Insomnia
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macchiatto
Posts: 2,913 Member
This may or may not be LC-related (I've had a "relapse" of sorts that somewhat overlaps with going LCHF). I've had insomnia off and on since I was 8. It mostly hasn't been as bad in adulthood though I go through phases where it is. I've had a lot of insomnia trouble recently. Usually what triggers is it is if I start doing something like reading in bed (the "associate bed only with sleep" thing is a big factor for me) but I haven't really been doing that lately.
What are your best tips for battling insomnia? And anyone else had more trouble with it since going LCHF and/or keto? Might be coincidence; just curious.
I am going to try no screen time for the last hour before bed, and I do take magnesium at night. Might start drinking chamomile tea or something as well. It's not always trouble falling asleep though; more often it's waking up in the middle of the night unable to fall back to sleep for a few hours.
What are your best tips for battling insomnia? And anyone else had more trouble with it since going LCHF and/or keto? Might be coincidence; just curious.
I am going to try no screen time for the last hour before bed, and I do take magnesium at night. Might start drinking chamomile tea or something as well. It's not always trouble falling asleep though; more often it's waking up in the middle of the night unable to fall back to sleep for a few hours.
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Could you try melatonin? For the best advice, stop into a health food store to consult the book prescription for nutritional healing. It is full of recommendations. Best wishes for a full night's sleep.0
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It's very common -- low-carb both causes and cures insomnia. How could it do both? My guess is that lowering insulin levels improves melatonin sensitivity.
In my case, my delayed phase sleep vanished. But I combined low-carb with exercise and added a blue-light filter to my computers and tablets.
So in my case, both my melatonin sensitivity and my circadian rhythm improved.
In your case, perhaps your melatonin sensitivity improved, but your circadian rhythm is off due to your screen use.
Try adding a blue-light filter to your screens. Entrain your circadian rhythm with outdoor light exposure during the day and reduced blue light after sunset. Also experiment with when you schedule your exercise.0 -
My sleep quality hasn't been the greatest...I wake up feeling tired even if I slept a while. I'm considering adding some melatonin in to my evening vitamins/supplements. I'm also wondering about moving magnesium from the evening to the morning...I've heard that in some people it can actually make sleep more difficult because it increases energy. It's annoying trying to figure out the balance of things. Seriously. I'm so tired today and have been for 2 weeks...I don't know how to fix it.0
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It's not natural, but Ambien seems to work great for some people I know. Of course for another friend it caused them to sleep eat and almost choke to death on powdered donuts. Sooo.......0
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Deena_Bean wrote: »My sleep quality hasn't been the greatest...I wake up feeling tired even if I slept a while. I'm considering adding some melatonin in to my evening vitamins/supplements. I'm also wondering about moving magnesium from the evening to the morning...I've heard that in some people it can actually make sleep more difficult because it increases energy. It's annoying trying to figure out the balance of things. Seriously. I'm so tired today and have been for 2 weeks...I don't know how to fix it.
Yes!! I tried this weekend taking my magnesium at night, I fell asleep fine for about 3 hours and then I tossed and turned all night. I'll be back to taking it morning now. It does give me energy which is amazing!0 -
When you wake up, do deep breathing, but do it through your belly, not your chest...
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan
Keto / The Recipe Water Fasting / E.A.S.Y. Exercise Program
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emilybeaver wrote: »Deena_Bean wrote: »My sleep quality hasn't been the greatest...I wake up feeling tired even if I slept a while. I'm considering adding some melatonin in to my evening vitamins/supplements. I'm also wondering about moving magnesium from the evening to the morning...I've heard that in some people it can actually make sleep more difficult because it increases energy. It's annoying trying to figure out the balance of things. Seriously. I'm so tired today and have been for 2 weeks...I don't know how to fix it.
Yes!! I tried this weekend taking my magnesium at night, I fell asleep fine for about 3 hours and then I tossed and turned all night. I'll be back to taking it morning now. It does give me energy which is amazing!
That's an interesting thought. I wonder if or how much that could be contributing to my issue. I take my mag at dinner and have no trouble falling asleep but I wake up after just a couple of hours and have difficulty getting back to sleep.
Part of it is diagnosed circadian rhythm disorder (advanced phase, the exact opposite of @wabmester haha) and so retraining is in progress here as well, but now I have to consider if I'm shooting myself in the foot taking it when I do. Spring Break is the next 2 weeks coming up so I will definitely have to do some experimenting!
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https://justgetflux.com/ <-- a great app for your computer, which reduces the blue glow of your screen at night (:0
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I'm really sorry to hear that you had insomnia as a child @macchiatto but it's kind of nice to know I wasn't the only one. My parents thought I was such an oddball. I can't read at night either, I can't put the book down. Likewise, I know the late night screen time doesn't help, but I do it anyway. This woe has definitely put my insomnia back in the forefront, however, I have so much more energy now, so even if I only sleep 6 hours, I'm not dragging during the day, and it's really nowhere near as bad as it was until a few years ago. As a lifelong insomniac, I'm sure you've tried everything too, I wish I could tell you what eventually solved it for me, but after 8 miserable years on Ambien, which may or may not have been worse than the preceding years of sleeplessness, something just changed in my body. Ironically, I now fall asleep in less than 10 minutes, and my husband is awake for hours unable to sleep. I did find spoke relaxation tracks helpful in the past, the type with soothing music that tell you how to breathe and walk you through your magical garden in your head LOL. Now I just use the app Relax Melodies. There's no talking, but it's totally customisable sounds and noise.0
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emilybeaver wrote: »Deena_Bean wrote: »My sleep quality hasn't been the greatest...I wake up feeling tired even if I slept a while. I'm considering adding some melatonin in to my evening vitamins/supplements. I'm also wondering about moving magnesium from the evening to the morning...I've heard that in some people it can actually make sleep more difficult because it increases energy. It's annoying trying to figure out the balance of things. Seriously. I'm so tired today and have been for 2 weeks...I don't know how to fix it.
Yes!! I tried this weekend taking my magnesium at night, I fell asleep fine for about 3 hours and then I tossed and turned all night. I'll be back to taking it morning now. It does give me energy which is amazing!
That's an interesting thought. I wonder if or how much that could be contributing to my issue. I take my mag at dinner and have no trouble falling asleep but I wake up after just a couple of hours and have difficulty getting back to sleep.
Part of it is diagnosed circadian rhythm disorder (advanced phase, the exact opposite of @wabmester haha) and so retraining is in progress here as well, but now I have to consider if I'm shooting myself in the foot taking it when I do. Spring Break is the next 2 weeks coming up so I will definitely have to do some experimenting!
I have never been a bad sleeper before doing this WOE. I sleep like a log and fall asleep quickly and can fall back to sleep if I get awaken. But when I started taking the mag that changed. I didn't take it last night and I slept better. With the sleep cycle app on my phone I averaged about 75% of sleep but last night without the mag I had a 99% of sleep.0 -
emilybeaver wrote: »emilybeaver wrote: »Deena_Bean wrote: »My sleep quality hasn't been the greatest...I wake up feeling tired even if I slept a while. I'm considering adding some melatonin in to my evening vitamins/supplements. I'm also wondering about moving magnesium from the evening to the morning...I've heard that in some people it can actually make sleep more difficult because it increases energy. It's annoying trying to figure out the balance of things. Seriously. I'm so tired today and have been for 2 weeks...I don't know how to fix it.
Yes!! I tried this weekend taking my magnesium at night, I fell asleep fine for about 3 hours and then I tossed and turned all night. I'll be back to taking it morning now. It does give me energy which is amazing!
That's an interesting thought. I wonder if or how much that could be contributing to my issue. I take my mag at dinner and have no trouble falling asleep but I wake up after just a couple of hours and have difficulty getting back to sleep.
Part of it is diagnosed circadian rhythm disorder (advanced phase, the exact opposite of @wabmester haha) and so retraining is in progress here as well, but now I have to consider if I'm shooting myself in the foot taking it when I do. Spring Break is the next 2 weeks coming up so I will definitely have to do some experimenting!
I have never been a bad sleeper before doing this WOE. I sleep like a log and fall asleep quickly and can fall back to sleep if I get awaken. But when I started taking the mag that changed. I didn't take it last night and I slept better. With the sleep cycle app on my phone I averaged about 75% of sleep but last night without the mag I had a 99% of sleep.
Which form do you take? I wonder if different ones help with sleep and others are more energizing
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I'm taking Nature's Way Magnesium Complex, citrate blend. I'm going to skip it tonight and take it either with breakfast or lunch...worth a shot. The shoddy sleep quality lately is relatively new to me - and consequently, so is the magnesium.0
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Thanks for all the replies; much appreciated!
I have an appt with my new PCP in the morning so I'll be sure to ask her about it too. I might try not taking the mag tonight and see if that helps or hurts. Mine is the broad spectrum magnesium.0 -
Also, I can't wait to get my first set of post-keto blood work done!!0
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