3 am and no sleep and "grazing" uugghh

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beachgirl1218
beachgirl1218 Posts: 16
in Health and Weight Loss
so I have been having so much trouble sleeping and then i wake up and feel like i could eat whatever is not nailed down! I would do pretty good for the entire day of the food journal if it was not for these overnight binges! Sometimes I feel it is the medication for depression I am on that I take before bed. Maybe I need to contact my doctor to see if that is what is causing it!
Sorry for the rattling on....just frustrated! I know I would be doing so much better if it was not for these! Thanks for listening! So disappointed with myself. :sad:

Replies

  • GoCanada
    GoCanada Posts: 92 Member
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    I am an insomniac and try to plan it out so i have 100 or 200 calories left over at the end of the day for snacking. I also drink a ton of tea when I get hungry, generally helps me (I get filled up by liquid quite easily). OR have a bunch a cut of veggies you can snack on like celery and carrots :). You don't have to deprive yourself if hungry, just have something on hand that's low cal!
  • Galletakek
    Galletakek Posts: 285
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    i have trouble sleeping too! I take melatonin sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't :(...

    Hope you get more sleep hun and feel better -xoxo
  • karagav
    karagav Posts: 172 Member
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    I get really hungry at night sometimes but I think sometimes it's just cravings...so I put some crystal light in my water so I can taste something a little more satisfying. that usually does it for me!
  • ShrinkingChelle
    ShrinkingChelle Posts: 187
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    Sometimes I feel it is the medication for depression I am on that I take before bed. Maybe I need to contact my doctor to see if that is what is causing it!

    Have you tried switching it up and taking your meds in the morning?
  • shellsie_j
    shellsie_j Posts: 132 Member
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    Oh yeah, those overnight munchies are awful. And then you wake up so guilty. I am getting better as I just can't cope with the horrible feelings the next day and the fact that I've done so well during the day and then I wreck it all when I am semi-conscious. At least you are aware of it and being conscious of our problems is the first step in getting a grip on them . Best of luck and yes, sort out the meds as they may be contributing to the problem.
  • annabellj
    annabellj Posts: 1,337 Member
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    ya i am insomniac but i try to drink a glass of water right when i get up and just ignore my stomach. this site helps a lot in that i can stay out of the kitchen and talk to my friends or post on threads lol. definitely talk to the dr about meds if you feel it will help
  • toxicasylum
    toxicasylum Posts: 34
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    I take medication for depression as well, and yes, it will cause hunger. I usually munch on some pumpkin seeds if I get hungry in the middle of the night.
  • becoming_a_new_me
    becoming_a_new_me Posts: 1,860 Member
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    Don't beat yourself up over this...fight back! Talk to your doctor about the problem, he or she may be able to make changes to help you. When I was on an antidepressent, I took Cymbalta, and that helped to curb cravings. Some of my meds made me SUPER hungry, so I went on others.

    I agree with the gal who keeps a calorie allotment for midnight snacks..very wise. Also, keep all the healthy stuff on the top shelf of the fridge, not in the produce drawers. You'll be more likely to pick them. Have healthy snacks set up and ready to grab...we are more likely to choose convenience food, and if healthy is convenient, it is more likely to be chosen.

    Mary Ann
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/iddreams/view/overcoming-the-obesity-mindset-194711
  • becoming_a_new_me
    becoming_a_new_me Posts: 1,860 Member
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    I also noticed in your profile that you are going through "the change" and that can mean midnight munchies and insomnia too. Have you tried any natural hormone supplements? I know of a couple that I can point you to if you don't already have one.
  • scanderton
    scanderton Posts: 6 Member
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    Have you ever tried Valerian Root or HTP? Both my wife and I have had issues with sleeping, primarily due to having a lot of stress in our lives. We have both had success using Valerian and HTP.

    Also your cortisol levels are probably out of "whack". It is typical for people with issues concerning cortisol levels to wake up between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. to go to the bathroom, have trouble sleeping, and to have access belly fat. You could ask your Dr. or Physician to have you tested for hormone levels to see what is really going on with your body from a biological point of view. Typically they won't go that deep in to testing unless they believe that a severe problem exist, however there are several lab test available that will find out your estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, testosterone, cortisol, amnioacid , cholesterol, insulin, and thyroid levels just to name a few. Who knows your sleep issues might be able to be cured just by asking the right question and finding out the right information. Hope this helps.
  • beachgirl1218
    beachgirl1218 Posts: 16
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    That is a great idea..Thanks for the input and support! I am so glad I found this site!
  • Aviendha_RJ
    Aviendha_RJ Posts: 600 Member
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    Sometimes I feel it is the medication for depression I am on that I take before bed. Maybe I need to contact my doctor to see if that is what is causing it!

    Yep. That's it. I was on a few of those myself just after my Mom died. They're not a picnic. I gained about.... oh.... 40lbs. Its taken me a LONG time to drop about 25-30lbs of that.

    And now... I'm under a lot of stress, & not sleeping... & eating full bags of kettle-style potato chips at 3am. I think if you're awake at 3am, its a different problem than the appetite thing. That's my issue. Insomnia... at the moment. In about 6 weeks of this behaviour I've put 5lbs back on. I need to lose weight & get crackin' here, get my *kitten* to the gym. I *know* this, because I'm SO tired!
  • tiedye
    tiedye Posts: 331 Member
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    That's terrible you can't sleep! Maybe you could prepare healthy snacks in the fridge for your hunger at night. You could also busy yourself doing something else besides eating, like taking a hot bath with scented salts or bubbles, or doing a short 10 minute workout video to earn some calories. You could make a cup of hot tea or the diet hot cocoa (25 calories!).

    I also agree with the suggestions to talk with the doctor just in case it's medication related. I have taken ambien and melatonin with success when I have had periodic insomnia (insomnia 1-2x/month). Chamomile tea right before bed helps me relax before bed.
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    so I have been having so much trouble sleeping and then i wake up and feel like i could eat whatever is not nailed down! I would do pretty good for the entire day of the food journal if it was not for these overnight binges! Sometimes I feel it is the medication for depression I am on that I take before bed. Maybe I need to contact my doctor to see if that is what is causing it!
    Sorry for the rattling on....just frustrated! I know I would be doing so much better if it was not for these! Thanks for listening! So disappointed with myself. :sad:
    My weakness is right after bedtime.
    I used to sneak down and eat supper all over again.

    I feel you.

    Those cravings will ease over time, but it will require some sacrifice and pain on your end.
    That's reality.

    Drinking water won't help or eating celery or other such tomfoolery.
    It's hard, it's painful.
    And you must work through that.

    And the pain diminishes, then goes away.
    Stick with it, and don't beat yourself up if you fail.

    All Is Possible!
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    My antidepressant does this its mirtazipine of zispin. Its sooo annoying. I always exercise so I have a few plenty of calories left incase, and I take my phone and log as I eat. Stops me going crazy and eating loads. The tablets help too much to stop. Find the longer I've been on the tablets the better the symptoms get though x
  • nml2011
    nml2011 Posts: 156 Member
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    Unfortunately lack of sleep will make you want to eat more and if you are suffering from insomnia I sympathise.

    Lots of resources out there to try and alleviate this, no tv before bed, remove electrical items in the bedroom, meditation etc.

    If you are waking up at 3am hungry then look at eating something before you go to bed (keeping witin your overall calorie goal), it's simply not true that eating before bed will cause the majority of food to turn to fat, the body is still turning over, infact if you are exercising regularly then this is when a lot of your recovery will take place.

    You are also less sensitive to carbs in the evening so eating cereal (if you have to) in the evening is a better option than for breakfast!

    If you don't want anything solid then look at a protein shake mixed with milk (over water) as this will make it digest slowly whilst you are asleep and should keep the hunger at bay and prevent you waking up.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Sometimes I feel it is the medication for depression I am on that I take before bed. Maybe I need to contact my doctor to see if that is what is causing it!

    Have you tried switching it up and taking your meds in the morning?
    I concur, when I was on antidepressants I had terrible trouble sleeping, but taking them in the morning made all the difference. Depression, quality of sleep and appetite are SO closely linked, I'm sure once you find your particular solution it will all come together for you. Good luck!:flowerforyou:

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