not being able to sleep is really

I'll proably get flamed for this but if you eat a lot of grain products (dont matter if it says whole wheat or any of that) try cutting down on them

I cut all grains out and one of the many benefits was great sleep

wont hurt to try it

First, you have to be uber honest with yourself about your intake and exercise and make sure those are as tweaked as possible before you seek other causes. Second, if you have done that than by all means yes a lack of proper rest and sleep can push the body into a prolonged state of not working properly. Metabolism and cellular respiration rely on a proper balance of rest, energy expenditure and intake.

Have you checked with a doctor about insomnia?

It's not the best solution, but when I had a lot of stress and anxiety in my life, Xanax was a godsend. Benadryl helps too and is supposed to be non-habit forming, but in my experience, once you're used to sleeping with it, it's hard to sleep without it.

I'm hypo too, have you had your levels checked? once my levels were under control and I started being more active I became a LOT less fatigued. You'll also have a hard time losing weight if your levels aren't where they should be. My regular doctor was able to get me where I need to be but a friend of mine had to go to an endocrinologist to get everything sorted out.

As for waking up in a panic and emotional issues keeping you up I can say that getting enough exercise will do wonders for your emotional state. I'm the same way when I get overly stressed I toss and turn and wake up constantly worrying. Working out helps to exhaust the body so that you can sleep. When you wake up in the morning no matter how hard it is get up and get moving, as high intensity as you can, and take a walk in the evenings before bed (I try not to work out too heavy before bed because it can rev me up and make it hard to sleep, heavy workouts are for mornings when I need energy all day!).

Also make sure you're eating right, eating a lot of nutrient poor high fat & calorie foods can hurt sleep patterns. I also find that during crazy stressful times having control over my eating & exercise routines can help because at least in those two parts of my life I know I'm in control and things are going the way they should be. Helps nix those "my life is spiraling out of control" feelings!

And in answer to your question original question: yes not sleeping enough can hinder weight loss.

I'm wih you there. I am LUCK if I get 2 or 3 hours a night, and some nights I don't even go to bed. I hear that sleep is supposed to help with weight, I can't find anything to help with sleep. Good Luck

I read ALL THE TIME, don't watch TV, but when I go to bed, I watch old series on my Kindle, if that's part of the culprit, I'll try your suggestions, starting tonight. I've always been a poor sleeper, but I'll try just about anything. Thanks

I have a lot of trouble sleeping too, so I had a sleep study done, which revealed 2 separate sleep disorders. Not only can I not fall asleep, I cannot stay asleep because I have restless legs.

I would not recommend any of the benzos like lorazepam or xanax for sleep unless you are only using it short term, because you DO build up a tolerance to it and will need more and then it's AWFUL to come off it if you've been on one a while.

I've been on pretty much everything under the sun for the whole not being able to fall asleep thing. There's is a prescription strength melatonin called Rozerum that I was on a while. It did not work for me, but it might be worth asking about.

Also, I've seen several doctors and a sleep neurologist about this. They all tell me to turn everything electronic off an hour before bed and no heavy excersize. Read in low light (I have on of those inking kindles) When you think you are able to go to bed, turn the lights off so the room is totally dark. If you do not fall asleep within 20-30 minutes, get up and do something like play with the dog or read again. Don't stay in bed if you can't sleep because you will start clock watching and not be able to fall asleep

yes I know but I sure dont want my brain to get hooked on lorazepam

Insomnia sucks. I'm hypo too, so I totally feel you on this. I've got the anxiety thing going too, and I just can't shut my brain off when I lay down for bed and have no distractions. Lorazepam has been awesome for it. It helps me calm my brain enough to fall asleep.

Me too! Same situation. I'll have to ask my doctor about lorazepam. I'm lucky if I get 2 hours consistent sleep. Plus the nightmares are extremely stressful.
Thanks for posting this.