Clean eating = trouble sleeping??

emmab0902
emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
edited November 25 in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone. I've recently started clean eating, and I'm now finding it hard to sleep. I'm still hitting my goals in terms of calories and macros so not sure why sleep is suddenly elusive as nothing else has changed. Is this a normal thing when you cut out junk food?
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Replies

  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    What do you mean by clean eating? There is no commonly accepted definition of "clean" eating.

    I can't imagine why what you are eating would cause sleep problems if it is not food that contains stimulants like caffeine.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I agree with the above. Can you give a better description of how/what you are eating. Or if you are following a website, could you post a link.

    Why can't you sleep? Are you simply not sleepy, or having reflux or other symptoms that keep you awake?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Yes, what specific changes have you made? Have you change when you eat? Are you hungry in the evenings? Any sense of why you can't sleep -- waking up, mind racing, so on?
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
    I've eliminated junk food and am eating a good variety of proteins vegetables eggs yoghurt etc. I'm a competitive swimmer so I eat well. I'm finding it difficult to get to sleep at night. As mentioned nothing else has changed, I'm still eating the same calories and same mealtimes. I'm not going to bed hungry and don't restrict calories as it would be detrimental to my training.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    When are you training--in the evenings? My husband trained for competitive swimming yrs ago and couldn't sleep. He had to quit.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    emmab0902 wrote: »
    I've eliminated junk food and am eating a good variety of proteins vegetables eggs yoghurt etc. I'm a competitive swimmer so I eat well. I'm finding it difficult to get to sleep at night. As mentioned nothing else has changed, I'm still eating the same calories and same mealtimes. I'm not going to bed hungry and don't restrict calories as it would be detrimental to my training.

    How much sleep are you getting now compared to before you changed your diet?
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    When are you training--in the evenings? My husband trained for competitive swimming yrs ago and couldn't sleep. He had to quit.

    Mostly early afternoon. But evening training has never disrupted my sleep.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    With so little information it's hard to tell what it is since you've recently made dietary changes. It could be many things. I would suggest discussing this with your doctor or trying OTC melatonin.
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    With so little information it's hard to tell what it is since you've recently made dietary changes. It could be many things. I would suggest discussing this with your doctor or trying OTC melatonin.

    All I've done is eliminate junk food. As a psychologist I wouldn't touch melatonin
  • Mazintrov13
    Mazintrov13 Posts: 135 Member
    I find if I don’t get enough carbs or calories I have trouble sleeping.
    Also curious why you wouldn’t use melatonin?
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    It’s hard to imagine the two are directly related. Do you not fall asleep, or not stay asleep? Drinking more water and having to get up to pee?

    Could there be something environmental like new noises, pollen, stress? I’m sure you know there are many foods that are thought to help sleeplessness. Doctor Google can help.
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
    Have seen too many bad side effects in lots of people I work with, including really serious stuff.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    edited February 2018
    Significant weight loss can affect hormones and that affect many area, including sleep. If sleep issues continue, you could consider talking to doc to rule out any clinical sleep disorders.
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
    Will give it a week or so and see if it settles. I'm in maintenance weight wise my focus is on swimming performance. Was just perplexed why my sleep has suddenly gone wonky. I eat well and am on a 40:30:30 split for P:F:C which meets my training needs. Hopefully it's a shortlived blip!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    The only time diet lost me sleep was when I was’t eating my minimum.
  • margotlovesyou
    margotlovesyou Posts: 102 Member
    That happened to me too - it’s because you’re hungry when you go to bed. I was waking up 4 times a night and it was driving me mad! Our brains are a lot more alert when we’re hungry, so it doesn’t let you sleep. Save some calories so you can eat half a banana before bed. I sleep just fine once I figured that out!
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
    margotlovesyou wrote: »
    That happened to me too - it’s because you’re hungry when you go to bed. I was waking up 4 times a night and it was driving me mad! Our brains are a lot more alert when we’re hungry, so it doesn’t let you sleep. Save some calories so you can eat half a banana before bed. I sleep just fine once I figured that out!

    I never go to bed hungry. Usually have something containing protein before bedtime. Could be just a coincidence that it's happened after I've cleaned up my diet!
  • Nicky882018
    Nicky882018 Posts: 8 Member
    I know exactly what you mean, something I do is buy natural peanut butter ( without any sugar or salt added ) and use your own Himalayan salt sprinkled on it. Take a few spoonfuls just before bed. Seriously it works .. if you can't sleep it raises your cortisol levels which as we all know is terrible

    Add me as friend anybody, my food dairy is always open .. clean eating is life !!
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    emmab0902 wrote: »
    margotlovesyou wrote: »
    That happened to me too - it’s because you’re hungry when you go to bed. I was waking up 4 times a night and it was driving me mad! Our brains are a lot more alert when we’re hungry, so it doesn’t let you sleep. Save some calories so you can eat half a banana before bed. I sleep just fine once I figured that out!

    I never go to bed hungry. Usually have something containing protein before bedtime. Could be just a coincidence that it's happened after I've cleaned up my diet!

    Easy to prove. Start eating "junk" again within your calorie goals and see if your sleeplessness goes away. That way you'll know.

    I second this. It could be a byproduct of diet induced stress as some people have bad sleep when something changes, but it could be something totally unrelated. Try going back to junk for a week, and if that doesn't change things you'll know it's not about your diet.
  • squatsnotsquat
    squatsnotsquat Posts: 29 Member
    Are you actually tired but still can't sleep? I'm thinking it could be that you're actually just having real energy for the first time after cutting out junk food, and for that reason you just don't need as much sleep as you did before. You could also be getting better quality sleep when you do finally fall asleep.
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    Pump up your workout. If you are more tired you'll sleep. How old are you? If mid 40s that's peri-menopause.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I suspect it's unrelated to the diet, but if you are eating the same calories and have just cut out the "junk," everything else can't have stayed the same, as you'd have to make up the calories elsewhere. So are you eating more at meals (can't tell if the "junk" was between meals), eating more of something else, what?

    Also, it seems like the issue is not being able to fall asleep -- not feeling tired, feeling too tired, mind racing, feeling stressed? Any other changes? Have you tried the normal sleep hygiene stuff: http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/getting/overcoming/tips
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
    lucerorojo wrote: »
    Pump up your workout. If you are more tired you'll sleep. How old are you? If mid 40s that's peri-menopause.

    I'm already doing a high training load in the pool and gym, and my programme is set by a former Olympics coach so not keen to mess with it. Believe me the sessions do not need pumping up lol
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I suspect it's unrelated to the diet, but if you are eating the same calories and have just cut out the "junk," everything else can't have stayed the same, as you'd have to make up the calories elsewhere. So are you eating more at meals (can't tell if the "junk" was between meals), eating more of something else, what?

    Also, it seems like the issue is not being able to fall asleep -- not feeling tired, feeling too tired, mind racing, feeling stressed? Any other changes? Have you tried the normal sleep hygiene stuff: http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/getting/overcoming/tips

    Oops when I said nothing has changed well yes obviously I have replaced the empty calories from junk with more protein and vegetables and good nutritional food. Yes I use sleep hygiene as a matter of course.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    emmab0902 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I suspect it's unrelated to the diet, but if you are eating the same calories and have just cut out the "junk," everything else can't have stayed the same, as you'd have to make up the calories elsewhere. So are you eating more at meals (can't tell if the "junk" was between meals), eating more of something else, what?

    Also, it seems like the issue is not being able to fall asleep -- not feeling tired, feeling too tired, mind racing, feeling stressed? Any other changes? Have you tried the normal sleep hygiene stuff: http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/getting/overcoming/tips

    Oops when I said nothing has changed well yes obviously I have replaced the empty calories from junk with more protein and vegetables and good nutritional food. Yes I use sleep hygiene as a matter of course.

    If you've replaced some foods with other foods, then things have changed.

    But honestly, our minds have a tendency to associate changes that happened at the same time with each other even if there is no real link. It's possible that something else is going on with your sleep and your dietary changes just happened around the same time.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    CaptainJoy wrote: »
    I suspect I will get my first woo from this but it might or might not be diet related. I suspect your body needs less sleep to repair itself from the toxins you used to consume with highly processed foods. If the lack of sleep does not leave you feeling tired, this is probably the case.

    If you’re feeling tired from your lack of sleep, it’s something unrelated to diet. Remove all electronic devices from your bedroom. Including your cell phone. Charge it in the kitchen. Get a wind up alarm clock. Seriously. Radio and Bluetooth waves can mess with our brainwaves and inhibit sleep. Sometimes a red night light works (why I don’t know). I’ve found total darkness and quiet help.

    It’s important to understand that there are things other than diet that affect our need for sleep. Personally, I sleep less when I get direct sunlight. That means I sleep more during winter months than summer months. I suggest you do a few experiments for yourself and let us know what the cause was.

    Which toxins in foods make you require more sleep for repair?
  • michellebirtleeds
    michellebirtleeds Posts: 62 Member
    Pump up your workout. If you are more tired you'll sleep.

    Sometimes lots of exercise actually interferes with sleep. I can't do any cardio after 6:30pm or so or I have trouble sleeping.
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