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MyFitnessPal Community

Sleep and deficits!

belimawr

I figured I'd ask here, as at work we're going through a few changes as far as medical stuff. I'm going to see a doctor, just may take some time now.

I read a lot about long term deficits and it messing with the hormones. This is something my nutritionist (who is no longer available) never mentioned to me in the year I was seeing her. I find mentions of testosterone and others, but nothing related to sleep.

I ask because the starting in the last month, I have been unable to sleep. Granted, I work nights, so it's difficult, but I had been getting 'decent' sleep. Now, I can't sleep for more than 2 hours, and I'm just wondering if it may be related. Some days I may feel hungry, but I'd say that's only one night, maybe two most, out of the week.

Maybe I can at least get a head start until I can get to see a doc. Any opinions and/or experiences are greatly appreciated.

And let me say, I do realize no one is qualified to give medical advice, just looking for maybe research I may have missed on my own on the matter.

Replies

belimawr

Too late to edit, but I'm wondering if perhaps there is a better forum for this question?

Dave2041

Anecdotal... I've been getting great sleep following exercise and routine. The routine being once i get into bed, no lights, no phone, nothing but cuddles with the SO. The room we sleep in is pitch black and near silent and it's the best sleep i've ever had.

I don't drink any caffeine outside of competition (i race bikes) and rarely touch alcohol. When i do these interrupt my sleep. Hope you get it fixed!

RodaRose

Night working is hard on sleep.

Practice good sleep hygiene by getting all electronics and gadgets out of the bed room. Use the room for sleep and sex.
http://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/sleep_hygiene.htm

If you exercise or take hot showers before bed, more them to earlier in the day.
http://umm.edu/programs/sleep/patients/sleep-hygiene

Get a few minutes of sunshine in the morning. Establish a routine before bed. http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/getting/overcoming/tips

belimawr

Thanks for your input Dave and Rose. I had the same experience as you did, Dave, when I first started working out, for several months. Then a few months in, I started having this problem.

I should have mentioned, the only caffeine I have is at the beginning of the work day, and I don't eat less than 2.5 to 3 hours before bed, so I don't think those are the problem! No TV or gadgets in the bedroom at all (always has been this way).

I know there are a variety of factors, just exploring this one as it comes about the same time as some of my greater weight losses (and after about a year of daily deficits).

taraskylit

Are you getting enough dietary fat?
Adequate micronutrients?
Intaking high caffeine?

I would do the natural route before seeing a doctor.
Check your diet from top to bottom, remove electronics, try relax before bed etc.

belimawr

@taraskylit I'd like to do it naturally to, as the past two doctors i've have been been nothing more than pill pushers and made me sicker, but sometimes it's a necessary evil.

I'm always just at or slightly over on my macros, except for fat, which usually ends up 2/3 total, 1/2 saturated of my goals at the end of the day.

Like Dave I experienced better sleep in my first few months of weight loss, which was wonderful, then bam!

Thanks for all your input.

phys72

I feel your pain. I went to a naturopath and since then I've been sleeping better. I'm not sure why but I suspect that it's the supplements. Are you taking a decent multivitamin? I wonder if somehow maybe when you achieve your greatest weight loss you are also deficient in some vitamins? Just a guess. The other thing that it might be is food. I'm on an elimination diet now so like I said I'm not sure if I'm sleeping better because of the supplements or eliminating the offending food. Good luck. If you are able to see a good naturopath it might help. My regular doctor just wanted to keep giving me sleeping pills which wasn't solving the problem anyways.

lthames0810

If I understand this correctly, you think the long term deficit has now affected your ability to get enough sleep. I have not heard of that, but I have heard of somewhat the other way around...that poor quality sleep can affect what and how much you want to eat.

I'm a chronic insomniac, but I have found that melatonin helps me get sleepy enough to fall asleep maybe about 75% of the time. I take it about an hour before bedtime. This week I have not been taking it because I wanted to stay up to watch something I recorded from TV.** Sure enough, by today, I have had so little sleep that sweet cravings are about to derail my eating today.

**Paris-Nice is on this week but my SO can't stand to watch cycling races ("more boring than watching paint dry") so I wait until after he goes to bed to start watching it.

Lizzy622

Sometimes a small carbohydrate snack ( fruit or a few crackers) shortly before bed about 1/2 hour can help in serotonin production.

belimawr

@lthames0810 yeah I was just wondering, as I heard the long term deficit can mess things up in other ways. Melatonin doesn't work for me. It may help me fall asleep, but then I wake up an hour later.

@Lizzy622 thanks. I've been having a banana which is supposed to help, tried kiwi and cherries as I've read the same. I'll give crackers a try (usually have a small bit of bread with my 'dinner').

jyogit

I've had sleep problem on n off for years..this time round I've had an eruption of eczema on my face which led me to cut out dairy as i suspected that was triggering it as i started eating more cottage cheese/yoghurts etc etc .. the eczema eruptions have almost died out..except for when i fail and eat something with dairy in it, but my sleep has improved tenfold ..maybe just coincidence i dunno

belimawr

Thanks jyogit. I really don't have much dairy in my diet, as I've cut much out a long time ago due to frequent sinus infections.

Lois_1989

All I can offer is not to have caffeinated drinks after lunch. I am a bit of a coffee fiend and I had to switch to decaf after lunch otherwise I wouldn't sleep.
Also maybe look into your bed. It the mattress old? Too many pillows/or not enough, also apparently a good sleeping temperature is 16 degrees C which seems chilly at first but you get used to it.
Good luck