Imagine…
Waking up and actually feeling refreshed.
Feeling ready to start your day with calm, steady energy.
But for many looking to support their thyroid health, the experience can feel very different.
More and more research shows how vital restful sleep is for overall well-being — from mood and energy, to how your body naturally restores itself each night, even to long-term health.
Sleep struggles are one of the top concerns I hear from my clients.
In fact, about one in three mention sleep as one of their main goals.
Yet, many have found that once they start supporting their thyroid health — and give their body what it needs to relax — they begin noticing deeper, more restorative rest.
I’ll show you how you can too in just a moment.
Like many areas of health, sleep and thyroid balance are deeply connected. When one is off, it can influence the other.
You need healthy sleep to support your thyroid health — and healthy thyroid function to support your sleep.
So, what’s the solution? It’s simple…
If your bath water is too hot, do you just give up and throw in the towel?
Of course not…
You compensate by adding cold water until the water temperature becomes just right.
When it comes to thyroid sleep support, we take a similar approach.
We aim to identify the missing areas of support and then compensate for them — so you can spend less energy on sleep struggles and more on the things that truly matter.
You deserve to spend more of your night peacefully dreaming and less lying awake worrying.
That’s why today, I’m going to show you seven simple ways to support your thyroid health and your body’s natural ability to unwind, recharge, and wake up feeling genuinely refreshed.
Tired of Waking Up at Night? 3 Simple Ways to Settle Back to Sleep
Night waking can be stressful in itself.
But what’s often overlooked is how the body’s stress response and thyroid balance work hand in hand — when one feels off, it can ripple into your ability to rest.
Imagine this…
If you woke up to the sound of breaking glass in your home, could you just roll over and go back to sleep?
Most definitely not.
Odds are you might think someone was trying to break in.
If you got out of bed to find that it was only your cat that knocked a glass off the table, would you then be able to go right back to sleep?
Not by a long shot.
When you’re under stress and adrenaline is pumping through your veins, the last thing your body wants to do is sleep.
You need healthy thyroid and liver function to keep your inner adrenaline alarm from sounding at night.
It all boils down to glycogen.
Glycogen is a form of sugar your body relies on when you don’t eat for a long period of time, to help keep blood sugar levels steady during the night.
As night falls, those stored sugars gradually fuel your body while you rest.
But if the body’s energy reserves run low — for example, after long gaps without food or intense stress — your system may naturally release a bit more adrenaline to help keep energy levels up.
That extra alertness can sometimes make it harder to fully relax and drift back to sleep.
Here are three simple ways to help.
1. A Simple Salted Orange Juice Ritual for Calm, Steady Nights
This simple tip I first learned from Dr. Ray Peat has made one of the biggest differences for many of my clients in supporting calmer, more restorative nights.
Some research suggests that both natural sugars and small amounts of salt can play a role in how the body maintains balance during occasional stress.
When the body feels nourished and energy reserves are steady, it may be less likely to activate the “fight-or-flight” response that can make it difficult to relax at night.
A small glass of salted orange juice offers a gentle way to support that balance.
The natural sugars provide quick, easy-to-use energy while the sodium helps the body retain essential minerals and maintain healthy fluid balance — both of which contribute to a sense of calm.
How to try it:
- Before bed, mix about ⅛ tsp (0.6 ml) of salt into 3–4 oz (90–120 ml) of orange juice.
- Sip roughly 1 oz (30 ml) before going to sleep, and keep the rest by your bedside.
- If you wake during the night, take another small sip to help your body feel nourished and ready to relax again.
(NOTE: Want to learn more about how to use salted orange juice to support your thyroid? Use this super simple 3 Food Triple-Thyroid-Boosting Daily Protocol.)
2. Support Gut Balance with Carrot Salad for a Calmer Night
Low energy and restless nights aren’t always about blood sugar.
Another factor that can influence how calm you feel is something called endotoxin — a natural byproduct produced by certain bacteria in the gut.
When the digestive system feels sluggish or out of balance, more of these bacterial byproducts can circulate through the body, prompting a mild stress response.
In turn, that can make it harder for your body to fully unwind at night.
Research suggests that maintaining a healthy gut environment plays an important role in supporting balanced thyroid function and a healthy stress response.
One simple, food-based way to support this balance is with a fresh carrot salad — a combination we often recommend to clients as part of a healthy daily routine.
The gentle fiber in raw carrots supports regularity and helps maintain a healthy gut environment.
Combined with a little coconut oil and vinegar, this simple salad helps nourish digestion and promote internal balance — which can contribute to a calmer, more relaxed evening.
You can find the full recipe and instructions in this free download: “60-Second Thyroid-Boosting Carrot Recipe.”
3. Support Restful Sleep with the Right Evening Protein
You may not realize it, but the type of protein you eat — and even when you eat it — can influence how calm and relaxed your body feels at night.
Some protein sources tend to be more stimulating, while others help support a greater sense of calm.
For example, muscle meats are rich in certain amino acids that can promote alertness. In contrast, amino acids such as glycine — found in broth and collagen — help support relaxation and calm before bed.
That’s why it’s often helpful to combine or balance evening meals that include muscle meats with broth or collagen protein.
This simple combination provides a broader range of amino acids that can support the body’s natural ability to unwind and promote more restful sleep.
Supporting a balanced stress response through protein choice is a gentle, food-based way to help the body feel more at ease at night.
And if falling asleep isn’t the issue — but waking up refreshed is — continuing to support the body’s ability to recover and restore overnight may make all the difference.
Here are a few more simple tips to help you further wake up feeling refreshed.
Tired of Waking Up Tired? 4 Simple Ways to Support Deeper Sleep
Have you ever felt like you’re sleeping through the night but still wake up tired — as if your body never really recharged?
For many people, that feeling has less to do with the number of hours they sleep and more to do with the quality of their rest.
Dr. Raymond Peat often described how the body can slip into a kind of “hibernation mode” when metabolism slows — a protective, energy-saving state that helps you get by but doesn’t provide the deep, restorative rest your body truly needs.
In this low-metabolic state, the body prioritizes conserving energy over restoring it. The result? You wake up feeling groggy, heavy, and unrefreshed — even after a full night’s sleep.
Supporting healthy thyroid function and a steady metabolism can help your body shift out of that “hibernation mode” and back toward a more vibrant rhythm of rest, recovery, and renewal.
Deep, restorative sleep plays an important role in how your body recharges and maintains healthy energy levels — and nurturing your metabolism can help make that possible.
Here are four simple ways to help.
4. Support Deeper Sleep with Gentle “Bag Breathing”
When you’re under stress, your breathing often becomes shallow and rapid.
This can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in your body — a natural compound that plays a role in helping muscles relax and promoting a calm sense of balance.
One simple way to help your body unwind is to practice slow, steady breathing.
Some people find that briefly breathing into a small paper bag can help them become more aware of their breath and support the natural balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide.
If you choose to try this, take gentle, relaxed breaths in and out of the bag for just a few moments — stopping immediately if you feel light-headed or uncomfortable. (It’s important not to overdo it; your body still needs plenty of fresh air.)
You can practice this technique during the day, but it can also be used before to bed to support deeper sleep.
That leaves us with three more tips to explore, which can provide even better support.
5. Help Your Cells Rest and Recharge by Supporting Thyroid Function
Most people think about the thyroid’s role in energy and metabolism during the day — but it’s just as important at night.
Believe it or not, your cells need a steady flow of energy to truly rest and recharge.
When thyroid function is well supported, your metabolism can stay active enough to help your body relax naturally.
That’s why supporting healthy thyroid activity throughout the day — and especially in the evening — is so important for maintaining balanced energy and healthy sleep patterns.
(Note: You can learn the intricacies of supporting thyroid health in our article on “The 5 Hidden Steps to Optimizing Your Thyroid Health“)
6. Support Your Sleep with Magnesium
It’s estimated that as many as 48–60% of adults consume less magnesium than recommended.
Everyday stress and the fast pace of modern life can also increase the body’s natural use — and loss — of magnesium.
Magnesium plays a key role in both thyroid health and cellular energy production — two important factors for feeling calm and balanced at night.
One of the ways magnesium supports restful sleep is by promoting healthy energy metabolism and helping your cells maintain a relaxed state.
To support restful sleep, we often recommend a warm evening soak with Epsom salts, which combines the benefits of magnesium with the soothing effects of a warm bath.
You can even complement your routine with a small glass of salted orange juice mixed with collagen — combining three of these sleep-supporting steps into one simple, soothing practice.
If a bath isn’t practical, or for additional support, magnesium oil can offer a convenient alternative to help support relaxation and ease at the beginning and end of your day.
7. Support Your Cells in the Darkness with Light Exposure
Most people don’t realize it, but light plays a vital role in how our cells create and use energy. During the day, sunlight helps support the body’s natural rhythm, metabolism, and sense of alertness.
When energy production isn’t optimal, long periods of darkness can sometimes feel more taxing on the body — especially at night, when your cells still need steady energy to rest and restore.
In much the same way that supporting thyroid health and magnesium levels can promote calm through healthy energy production, gentle red or near-infrared light exposure may provide similar support.
These warmer wavelengths of light are thought to interact with the body’s natural energy systems, helping to support normal cellular processes and promote a sense of calm and relaxation before bed.
As part of a calming nighttime routine, spending a few quiet minutes near gentle red light can be a soothing way to help your body unwind and support deeper, more restful sleep.
So there you have it…
Seven simple, thyroid-friendly ways to support deeper, more restful sleep.
While each of these practices can be helpful on its own, the more you combine, the greater the impact on how calm and energized you feel.
Many of our clients find that weaving several of these tips into their thyroid wellness routine helps them feel more balanced throughout the day and night.
If you’re looking for an easy way to start supporting your thyroid health, consider our 3-Food Triple-Thyroid-Support Daily Protocol — a simple way to begin your mornings feeling calm, clear, and energized.
If you haven’t tried it yet, you can download it and get started today.
And if supporting deeper, more restful sleep is one of your goals, try choosing one or two of these steps that best fit your lifestyle and notice how your body responds over time.
Small, consistent changes can make a meaningful difference in how you feel.
KEY IDEA
Restful sleep and thyroid health go hand in hand. When your thyroid is well supported, your body has the steady energy it needs to relax and recharge at night.
These seven thyroid-friendly tips show how small, natural habits can help nurture calm, balance, and more restorative rest:
- Salted Orange Juice Ritual — nourish energy reserves and support relaxation.
- Carrot Salad — promote gut balance for a calmer night.
- Evening Protein Balance — pair collagen or broth with meals to support relaxation.
- Gentle Bag Breathing — encourage calm through steady, mindful breathing.
- Support Thyroid Function — help your cells rest and recharge.
- Magnesium Support — unwind with Epsom salt baths or topical magnesium.
- Light Exposure — enjoy gentle red or near-infrared light to support nighttime calm.
Together, these simple practices can help your body find its natural rhythm of rest, recovery, and renewal.
