Trouble falling asleep since starting a healthier diet

Healthy eating has the opposite effect on me - I sleep better when I eat well. It probably boils down to individual differences (people react differently to the same things).

I have always had issues falling asleep and getting a good night's rest. Have you tried herbal teas? Or melatonin? Valerian? Chamomile? I use all of these on occasion and take melatonin every night. I'm not sure whether nursing limits your options, but I think that herbal tea would be safe.

Wishing you a good night of sleep!

Are you exercising within two hours of bed time? That could be doing it. I find that if I exercise in the morning before work, I'm wider awake all day and I sleep better at night. If I get a serious workout at night it keeps me up a few extra hours. A little leg stretch around the neighborhood before bed can be soothing - just don't get the blood pumping too much.

I was going to check your diary to see if you are eating foods known to cause alertness, but you have it closed. Some basics would be:

Don't eat 2-3 hours before sleep.
Don't drink caffeine beverages after lunch.
Finish exercise 4 hours before sleeping.
Don't use electronics in bed.

I hope this helps.

Dont use electronics in bed?
I do some of my best 'electronic' work in bed.... lol

I'm finding that my sleep pattern is changing as I eat better, and work harder... Part of what I've found is that if I start feeling tired, I have to just go to bed (sometimes, it's 9pm, which is somewhat sad, but...) If I fight it, I end up awake half the night because I've caught a second wind or something. I don't know what would cause it, but I've resigned myself to just listening to my body, even if it means going to be right after my 8yo. :shrugs:

Hope you are able to find something that works - lots of great suggestions here. Lack of sleep is killer.

~k

theres plenty of ways to increase your milk supply if you are worried about that. I tend to not sleep as much when I am thinner, I don't need the amount of sleep i would heavier...if that makes sense.

Are you going to bed hungry? That was a problem for me in the beginning. When I'm hungry my tummy roars LOL. It is an uncomfortable feeling and would keep me awake. So now I just make sure I have a few calories to grab a snack at night time and don't have to go to bed feeling hungry and I sleep fine.

Another thing is to pay attention to *what* you're eating. I tried to eat healthier when I was nursing and it backfired. If I didn't keep plenty of carbs in my diet, my production went way down. So plenty of carbs it had to be. Sigh.

How do you sleep and does the baby nurse overnight still? (Mine did at 3 months.) I co-slept at that age and it did wonders for my sleep. I would literally feed him just before I went to sleep at night, round 9pm, and we drifted off together that way. Nothing else helped me get to sleep.

HTH

Make sure you are eating enough calories for breastfeeding (+500 per day is the usual recommendation) and drink lots and lots and lots of water. So, calculate what you should be consuming for you, then add 500 calories to that.

Also, babies usually have a growth spurt at about 12 weeks and you may need to let him/her nurse more often and longer for a few days to a week to increase your supply.

Your hormones are still settling back in after being pregnant and there are a lot of changes going on right now, so it's not a surprise that your sleep is a little wonky.

When I eat better and exercise more, I sleep better, but less.

I hope something there helps!

Are you exercising within two hours of bed time? That could be doing it. I find that if I exercise in the morning before work, I'm wider awake all day and I sleep better at night. If I get a serious workout at night it keeps me up a few extra hours. A little leg stretch around the neighborhood before bed can be soothing - just don't get the blood pumping too much.

That is the exact same for me. I cannot exercise before bed or in the late evening otherwise I'm up for hours.