I've cut back on calories but I can't sleep.

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hturner_2000
hturner_2000 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've recently started dieting and am losing weight but I'm really struggling to sleep. It's taking me ages to fall asleep & I wake up during the night quite frequently. I'm not hungry when I go to bed but I'm not particularly full. I eat quite late at night due to work patterns but this still doesn't help. I avoid caffeine at night too. Just wondered if this happens to anyone else & if anyone has any advice? If I eat anymore than the calories I'm eating I struggle to lose weight.
Thanks in advance.

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  • uconnwinsnc1
    uconnwinsnc1 Posts: 902 Member
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    What is your exercise routine? Any stress going on in your life?

    There can be a few factors that can cause sleeplessness.
  • hturner_2000
    hturner_2000 Posts: 5 Member
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    I do a lot of exercise as it's my job. I also have a lot of stress at the moment as I'm getting married in 7 weeks. When I eat more on my 'treat' days though, generally on a weekend, I have no trouble sleeping. It's just when I've cut back a bit.
  • uconnwinsnc1
    uconnwinsnc1 Posts: 902 Member
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    Well you and I are both up at 1:30 AM, and I am stressed too...so I'd say that is probably what is keeping us both up. :s:D
  • bokaba
    bokaba Posts: 171 Member
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    It's hard to say. What is your current height and weight? From your picture, you don't appear to be overweight. I have trouble sleeping when I pull a large deficit, maybe more than 1500 calories per day, but I maintain at generally at around 4000. My understanding is that under eating affects hormone production associated with regulating sleep. The 1500 calorie a day goal might be too aggressive. Likewise, you could try melatonin supplements sparingly--they work well for me, but they would only be masking the problem and are habit forming.
  • SofiV79
    SofiV79 Posts: 29 Member
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    Just to add my 2 cents' worth: give it some time - when I started regular exercise and calorie counting (52 days ago!), I had the exact same problem, I used to wake up 3-4 times a night, just for a few minutes. After 2-3 weeks that went away by itself though, and now I might wake up once or not at all, plus i feel like I am sleeping so much better because I am physically tired...
  • ithrowconfetti
    ithrowconfetti Posts: 451 Member
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    When I created a large calorie deficit throughout my weight loss journey, I found it difficult to sleep on the days that the deficits were way too large. I think this has got to do with increased cortisol and stress levels. Like you, when I ate more, I managed to sleep with ease. Perhaps, it would be good to determine if you can up your calorie intake and still lose weight, because from what I can see from some of your diary logs, you are creating healthy deficits on many days.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    I have chronic insomnia, but tonight I was up because I have a cataract operation this afternoon. My bigget thing is don't go to bed hungry.

    I agree, you don't look overweight. Maybe go on maintenance until after the wedding. I went on a diet before my wedding and it just added a layer of stress and didn't take off a layer of fat.
  • joepage612
    joepage612 Posts: 179 Member
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    Do you work out? I'f you do 60 minutes of cardio I would be amazed if you still couldnt sleep.
  • fluffyasacat
    fluffyasacat Posts: 242 Member
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    I used to use most of my daily calories at lunchtime, thinking that would be the most logical time to stock up on energy to last me through the day. I quickly found that going to bed hungry made me very alert. If you have a satisfying dinner a few hours before bed you might find that timing was the issue all along.
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
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    I agree. Somehow being hungry keeps me awake. They say it's best not to have a heavy dinner. But I think for some of us the lack of sleep this causes is more of an issue than going to bed with food in the belly.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    I didn't sleep well before the diet and exercise, and its just as bad now.
  • fluffyasacat
    fluffyasacat Posts: 242 Member
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    RHachicho wrote: »
    I agree. Somehow being hungry keeps me awake. They say it's best not to have a heavy dinner. But I think for some of us the lack of sleep this causes is more of an issue than going to bed with food in the belly.

    They say it because it's true: you shouldn't have a heavy dinner. Overeating at dinner gives you a bad quality of sleep as your body is digesting instead of resting. Have a reasonable dinner (not too much, not too little... jeez do I need to define reasonable?) and maybe a 20-30 min walk after that.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    If energy balance is out of whack, i.e.: exercise way more and eating way less, your body will do things to ensure you eat more. It's a fact that people who stay up late and sleep less than 6 hours will consume more calories. Also take into account the detrimental effects of eating less so you don't have enough to repair with, i.e. nutrients, then remove the phase of sleep where the body actually does the repair. You're screwing yourself.

    Advice would be to find out your BMR either through calculation or going to a lab.
    Once calculated you can multiply it by 1.3 for training 1-2x a week, 1.4 if training 2-3x a week, 1.5 if training 3-4x a week, or 1.6 if training more.

    Of course this is just a guestimate since BMR and TDEE change on a daily basis.

    Another concern would be that most people with impaired sleep have higher insulin resistance. This is generally why you'll see career shift workers who are over-fat but don't eat a lot.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3132857/

    Sleep deprivation is cumulative too.
    So 1 week of missing an hour or 2 a night could put you in a similar category to a sleep deprived person.
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
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    fluffyasacat wrote: »
    RHachicho wrote: »
    I agree. Somehow being hungry keeps me awake. They say it's best not to have a heavy dinner. But I think for some of us the lack of sleep this causes is more of an issue than going to bed with food in the belly.

    They say it because it's true: you shouldn't have a heavy dinner. Overeating at dinner gives you a bad quality of sleep as your body is digesting instead of resting. Have a reasonable dinner (not too much, not too little... jeez do I need to define reasonable?) and maybe a 20-30 min walk after that.

    Sorry your experience of life doesn't cover everybody. I can guarantee that I sleep better with some food than without. All I do if I am too hungry is literally sit up ALL night in bed thinking about how much I want to eat something. That to me does not seem like quality sleep.

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