Does anyone else have sleep issues?

I have issues going to sleep. But it's less that I can't stay asleep once I fall asleep and more that I can't fall asleep in the first place. But then again it's more like I don't really try. I'm just a night owl by nature. I hate sleeping, there's too much other stuff I'd rather be doing than sleeping that I just stay up til I'm physically exhausted and couldn't possibly stay awake longer.

Exercise changes can do that to a person. So can getting better nutrition. What do you consider sleeping through the night in this context? Do you mean you wake frequently or that you go to sleep and wake up at 4 am unable to go back to sleep?

I see, have you started any new medications lately? I mean ANYTHING. Even 1000mg ibuprofen for a sprained ankle will do it. You diary is closed.... what does your diet look like, and I mean compared to your diet before? Some people find that when they eat healthier, and thus are getting better nutrition, that they experience having more energy overall. If that's the case for you, getting in some light exercise throughout the day can help by offsetting that increase in overall energy. But new exercise programs can cause that too. Another factor could be WHEN you are exercising, if you are, and when you finish eating for the day. There's no time of day you could eat that would harm your weight loss if you are maintaining a deficit, but when you eat what does matter for this.

Oh, and probably the most likely factor, I expect you've already thought of this, is stress. There is nothing like a new stress in your life to manifest itself as sleep disturbances. It may not even be something you're conscious of. Stress hits us in the subconscious first unless it's truly intense, which you probably would've noticed by now.

Weight loss, diet change, exercise all can affect the balance in your system and thus affect sleep. These are good changes, but they can still impact sleep. This from my sleep doctor.

Itreadlightly wrote: »

Yes- in fact I went to Dr today for a checkup because of sleep issues- she gave advice- bed is only for sleeping or sex. Computer or tv screens ( light emitting devices) should not be used an hour before bed, limit liquid before bed.

My doctor also gave the same advice

I have sleep problems if I eat too little, too much (like, completely stuff myself), work out too close to bed time, take magnesium supplements before bed, have caffeine after 11am, or eat low carb. You'll have to play around with your diet to try to figure out what's causing it, or talk to your doctor.

I for sure had trouble sleeping when changing my diet. I kept consistently waking up at 2 or 3am and then would have a strong craving to eat, or just couldn't get back to sleep in general. It was happening almost every night so I went to doctor. I got prescribed ambien and it has been an absolute life saver.

Prior to that I was trying Benadryl and Melatonin and just was not having any luck. Would wake up with a sleep hangover too. This is all just my personal experience.

tracymn925 wrote: »

Thanks everyone! I just started a new part time job and a new semester in college so defintely could be partially stress. Also I significantly slashed the number of calories Im consuming. Eating around 1200-1400 when I was probably eating 2500ish+ before (lots of late night fast food, alcohol, etcetera). Also, I have a bad habit of checking my phone/laptop very frequently right before bed. :P Haha I will have to make some changes

It's comforting to know I'm mot the only one!

tracymn925 wrote: »

It's mostly that I wake up 3 or 4 times a night. Sometimes it's hard to get back to sleep, other times it's not. It's super weird.

Are you waking up hungry? I budget a few hundred calories for a bed time snack.

How tall are you? Unless you're very short, 1200 is probably too few calories for you.

I woke up in the middle of the night when I was not eating enough. Make sure you eat enough. If you wake up hungry, have a 100 cal snack and try to eat a bit more the next day.

It could be a lot of different things stress on your mind, caffeine, sore from workouts, poor diet, etc. Taking a magnesium tablet usually helps me go to sleep if I'm having trouble sleeping.