Sleep Protocol Review

3 Day Sleep Protocol Review

First, let me tell you.  We are not medical advisors in any way.  This is simply a review of a process we went through and is not intended to be medical advice in any way.

Disclaimer:  We are not medical professionals.  This article is giving our opinion of a sleep protocol that was experienced.  This is not intended to be medical advice.  Please contact your doctor directly for medical advice of your own.

3 Day Sleep Protocol from the Caretakers Perspective

First off let me tell you that John gave me full permission to write this review in order to help others.  We have received numerous messages from others who need this type of information to be able to talk to their doctors about their sleep issues.

The Reason Why We Did the 3 Day Sleep Protocol

We started working with Dr. Annette Bosworth, who is an internal medicine doctor that specializes in brain function.  We were working with her because of the Keto Diet.  She helped her own mother fight cancer using the Ketogenic Diet protocol.  It’s really impressive work.  Dr. Boz started coaching myself and my husband, John.

If you want to watch the replay videos of Jennifer, John, and Dr. Annette Bosworth, you can catch all the replays here:  Intermittent Fasting and the Keto Diet with Dr. Boz

Here’s a little background on my husband.  He’s been a police officer for 25 years now.  He has a history of working shift work.  I know he suffers from PTSD even though he’s not gone to the doctor to be diagnosed.  He is a motorcycle officer who has been in many accidents at work.  These accidents have caused him years of joint pain and Osteoarthritis in his knees, shoulders, and feet.  The pain was something he dealt with every hour of every day.

As a wife, I noticed John would drink alcohol more often than usual.  I don’t want you to get an impression that he’s an alcoholic but as a wife, I feared it could have lead to that if I didn’t figure out what was going on.  When I asked him about the alcohol consumption he stated it helped him deal with the pain and get to sleep at night.

When I spoke with Dr. Boz about this situation she immediately felt as though John was more of a priority to help than my weight loss coaching.  I trust Dr. Boz completely and took her lead.

Dr. Boz suggested we do sleep training.  Now, there are clinics where you can get sleep training that can be done in about 6 months time.  Or at least, that’s what I remember researching.  Dr. Boz told me she had a protocol that could do that same thing in only 3 days and without the normal sleep medicine that everyone was used to.  She is very against any type of sleep medicine that mimics the effect of drugs or alcohol.   The drugs that mimic this type of effect are called Lunesta, Ativan, etc…  Basically, we were told these drugs act the same as if someone were drinking alcohol.

At first, John was not on board with taking a drug to help him get to sleep.  Dr. Boz told John that there is a 3-day sleep protocol she uses that helps many people with this issue.  She told him about an antipsychotic drug she uses that’s called Olanzapine.   John did lots of research before making the decision to go through with this protocol.  He read anything and everything he could on PubMed articles regarding Olanzapine.

3 Day Sleep Protocol Instructions

Medicine prescribed:  Olanzapine (Brand name Zyprexa) 5mg tablets.  This medicine is categorized as an Antipsychotic drug.  It is used to treat mental disorders, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  But, when this drug is used in a healthy brain, it can calm the brain to get back into a normal sleep pattern with this protocol that was prescribed to him.

Patient Instructions:

First Night:  Take 2 tablets (10mg) on the first night at 5 PM.

If you feel tired by 7 PM, go to bed.

Do not set an alarm.  Warn the family that you will likely sleep much of the next day.

When you awaken the next day, take note of the time.

Do not drive while drowsy.  Most people are drowsy after the first night.

Second Night: take 1-2 tablets at 5 PM.  Again, do not set an alarm.

Third Night: take 1 tablet at 5 PM.

Each night keep a record of your bedtime and wake up time.

Caretaker Instructions

As the main caretaker during this 3 day sleep protocol, I was instructed that he would likely not remember much of the 3 days.  It would be very important not to wake him up and to allow him the peace and comfort he needs without any distractions.  He brain would be in sleep training mode.  I was able to have phone and text conversations with Dr. Boz during these 3 days for any reason.  She’s so supportive and has the biggest heart to help people in need!

A Breakdown of What Actually Happened During the 3 Day Sleep Protocol

Note:  It was important for him to do this protocol while he was off work for a long weekend.

Day 1

He took the prescribed medicine as instructed and went to bed at 6 pm when he started to feel tired.

Day 2

He woke up and was slow moving.  He doesn’t remember much and barely remembers things that happened around him even though he was awake.  He remembers feeling very groggy.  He basically watched tv most of the day which was the best thing for him.  Then he tried to go back to sleep during the afternoon when he felt tired but there was a dog barking outside that was very annoying and caused major irritability.  We turned on a box fan to help drown out the noise we couldn’t control.  It’s extremely important to give him the quietest environment as possible during this protocol.  Thank goodness the box fan worked.

He took 2 pills again at 5 pm as instructed and when back to bed on day 2 at 6 pm.

Day 3

John woke up in a very bad mood.  He is not ever in a bad mood.  Like, ever.  He doesn’t get angry very often.  It takes a lot to mix his emotions but today he was very upset.  I vividly remember him telling me that he was done.  He wouldn’t finish the protocol.  It was over!  He was adamant that he didn’t even want to take the last single dose required.  I immediately called Dr. Boz.  She reassured me this was understandable but he not only needed to finish the last dose, but she actually increased the last dose to 2 pills instead of the 1 pill originally prescribed for this 3 day sleep protocol.  When I told him what she said, the look on his face…  you would have thought I just told him the world ended.  He basically slumped over in his chair in defeat.  It was really sad to see him this way.  I had to be strong to really help him through the last day.

He took the last dose of 2 pills as instructed and went to sleep at 6 pm again that day.

Day 4

John woke up the next day at 7 am.  He slept a total of 13 hours and he was in the best mood ever!  He told me he felt refreshed and got the most rest he had ever gotten in his whole entire life!

18 Weeks After the 3 Day Sleep Protocol

To this date, it’s been 18 weeks and he is still in the best mood ever!  He gets really good sleep on a nightly basis.  He no longer has the pain issues that used to cause him to wake up during the night.  He goes to bed without the use of alcohol as a sleep aid to help him get to sleep too!  John still suffers from pain but he says it’s different.

When I asked John if he would do this again if he had to, he said yes!  But, it was not easy.  He did take 1 more pill on his day off a month after the original protocol just to remind his brain to continue to sleep in the way it has been per doctors orders.  Dr. Boz explained that your brain sleep pattern could remember the old ways of how you used to sleep and taking one more pill a month after would help to keep it trained the new way.

As the caretaker and wife, I am very grateful to Dr. Boz for all the help she has given me, my husband and my family.  It’s not easy watching someone you love go through PTSD, pain and sleep issues because of a job he does.  My husband would give the shirt off his back (and has!) to anyone in need.  I feel as though he has received a big gift in a big way!  I do believe in karma and I feel it does come back ten-fold!  (as I write this I am wiping tears of joy from my face).  I am grateful.  John is grateful.

The post took a lot to write.  It’s John’s medical history.  He decided to allow me to write his experiences along with my own as the caretaker.

You don’t always want your medical history on the internet.  John put his fear of privacy off just so he can get the word out and help anyone else who may need this information.

We talked through this sleep protocol here:

You can read more about sleep from Dr Boz directly by reading this Clinical Study:  A Case for Sleep here.