Waking up too early. Could it be hunger?

francesca_c123456789
francesca_c123456789 Posts: 22
in Motivation and Support
So I lost a good amount of weight and changed my lifestyle about 1 1/2 years ago. Over time I went from sleeping in until noon to not being able to sleep past 8am. I have just started uni and I have to wake at 7am but I have been waking at 5am and can't seem to get back to sleep. I have noticed sometimes that when I wake at 7am I am very alert and ready to get up but then I have breakfast and I could fall back to sleep. Do you think I could be waking up early because of hunger (some mornings I feel famished)? I currently eat like 1900-2000 calories a day and exercise 4 times a week. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas about how I could change this or why this happens?

ps My goal is gaining weight

Thanks

Replies

  • bridgie101
    bridgie101 Posts: 817 Member
    Firstly: hunger pangs don't wake a person. Your stomach will rumble in your sleep. Something else is waking you.

    As a student, I'd say stress. that or your bladder is full... or your bed is too cold. it could easily be your bed being too cold, because when you get cold you need to urinate and you definitely wake for that.

    Stress though, stress will wake a person at five every morning, or in my case, four. Gah. Students are under a LOT of stress. Try to get on top of your studies, and find out what your maintenance rate of eating is, and eat that for a while. When exams are over revisit the dieting and just go from there.

    Oh - and I don't know about you, but when i go on maintenance I always throw 2kg back on just like that. I allow for it. If it keeps creeping up further though, I'd take a look at it. :)
  • maca416
    maca416 Posts: 142 Member
    I have lost over 54lbs over the last year & like you when I was big I could sleep in until midday but as the weight has come off I find I wake a around 5am & can't get back to sleep. I don't sleep in the afternoon like I used to so I just put it down to all weight loss & my body not needing to rest so much now I am fitter/slimmer.

    Also my snoring has stopped so I get good quality sleep so see it as a good thing.
  • francesca_c123456789
    francesca_c123456789 Posts: 22
    I have lost over 54lbs over the last year & like you when I was big I could sleep in until midday but as the weight has come off I find I wake a around 5am & can't get back to sleep. I don't sleep in the afternoon like I used to so I just put it down to all weight loss & my body not needing to rest so much now I am fitter/slimmer.

    Also my snoring has stopped so I get good quality sleep so see it as a good thing.

    That's really interesting! I never thought about that!
  • KombuchaCat
    KombuchaCat Posts: 834 Member
    I think you should see this as a positive sign that you are in better shape and do not require so much rest. It would be good to get on a normal schedule to get your body further in sync and working at optimal levels. Going to bed and waking up the same time every day no matter what makes a huge difference for me. No more hitting the snooze.
  • Alta2000
    Alta2000 Posts: 655 Member
    I have lost over 54lbs over the last year & like you when I was big I could sleep in until midday but as the weight has come off I find I wake a around 5am & can't get back to sleep. I don't sleep in the afternoon like I used to so I just put it down to all weight loss & my body not needing to rest so much now I am fitter/slimmer.

    Also my snoring has stopped so I get good quality sleep so see it as a good thing.

    Since I started losing weight and exercising I try to sleep around the same time every night. I do wake up early and feel rested, sleep better, and stopped snoring.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Firstly: hunger pangs don't wake a person. Your stomach will rumble in your sleep. Something else is waking you.

    not necessarily.... I read a scientific study that showed that people sometimes wake too early in the morning due to low blood sugar. This isn't necessarily due to eating too little, because there are other causes of low blood sugar. But what the OP describes could well be due to low blood sugar at night, which could be caused by eating too little, or by poor blood sugar control.

    It isn't necessarily the answer for the OP, there could be other explanations (in fact there are a lot of different options to consider, including stress, disrupted sleep routine, etc) but I don't think hunger/low blood sugar should be ruled out altogether.
  • frommetobetterme
    frommetobetterme Posts: 124 Member
    It could be a lot of things.

    At what time do you have your last meal/snack?
    At what time do you go to bed?
    Is getting up at 5am meaning that you aren't getting enough sleep?
    Are you stressed?
    Are there outside factors waking you?
    Are you feeling hungry but you're really just thirsty?
    Do you get enough liquids during the day?

    Sleep is a complicated thing. It is best to always try to get up the same day regardless of what time your classes start (for example, if you have one class at 8 and one at 10, don't try to sleep in because of that. Try to always aim at getting up at the same time and go to bed in consequence of that... having scattered wake up times will create havoc in your sleep patterns.

Categories