Gelatine and better sleep ?

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Foamroller
Foamroller Posts: 1,041 Member
My boss who has osteoarthritis told me that after she started taking a teaspoon of gelatine powder before bed both the knees and sleep improved dramatically.

I've tried it for 3 nights now and lo and behold, it does seem to make me fall asleep a bit easier and heavier. Usually I'm up 2-3 x per night to pee. Now I'm down to 1x.

Does anyone have experiences with this? And or does anyone know why gelatine could improve sleep quality ?

I really, really, hope this is a long lasting effect of something so cheap and easy to do.
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Replies

  • ilovethecamp32
    ilovethecamp32 Posts: 14 Member
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    Interesting. What kind of gelatin powder do you use?
  • Foamroller
    Foamroller Posts: 1,041 Member
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    Oh, I'm from Europe. So it's a local brand. No fillers.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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    Interesting! My knees just started bothering me again. A LOT. I might need to try this.
  • LowCarbInScotland
    LowCarbInScotland Posts: 1,027 Member
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    I've been thinking about adding gelatin for my arthritis too, and for my hair. I can't make bone broth as my husband would die from the smell and we have a small house with no garage to cook it in. Can you just add it to soup? Seems like it would be a good thickener. Does anyone have experience cooking with it?
  • ShootingStar72
    ShootingStar72 Posts: 183 Member
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    I have a coconut yogurt recipe that uses gelatin. I put a batch in this morning, and will pay attention to how my knees feel by the end of this week!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited April 2016
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    I take Gelatin nearly everyday, and yes it does make a positive difference to sleep and skin/wrinkles/loose skin. I use a local organic brand. It's 72 calories for 20g and 17.6g of protein (incomplete protein though) and zero carbs.

    A comparable American brand is Great lakes. Don't just buy any gelatin off the supermarket shelf, as a lot of those are sourced from China etc who pump their cows full of hormones and God knows what else.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    @PaleoInScotland I've used it in soups before, but make sure and stir it a lot or else you'll end up with little white clumps through it.
  • V_Keto_V
    V_Keto_V Posts: 342 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Yes, gelatin improves sleep quality for myself as well. I use straight, old school Knox gelatin. Gelatine has a "poor" amino acid profile & deemed useless by "protein-a holic"/gym bros for being inferior to whey protein isolate. However, gelatin is mostly composed of the "kinky" amino acids glycine & hydroxyproline (small functional group of these amino acids structurally allows for great flexibility/bending of peptides and folding of proteins....the structure has to make sense with the function of collagen/joints).

    On the sleep quality side, glycine is mainly an inhibitory amino acid and is a ligand to N-methyl d aspartic acid receptors (coincidentally, so is magnesium). Like gamma amino butyric acid (GABA), glycine stabilizes nerve membranes...another way of thinking about these are that they oppose the actions of excitatory amino acids (glutamate & aspartate). Over excitation from excitatory amino acids has been theorized in Alzheimer's contributing to beta amyloid plaques...hence 1 drug target is (non-competitive) antagonism of NMDA via Memantine (the non-competitive nature being key because excitatory amino acids are none the less needed for the learning process; however, Memantine will antagonize NMDA only in the presence of high concentrations of excitatory amino acids).

    Major tangent
  • DittoDan
    DittoDan Posts: 1,850 Member
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    The gelatin, if I'm not mistaken, would be the same stuff you'll find in homemade bone broth. Jello is made out of the same stuff. Google it.

    Bone broth tastes much better.

    I've never heard it helping sleep, but they (almost all diets) do call bone broth a "super food". Bone broth is recommended by a lot of doctors to help heal joints. When picking the bones to boil, pick the ones with a lot of ligaments on them.

    I hope this helps....

    Dan
  • SamandaIndia
    SamandaIndia Posts: 1,577 Member
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    I have heard of gelatin helping sleep but one can't trust all one reads on the internet! Great to hear that it works for you and osteoarthritus. I am monitoring my sleep with one of Dave Asprey's endorsed sleep hacking apps so I will buy some and report back on both the sleep and osteo arthritus impacts.
  • Red13
    Red13 Posts: 287 Member
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    Yes! My mom would make gelatin gummies for the grandkids because some need help sleeping. Taste good and other benefits as well. There are plenty recipes out there. Beats trying to add it to soup!
  • LowCarbInScotland
    LowCarbInScotland Posts: 1,027 Member
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    @PaleoInScotland I've used it in soups before, but make sure and stir it a lot or else you'll end up with little white clumps through it.

    Thanks @Christine_72 I think I'll practice in some bouillon broth before adding it to a full pot of soup.
  • V_Keto_V
    V_Keto_V Posts: 342 Member
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    Makes a good sauce; I cut mine in slices and let it melt with hot seafood for some moisture content. Pretty cool because it will melt and then start recrystalizing as the food cools.
  • Foamroller
    Foamroller Posts: 1,041 Member
    edited April 2016
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    V_Keto_V wrote: »
    Yes, gelatin improves sleep quality for myself as well. I use straight, old school Knox gelatin. Gelatine has a "poor" amino acid profile & deemed useless by "protein-a holic"/gym bros for being inferior to whey protein isolate. However, gelatin is mostly composed of the "kinky" amino acids glycine & hydroxyproline (small functional group of these amino acids structurally allows for great flexibility/bending of peptides and folding of proteins....the structure has to make sense with the function of collagen/joints).

    On the sleep quality side, glycine is mainly an inhibitory amino acid and is a ligand to N-methyl d aspartic acid receptors (coincidentally, so is magnesium). Like gamma amino butyric acid (GABA), glycine stabilizes nerve membranes...another way of thinking about these are that they oppose the actions of excitatory amino acids (glutamate & aspartate). Over excitation from excitatory amino acids has been theorized in Alzheimer's contributing to beta amyloid plaques...hence 1 drug target is (non-competitive) antagonism of NMDA via Memantine (the non-competitive nature being key because excitatory amino acids are none the less needed for the learning process; however, Memantine will antagonize NMDA only in the presence of high concentrations of excitatory amino acids).

    Major tangent

    Ty for the very informative post! So you're saying that glycine helps mitigate or reduce the effect of excited aminos ? Or did I completely miss the mark, lol. Interesting about the possible connection to Alzheimers.

    Oooo, I got a lot more learning to do:smile:

    Ty everybody else also sharing their thoughts!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Gelatin... hmm, I guess that makes sense. Tagging to follow. Always looking for was to enhance meno-sleep.
  • LemonMarmalade
    LemonMarmalade Posts: 227 Member
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    I wake up almost every hour on the hour between bouts of hard sleep (just had blood work for thyroid issues and/or early menopause so will know more end of month). I will try gelatin and see if that helps this week. I have two boxes of Knox in the pantry and not quite sure how to use it but will do some research. My hair and nails could sure use it!!!
  • dietbepsi
    dietbepsi Posts: 136 Member
    edited April 2016
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    I was wondering how you "take" gelatin? I also have some good 'ol Knox brand, and would like to start using it, just curious how other people "get it in?"
  • Twibbly
    Twibbly Posts: 1,065 Member
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    I've been thinking about adding gelatin for my arthritis too, and for my hair. I can't make bone broth as my husband would die from the smell and we have a small house with no garage to cook it in. Can you just add it to soup? Seems like it would be a good thickener. Does anyone have experience cooking with it?

    I've used a pressure cooker to make it so it isn't smelling up the house forever.

    If you're going to add gelatin powder to a hot liquid, whisk it into a bit of cold water first, then dump it in. Otherwise, it clumps. It doesn't really do much as far as thickening in hot things, but any leftover soup might be jelled. I've added it to tea, broth, etc.
  • DittoDan
    DittoDan Posts: 1,850 Member
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    dietbepsi wrote: »
    I was wondering how you "take" gelatin? I also have some good 'ol Knox brand, and would like to start using it, just curious how other people "get it in?"

    You mix/make it like jello. Brew your favorite tea, add a sweetener (inulin, monk fruit), add gelatin mix, chill, eat. Qty of water is as per box instructions.

    Dan
  • LowCarbInScotland
    LowCarbInScotland Posts: 1,027 Member
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    @Twibbly thanks for the tip. Kinda bummed that it doesn't thicken unless it chills, thought I might be able to kill two birds with one stone. :disappointed: