For those losing...how to fall/stay asleep? Pee every few hours during night, also wired feeling.
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Charlene, do you get a gnawing sensation in the pit of your stomach at night that keeps you awake, or muscle or joint aches and pains more so keeping you awake? If you take Motrin PM does that help at all? Sorry if you answered this upthread already.0
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Yes, the gnawing sensation is what keeps me awake or wakes me up.
The muscle and joint pain isn't what keeps me up but I do have a lot of that...lifting exacerbates it. Stretching, more cardio than lifting and moving around in general helps with the muscle tightness/aching.Charlene, do you get a gnawing sensation in the pit of your stomach at night that keeps you awake, or muscle or joint aches and pains more so keeping you awake? If you take Motrin PM does that help at all? Sorry if you answered this upthread already.0 -
MsRuffBuffNStuff wrote: »charlenekapf wrote: »
That's still 3-4 hours before bed...which is longer than I can go... so move dinner to 8pm? Or plan a late night snack? I'm thinking something like a half peanut butter sandwich and milk? Something comforting and filling. It truly doesn't matter when you get your calories as long as you're in your desired deficit. If the deficit is too difficult, try eating at maintenance for a while and get your deficit with exercise... and the exercise could help with sleep as well. (Your "calorie burn" seems extremely high unless you're running miles and miles every day. Make sure you're only subtracting ACTUAL exercise calories, not the BMR/TDEE that some fitness trackers will give you...because MFP has already factored that into what you should eat based on your goals).
I usually can't eat that late as far as being able to wait that long. Maybe starting to eat at 7 if I can just try pushing it out that long with a smaller breaking the fast meal before that. It's so hard to eat a small meal after breaking the fast.
My calorie burn that I am stating is my TDEE...I do believe it's accurate as I total around 15000 steps a day, with usually 10,000 of that being steep incline power walking and the stair master. I sweat very hard for an hour. On days I don't workout or just walk around casually, or even hit 10,000 steps walking, hiking, but not strenuous, my tdee is closer to 1700-1800 so it seems pretty accurate. As far as intake, I think it should be reasonable at my weight/activity level to eat 1700-1800 calories a day and lose. it may be slow but if i can keep the calories at that level consistently....I believe i'd lose, assuming my activity was the same. It is very hard for me to eat 1400-1500 for more than a day or two. if i'd sleep better, possibly but at that low level, I just get so wired. it's weird.0 -
charlenekapf wrote: »Yes, the gnawing sensation is what keeps me awake or wakes me up.
The muscle and joint pain isn't what keeps me up but I do have a lot of that...lifting exacerbates it. Stretching, more cardio than lifting and moving around in general helps with the muscle tightness/aching.Charlene, do you get a gnawing sensation in the pit of your stomach at night that keeps you awake, or muscle or joint aches and pains more so keeping you awake? If you take Motrin PM does that help at all? Sorry if you answered this upthread already.
I know that this doesn't sound appetizing, but I've found that eating a small pat of butter (50 cals for 1/2 tbsp) helps my stomach at night if I'm getting the gnawing sensation in the pit of the stomach. Also sometimes I'll take a tablespoon of full fat sour cream, and it stops it and cuts cravings too for me. You could try a spoon of plain Greek yogurt or something more palatable to you. Just be sure to weigh any bites so you don't go over your calorie goal.
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charlenekapf wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »charlenekapf wrote: »I know this has been discussed before but curious if anyone has found a true remedy. i've tried wine in the past which obviously exacerbates the problem, low carb, high carb, etc. It always happens if I run the smallest deficit. I lost a lot of weight years ago and as a results just accepted the fact I would always sleep like s***. It all started when I began dieting and sometimes can turn into night eating syndrome, especially days i am able to go to bed in a deficit, so I don't keep anything in the house I would try to eat. However, after a few days now of bad sleep when I'm in a small deficit, I end up eating more before bed (I'm talking brussels sprouts, chicken and salsa but healthy food is STILL food). I ruin the deficit. I did this last night and after sleeping 5-6 hours most of this week, I slept for almost 9! I would just like to sleep through the night and no herbs like passionflower have worked. Sometimes I take unisom but am still so devastated. I don't want to not sleep but i'm so tired of gaining/maintaining. Anyone who has experience with this and has found a remedy or just sucks up chronically functioning on 5 hours please post.
Honestly I've never experienced this. You talk about it like its what anyone in calorie deficit experiences but its not. If anything when I'm in calorie deficit I am more tired and require more sleep and as a result find myself falling asleep sooner and staying asleep longer.
I do know some people have sleep issues with dieting...apparently its common but more so in leaner individuals on lower calories. My body definitely prefers to be awake and alert if i'm hungry. I wish I would sleep in.
Maybe you do need to go for a smaller deficit and just lose more slowly over time. Set your goal for a 0.5 pound a week loss and see if the hypervigilence and alertness at night ends. That is easy, and your body might need a bit of a break. I found eating at 1200 calories a day I was miserable, hungry, and angsty, for instance, but at 1500 I was relaxed.0 -
Hey OP,
I'm having the same problem. From your description my problem seems like exactly like yours! I think I'm pushing for the lower weight that my body doesn't agree with. It's only 5 lbs from here, but I'm surprised that there's been more problems than it's worth. Lack of sleep and very light sleep when it happens is a big issue. I'm not hungry and can deal with the deficit well but I just cannot fall asleep easily anymore and occasionally experience light headed.
Anyway, I hope you find your solution soon. I'm cutting out coffee in the morning, beer and sweet treat in dinner. Like what you experience, my mind is just too wired to go to sleep. Maybe, we should try blank mind meditation a couple hours before sleep time. Good luck.
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Ugh if I could just accept this weight I would but I'm much more than 5 lbs away from an acceptable weight. Hope it gets better for you too.endlessfall16 wrote: »Hey OP,
I'm having the same problem. From your description my problem seems like exactly like yours! I think I'm pushing for the lower weight that my body doesn't agree with. It's only 5 lbs from here, but I'm surprised that there's been more problems than it's worth. Lack of sleep and very light sleep when it happens is a big issue. I'm not hungry and can deal with the deficit well but I just cannot fall asleep easily anymore and occasionally experience light headed.
Anyway, I hope you find your solution soon. I'm cutting out coffee in the morning, beer and sweet treat in dinner. Like what you experience, my mind is just too wired to go to sleep. Maybe, we should try blank mind meditation a couple hours before sleep time. Good luck.0 -
charlenekapf wrote: »Well if I'm not dieting I'm overeating and gaining weight very fast. I can overeat easily by 1000 calories. When I'm logging and trying to focus on vegetables and protein, healthy fats I'm trying to keep my calories lower too.charlenekapf wrote: »I am not asking about a particular diet or food. I am asking more about a sleep problem. If you have questions about the foods I eat or calories, you can ask me and I will tell you...this forum seems to be a lot more active. however the database is a lot slower and less put together than live strong, that's all.charlenekapf wrote: »I'm not logging on here as I don't like the database. I use live strong usually. My deficit is not too large I assure you. I use a fitbit and exercise at least 60 minutes a day of cardio, sometimes wight lifting. I've tried protein before bed as well..ugh. Sounds like not many people have this issue when dieting.cmriverside wrote: »Ok...I am still not understanding your issue?
Your food diary is set to private so I can't really look at it and make any suggestions. If you are hungry and that's why you can't sleep, maybe your deficit is too large. Without a lengthy (like a couple months) logging record there is no way for you to know if that is the case. Figure out your daily needs and subtract 250 (or use this site and choose "Lose 1/2 pound per week.") Then log your food for two months. See if you lose or gain or stay the same. Adjust accordingly.
Good bedtime snack is something with protein. Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, glass of milk, egg and toast. Something with protein.
Without seeing your food diary it's significantly harder to help you. Maybe you can ask the people over there instead.
Diet can impact sleep, so it can play a huge part in your sleep issues. Even more so since you are saying you only have this problem while dieting.
Sounds like this is more of a challenge that might benefit from Cognitive Behavioral therapy for sleep disorders. It takes a look at your thoughts and beliefs about sleep, and how they impact your behavior that ultimately disrupts your sleep habits. It also focuses strongly on sleep hygiene.
Regardless, this sounds like something you should talk to your doctor about. There are lots of "herbal remedies" that may or may not help, and potentially could make things worse. Plus, CBT can help with things like overeating. No one should have to diet just to keep weight off, it's about lifestyle change, and that includes how we think and approach food.2 -
charlenekapf wrote: »MsRuffBuffNStuff wrote: »charlenekapf wrote: »
That's still 3-4 hours before bed...which is longer than I can go... so move dinner to 8pm? Or plan a late night snack? I'm thinking something like a half peanut butter sandwich and milk? Something comforting and filling. It truly doesn't matter when you get your calories as long as you're in your desired deficit. If the deficit is too difficult, try eating at maintenance for a while and get your deficit with exercise... and the exercise could help with sleep as well. (Your "calorie burn" seems extremely high unless you're running miles and miles every day. Make sure you're only subtracting ACTUAL exercise calories, not the BMR/TDEE that some fitness trackers will give you...because MFP has already factored that into what you should eat based on your goals).
I usually can't eat that late as far as being able to wait that long. Maybe starting to eat at 7 if I can just try pushing it out that long with a smaller breaking the fast meal before that. It's so hard to eat a small meal after breaking the fast.
My calorie burn that I am stating is my TDEE...I do believe it's accurate as I total around 15000 steps a day, with usually 10,000 of that being steep incline power walking and the stair master. I sweat very hard for an hour. On days I don't workout or just walk around casually, or even hit 10,000 steps walking, hiking, but not strenuous, my tdee is closer to 1700-1800 so it seems pretty accurate. As far as intake, I think it should be reasonable at my weight/activity level to eat 1700-1800 calories a day and lose. it may be slow but if i can keep the calories at that level consistently....I believe i'd lose, assuming my activity was the same. It is very hard for me to eat 1400-1500 for more than a day or two. if i'd sleep better, possibly but at that low level, I just get so wired. it's weird.
Save a few hundred calories for a bedtime snack. Or just create a smaller deficit - you'll be ahead overall if you're able to stop the Night Eating Syndrome you mentioned in your OP.0 -
charlenekapf wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »charlenekapf wrote: »I know this has been discussed before but curious if anyone has found a true remedy. i've tried wine in the past which obviously exacerbates the problem, low carb, high carb, etc. It always happens if I run the smallest deficit. I lost a lot of weight years ago and as a results just accepted the fact I would always sleep like s***. It all started when I began dieting and sometimes can turn into night eating syndrome, especially days i am able to go to bed in a deficit, so I don't keep anything in the house I would try to eat. However, after a few days now of bad sleep when I'm in a small deficit, I end up eating more before bed (I'm talking brussels sprouts, chicken and salsa but healthy food is STILL food). I ruin the deficit. I did this last night and after sleeping 5-6 hours most of this week, I slept for almost 9! I would just like to sleep through the night and no herbs like passionflower have worked. Sometimes I take unisom but am still so devastated. I don't want to not sleep but i'm so tired of gaining/maintaining. Anyone who has experience with this and has found a remedy or just sucks up chronically functioning on 5 hours please post.
Honestly I've never experienced this. You talk about it like its what anyone in calorie deficit experiences but its not. If anything when I'm in calorie deficit I am more tired and require more sleep and as a result find myself falling asleep sooner and staying asleep longer.
I do know some people have sleep issues with dieting...apparently its common but more so in leaner individuals on lower calories. My body definitely prefers to be awake and alert if i'm hungry. I wish I would sleep in.
Perhaps that is the difference, I never diet to the point of hunger....just seems unecessarily uncomfortable.0 -
Lots of good suggestions here. While you are waiting for your sleep study, I recommend saving enough calories so you can have some cereal and milk when you awaken during the night. You might be able to get back to sleep faster, and if you are including this in your daily allotment it won't interrupt anything.1
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charlenekapf wrote: »I know this has been discussed before but curious if anyone has found a true remedy. i've tried wine in the past which obviously exacerbates the problem, low carb, high carb, etc. It always happens if I run the smallest deficit. I lost a lot of weight years ago and as a results just accepted the fact I would always sleep like s***. It all started when I began dieting and sometimes can turn into night eating syndrome, especially days i am able to go to bed in a deficit, so I don't keep anything in the house I would try to eat. However, after a few days now of bad sleep when I'm in a small deficit, I end up eating more before bed (I'm talking brussels sprouts, chicken and salsa but healthy food is STILL food). I ruin the deficit. I did this last night and after sleeping 5-6 hours most of this week, I slept for almost 9! I would just like to sleep through the night and no herbs like passionflower have worked. Sometimes I take unisom but am still so devastated. I don't want to not sleep but i'm so tired of gaining/maintaining. Anyone who has experience with this and has found a remedy or just sucks up chronically functioning on 5 hours please post.
I have the same issue when I am in a deficit. It impacts my sleep. I'm not tired though so I don't worry about it.1
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