For me, Daily Immune is an easy, consistent way to feel supported, strong, and cared for all season long
Reclaiming Your Restorative Sleep
I want to give you some actionable advice and tools you can use starting tonight. We’re going to look at this through our hybrid lens. The best of the clinical gold standard mixed with the natural healing of the earth.
While many people are apprehensive about adding more pills to their regimen, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia is often recommended as the first treatment option
One of the most powerful tools in CBT-I is stimulus control. The goal is to strengthen the bed and bedroom as cues for sleep and weaken them as cues for arousal.
Here is how you do it.
The 20-Minute Rule: If you are lying in bed and can’t fall asleep after about 20 minutes (or whenever you feel frustrated), get out of bed and leave the room.
The Boring Activity: Go to another room and do something calming or boring, like reading an owner's manual or junk mail, in dim light. Do not check your emails or social media!
Bed is for Sleep Only: No working, eating, or watching TV in bed. We want your brain to think sleep the second your head hits the pillow.
If your body feels loud or twitchy, you might be low on magnesium, a mineral that plays a role in over 300 biochemical processes and is often depleted by treatment.
Magnesium Bisglycinate: This is my favorite for the Crew. It’s highly absorbable and less likely to cause gastrointestinal side effects like other forms. It works to lower inflammatory markers and relax the nervous system.
The Dose: General guidelines suggest 310-320 mg for adult women and 400-420 mg for adult men, but always check with your team, especially if you have kidney concerns.
Our internal biological clocks are set by the sun. If you’re stuck inside or in a hospital, that clock gets out of sync.
Morning light therapy has been proven to help cancer survivors sleep better and feel less fatigue. I recommend using a 10,000 lux light box for 30 minutes within two hours of waking up. This suppresses melatonin during the day so it can surge at the right time.
Grounding, or earthing, is the practice of connecting your body to the earth's natural electrical charge. For us, it’s about neutralizing free radicals and reducing the systemic inflammation that contributes to cancer growth.
Studies have shown that grounding can improve sleep quality and reduce pain.
Try this simple 4-Step Grounding Technique to pull yourself out of an emotional spiral and into a state of healing.
Physical Contact: If you can, go outside and put your bare feet on the grass or sand. If you can’t get outside, conductive grounding mats can be used while you sleep.
Mindful Breathing: Spend 5 minutes focusing only on your breath, feeling it flow in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Sensory Awareness: Take 5 minutes to notice the weight of your body. Feel the earth supporting you. Notice the temperature of the air on your skin.
Visual Connection: Focus on one natural object like a leaf, a cloud, a flower, and notice every tiny detail of its shape and color.
I truly believe that when we remove the toxins, the blue light, the processed junk, the constant fear, and we nourish our bodies with what they need, our internal river can flow again. You are doing such brave work, and I am so honored to be on this journey with you.
Join Our CancerCrew+ Community!
You’re not here to surrender. You’re here to take your life back, step by step, with people who understand the terrain.
Inside Cancer Crew+, you’ll get guidance, tools, and a community that refuses to let you walk alone. If you’re ready to shift from surviving to rising, this is your place.
With heart,
Carli
Founder of The Cancer Crew
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