Sleep issues heightened

alittlelife14

Hi there,

I have been struggling with binge eating disorder for about 1.5 years consistently now and through my time I have had various intensities of sleep disturbances hinder all areas of my life. At first I knew it was for sure related to a caloric deficit that was too much and causing me to wake up abruptly in the middle of the night rather frequently... & now I am zooming ahead to current day where I have upped my calories to what I do still know might not be enough some days... (I am a 10 hour shift nurse and I run for 25 mins after work 3-4 times a week) and I eat roughly 1400-1600 calories. Seems moderately okay. Every single night I wake up around less than or equal to an hour of falling asleep, and I instinctually panic and want to eat and usually do. Then I wake up one or two more times. Bed and sleep has become a fear of mine and it makes work and all other things so difficult. Any advice? I have a general appointment next Tuesday to seek help. I have before and I took Ambien, Trazadone and the latter didn't help st all while Ambien was s little too heavy it seemed.

healthygreek

I don't know if you sleep normal hours or during the day. I'm not sure about advice for day sleepers.
Don't drink coffee/caffeine after 10/11 am. You may not be able to drink it at all! Also excedrine has caffeine so be careful.
Eat your entire calorie goal!
Know that it's normal for humans/animals to be wakeful or light sleeping at some points during the night and it's ok. Your sleep will still be restful as longs you get enough of it.
Keep to the same or as close to the same sleep schedule on your days off.
Learn deep breathing relaxing techniques and use them!
Also there are special boring "putting you to sleep stories on audio or internet so try those when you wake up and can't get back to sleep.
Make sure your room is cool and dark.
I think there are studies that show, sleeping naked really helps!
I don't really believe in sleep meds but that's your call.

upoffthemat

I fight sleep a lot too. I wish I had great words of wisdom for you, but it seems to be cyclical. I know getting enough exercise can sometimes help. Also just a little meditation can help, I take trazadone, but find it is best to take it about an hour before bed, plus I have been having a cup of herbal tea at night lately (peppermint this week) and it seems to help me relax.
As far as waking up after an hour. I actually read somewhere that that is actually a fairly normal sleep pattern for many people. I tend to wake up 90-120 minutes after I first fall asleep and if I just get up, go to the bathroom and go right back to bed I generally am able to fall back asleep.
I know sleep problems suck. I have spent far too many days at work on 0-2 hours of sleep because of them. Every time I think I get it under control it seems to come back again, but I think persistence pays off. I have had less times of insomnia over time.

esjones12

I would seek some professional help. Sounds like there are underlying issues that have formed these symptoms. Possibly a lot of stress in other areas of your life? You can't go through life fearing sleep - you desperately need it to let your body recover and recharge. Your lack of sleep could be causing a lot of your stress in a vicious cycle.

There is a lot of info that points to screens causing sleep disturbance. So maybe avoid them for the hour or two before bed? Also try yoga or meditation to help calm you down and release anxiety.

leejoyce31

sarsather wrote: »

Hi there,

I have been struggling with binge eating disorder for about 1.5 years consistently now and through my time I have had various intensities of sleep disturbances hinder all areas of my life. At first I knew it was for sure related to a caloric deficit that was too much and causing me to wake up abruptly in the middle of the night rather frequently... & now I am zooming ahead to current day where I have upped my calories to what I do still know might not be enough some days... (I am a 10 hour shift nurse and I run for 25 mins after work 3-4 times a week) and I eat roughly 1400-1600 calories. Seems moderately okay. Every single night I wake up around less than or equal to an hour of falling asleep, and I instinctually panic and want to eat and usually do. Then I wake up one or two more times. Bed and sleep has become a fear of mine and it makes work and all other things so difficult. Any advice? I have a general appointment next Tuesday to seek help. I have before and I took Ambien, Trazadone and the latter didn't help st all while Ambien was s little too heavy it seemed.

May I ask, why do you panic? Are you having a panic attack in general or are you panicking because you don't want to eat?

charlenekapf

I've struggled with this exact same thing and have not found a solution. Most people cannot identify with it and it's really frustrating. If I get into a caloric deficit i sleep like *kitten* and then binge the next day. I dealt with night eating syndrome briefly when i was losing a lot of weight. then i started gaining like crazy when I missed the feeling of waking up well rested. insomnia is the worst. my heart always felt weird when i would chronically get 4-5 hrs of broken sleep a night. but i was thin. sigh. now I've put on all the weight i lost 5 years ago and am miserable and still unable to maintain any kind of deficit because i fear going to bed and waking up hungry. interimittent fasting helps a little but not much.

JustMissTracy

I've had some horrible bouts with insomnia over the years as well; My Fitbit now tells me I wake up at least 3-5 times a nite, and am restless dozens of times (like 28 on average!).......It seems my best sleeps were when I was at my heaviest weight, go figure

striving118

I suffer from exactly the same thing, eat 1400-1600 calories per day but wake approximately 1 hour after sleeping with the tremendous urge to eat and usually do. The only thing that has helped is if i can go for 3 or 4 nights in a row without eating it seems to become a bit easier but then usually stress creeps in and the vicious cycle starts again. I did read that this is common with those who suffer issues with blood sugar regulation (especially with a history of binge eating) and that instead of eating you should drink a glass of half orange juice half water..didn't work for me but try it if you like! Im sorry i cant of be of more use, just to let you know that you are not alone in this.

kshama2001

sarsather wrote: »

Hi there,

I have been struggling with binge eating disorder for about 1.5 years consistently now and through my time I have had various intensities of sleep disturbances hinder all areas of my life. At first I knew it was for sure related to a caloric deficit that was too much and causing me to wake up abruptly in the middle of the night rather frequently... & now I am zooming ahead to current day where I have upped my calories to what I do still know might not be enough some days... (I am a 10 hour shift nurse and I run for 25 mins after work 3-4 times a week) and I eat roughly 1400-1600 calories. Seems moderately okay. Every single night I wake up around less than or equal to an hour of falling asleep, and I instinctually panic and want to eat and usually do. Then I wake up one or two more times. Bed and sleep has become a fear of mine and it makes work and all other things so difficult. Any advice? I have a general appointment next Tuesday to seek help. I have before and I took Ambien, Trazadone and the latter didn't help st all while Ambien was s little too heavy it seemed.

I remember you as being taller than me. I'm 5'6" - how tall are you? How many steps do you get throughout your day? I suspect that with your height and activity level, 1400-1600 calories isn't enough for you.

Also, are you actively trying to lose weight or just maintaining right now? If you are losing, how many pounds to goal and what's your weekly weight loss set to?

I suggest having a light snack right before bed.

cross2bear

You may not, in fact, need a sleep medication, but rather an anti anxiety meds. Of course, this is something you must discuss with your doctor, but I thought I would offer this suggestion as I have experienced the same thing, only I dont eat when I wake up. It would feel like I could not turn off the "noise" in my head - that I couldnt shut out the days business, work or experiences and I was constantly running through the work I had done or was going to do, thinking about how to do it better or wondering if I screwed up. It was a nightmare (haha). I was on a drug that I cannot recall the name of - it started with O - but my sleep really did not improve until I dealt with the stress of an issue that was really bothering me. I am not on any medication for sleep now, and still have occasional bouts of waking up in the night but not nearly as many.

leanjogreen18

Google melatonin (I use Olly gummies) and magnesium oil (topical). It helps me sleep.

alittlelife14

So I went to a doctor and they prescribed me Gabapentin for my sleep. Hadn't been on it prior and was willing to give it a try. Also drew my thyroid and kidney function tests via bloodwork and my fasted blood sugar. Surprisingly all checked out. Gabapentin worked very well first 2-3 days and now has lost its effectiveness already and I am up within 2 hours of sleep and in a panic and desperate and stressed state from waking up and realizing the time that I get up and eat a yogurt and small apple normally. Not terrible and could be worse but calories I don't want or need I feel. Any suggestions? Experiences with gaba?

duddysdad

I have BED and I take 50mg of Vyvanse. It lasts about 10 hours for me and doesn't affect my sleep. But, beware that it's an amphetamine and has serious withdrawal symptoms. I have MS and have taken Neurontin for 8 years, but it has never made me sleepy. For sleep I take 15mg of Remeron, and 150mg of Trazodone. Sometimes I need an Ambien, but that's very rare. Maybe 1-2 times a month.

Other than medication there is therapy, either group or one-on-one. Don't dismiss therapy as it's very helpful and provides positive results as long as you find one who specializes in eating disorders.

ronjsteele1

For whatever reason my original post didn't take and I don't want to rewrite the entire thing. I would recommend looking up low blood sugar waking as one possibility. It might be something as simple as needing to eat a complex snack before bed. The other thing to consider is magnesium. Studies are finding people woefully deficient in magnesium and that can cause fairly severe sleep disturbances. Mag oil is a good option as it does not cause loose bowels if used in large quantities. Unfortunately, there really isn't a good reliable blood test for magnesium and it can take a week or two of supplementing to see if it will work. (There is a blood test for it, but it's not considered accurate). Magnesium is worth it if it would mean no meds.

GothamVeggie

A sleep clinic could very helpful for you. Its a pain to do it, but so many people have been helped by it. Doctors often overprescribe meds which can then have other issues. Seeing a clinical psychologist--one who focuses on food issues could also really help. Someone mentioned you being tall. If so, maybe re-evaluate how much food you should be eating especially since it sounds as if you are quite active as a nurse who also runs.

frankiesgirlie

I had this same problem early this year. They called it night eating syndrome. It is considered a sleep disorder, not a eating disorder. I don't know if this applies to you at all, but thought I would tell you what happened and worked for me.

I would be totally exhausted. Fall asleep fast and then wake up about an hour later in full panic mode/Flight or fight response. I would have just awful restless leg syndrome and feel like I was going out of my skin. I would wake up and wander around the house trying to calm down and would eat. Then back to semi sleep and wake up 2-3 more times just ravenous for food. I was getting 4 hours or less of sleep. As time went on, from Jan to April 2015, I gained back the 8 lbs I had lost last year PLUS 8 or so more. Sometimes I would wake up the next morning with absolute memory of what I ate. Sometimes I would have zero memory and would find "wrapper evidence" in the morning.

I was sent for a sleep test and they found no sleep apnea, but I do have TMJ and they recommended I get a new bite plate made.

Then they sent me to a sleep specialist who put me on Xanax and prescription dose magnesium at bedtime. Also, 5htp and L-glutamine at about 8 pm. She encouraged me to have a snack about one hour before bedtime. I'm no longer taking the 5htp and L-glutamine. That was just for 2 months.

She also told me that eating during the night is not the end of the world, but I had to have a plan of what I would eat if it happened. For me my planned food was yogurt or a glass of 1% milk (either one should have some fat in them) but before I could eat that yogurt I had to do one or more things.

1)run very warm or hot water over my lower legs
2)do 5 or so minutes of stretches or yoga.
3)put a heating pad under my feet/lower legs.

Now since seeing her in April this year, I have not had even one episode of night binge eating.
If I do wake up after falling asleep, which is now rare, 5 minutes of lower body leg lifts and stretching does it for me. Once you get past that anxiety and dread that you come to associate with going to bed and sleep, your body/mind will welcome the sleep. I still take the magnesium and Xanax, and see no reason to stop them right now.

I'm losing weight again, 10 lbs this year, and about 5 or so lbs from goal.

I waited much too long to go to the doctor. I'm glad to hear you didnt waste any time seeing one.

By the way, I'm 5'9" and the first thing she asked me was how many calories I ate per day. I was eating 1800 or so per day before the night binges started, so undereating was ruled out.

I'm now losing weight slowly and comfortably eating 1700-1900 calories per day and sleeping pretty well. About 6 hours a night of solid sleep which is excellent for me.

I sure hope you get your answers to this, I totally know how debilitating it can be to be desperate for sleep.

frankiesgirlie

I should have said, I was sent to a psychologist who specializes in sleep disorders.

SoUl_ReBeL2021

I have terrible problems with staying asleep, been using melatonin it seems to help some but I think mine is a hidden thyroid issue. Going to see the endocrinologist in the morning hoping for the best!

LauraCoth

dramafree69 wrote: »

I have terrible problems with staying asleep, been using melatonin it seems to help some but I think mine is a hidden thyroid issue. Going to see the endocrinologist in the morning hoping for the best!

Insist on a Free T3 and Free T4 test in addition to the TSH. Also, don't accept that a TSH of anything more than about 1.5 is "normal." It isn't.

markrgeary1

Had issues since I was 6, I'm pushing 60.
All IMHO

Things that work are:
Good diet and exercise
Avoid caffeine, alcohol
Cool dark room
Avoid TV and computer for ....

and all the common sense approaches

Things that may help:
Self hypnosis
White noise
Melatonin and magnesium

Be careful with Zolipidam(any benzos) etc:

They work till they don't
I spent three months sleeping maybe 2-3 hours nightly
That stunk

Look at counciling, I think it helps for some. The quality of my sleep increased exponentially when I cleaned up my diet, got to a healthy BMI, and figured out my stress triggers.

Good luck.

H_Ock12

Have you tried a zzzquil or other otc sleep aid? Maybe have the snack immediately before going to bed and see if you still wake up? Do you think preplanning your nightly snack into your daily calories would help alleviate your anxiety about it?