Insomnia and Hunger

bwilton77

I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions. For the past week I have had insomnia and have been lucky to get 4-5 hours of sleep a night. I think that is why I have felt like I have been starving lately. I feel like I am constantly hungry and nothing is satisfying this hunger. Does anyone have any idea how to help this or how to stop the insomnia?

TDGee

Are you exercising at all? Being good and tired from strenuous exercise will help with insomnia

hannahcf

I have the same problem, and it makes me crave carbs in particular, and also to want to eat a lot more frequently. You could try to split your meals into smaller snacks, to eat when you really feel you need to. Complex carbs and protein will keep you feeling satisfied for longer, so try to go for those as much as possible. I tend to use coffee, probably too much, to get through the day, but never have caffeine in the evenings. A few tips for insomnia, you may already know - avoid screen time late at night (not sure why I am on here at ten to midnight!), have a warm bath/ milky drink before bed, try to go to bed/ get up at the same time every night, exercise can help as well... I find that these things help a bit, but they don't prevent insomnia altogether. I'm sorry - I wish I had a cure for insomnia!

baschmidt2

I definitely have found that exercising and really putting full effort into the day even if you don't want to exercise more than once. It has helped with my insomnia. And yeah warm milk helps apparently and maybe a banana. I have the same problem and am still trying to figure out what is right for me because I am certainly hungry at night craving anything bad for me.

NotGoddess

I got this same effect shortly after I started really exercising again (more than just walking).

I take 2mg of melatonin to help me fall asleep but I'd still wake up at 4-5:30am, hungry, but not starvingly so. I did a few things that have helped me-they are anecdotal so ymmv. I upped my calories, ate a little later and ate more protein. I also gave up on trying to go back to sleep when I woke up and just started my day. Now I'm finding I can sleep til 7 (when my alarm goes off), but I still stay up way too late-12-1am...too much energy But I'm not feeling as tired as I would have only getting 5-6 hours pre-MFP.

NotGoddess

[doublepost-sorry]

lauradupree

I exercise a lot, and I suffer from insomnia as well. For some blessed few, exercise works. I allow a small snack for my bouts of insomnia. When I am awake at night, I drink one cup of nonfat milk and eat a small piece of whole wheat toast with about a teaspoon of butter on it. I avoid caffeine after noon. I hope that helps.