My low carb diet seems to have solved my insomnia

[Appalonia]

I'm currently on a low carb high fat diet and I'm really noticing a difference in my sleep. I normally sleep really badly and some nights I've literally been awake all night. However, since I started this diet, I've had no trouble getting to sleep. I've done low carb before and the same thing happened. I don't know why it happens, I'm not a scientist, but I know how desperate it feels to not be able to sleep ( wasn't really sure where to post it ), so I wanted to post it for those of us who struggle to sleep, to see if it might help them?

Bump

I’m willing to try anything so thank you

Amazing. I’m currently low (refined) carbing and the weight comes off so much quicker than anything else I’ve tried.

There’s a lot of links between gut health and mental health. It could be there’s something carby that you have an intolerance to. I’m not coeliac, but having tried different diets I’ve noticed that when I eat gluten I either cant sleep or I wake up in the middle of the night with raging anxiety. It’s more noticeable with peri menopause too.

I find low carb wasn't great for sleeping unless I had a bit more before bed.
It does help with joint pain a lot though and it's not weight loss as if I eat carbs for a week when I'm light they hurt again.

Agree with Hobbbes8 on the gut thing.

It’s because your insulin and blood sugar stay stable. I find the same and it’s wonderful.

Thank you for sharing this - I'm interested in trying low carb anyway, but this seems another good reason! Glad to hear it's so much better for you.

It's weird, I'm just doing it this time to lose a few pounds, but it's really noticeable, the difference in my sleep and as I said, it did happen before. Am thinking, maybe I have to do a version of this for life, as my sleep has been so bad for so long. I haven't had to take a Nytol at all, and it was the only thing that would guarantee a decent nights sleep before. Yes it probably is to do with blood sugar?

I have exactly the same experience @Appalonia - whenever I low carb I sleep through the night. Otherwise I always wake up a couple of times.

I have the complete opposite, I’m up all night weeing on low carb and I wake up in the middle of the night with low blood sugar. Annoying because it’s such a quick way to lose weight but the lack of sleep negates any benefit for me. Glad it’s working out for you OP, good luck with it!

Oh no that's a bummer! I guess we all react differently to different foods. For me, if I eat wheat now, my heart starts pounding in my chest, which shows me it's really not good for me. Whereas on low carb I feel calm and happy. It's just so hard to maintain long term.

I’ve been thinking exactly the same op, I’ve been doing low carb/keto for a good while loosing weight and everything seems so much better, so when I hit goal I have a feeling I’ll have to keep it up as low carb less strict version to keep some of the gains (good sleep, better rhr, good skin)

Out of interest, are you taking magnesium supplements? When I did keto previously I was advised to take them - the keto itself didn’t help my sleep at all, but as soon as I started on the magnesium I was out like a light every night.

No I'm not. I did look into them before, but no. I wish there was some proper research into this, as so many women have problems sleeping and this is just one of the unintended, but very welcome benefits of this way of eating!

It’s because your cortisol and adrenaline peak which are how we wake up - this is natural. But that effect is increased when insulin is also high - it’s explained in the obesity code but I read that a couple of years ago so may not be totally accurate.

its partly why we can’t sleep when we’ve been drunk! It’s not the blood sugar crash, it’s the insulin. And the racing heart. And the anxiety. Urgh.

I noticed this too. This also happens when I fast and eat healthy (no sugar) and don’t eat after 7pm. It can take a few days to get there especially if you feel hungry before bed and aren’t used to it.

Logically, if it’s the middle of the night you’re seeing the benefits it’s surely more likely to be digestion related that blood sugar or insulin related?

digestion of the days food is taking place at night. Insulin and blood sugar spikes take place within a time frame after eating.

it’s true that detoxing from
a high volume of alcohol wakes you but that’s a different situation to processing a normal days food

For me the biggest difference is that I can drop off to sleep much quicker, I've not been tossing and turning for HOURS, as I usually do. So last night I think it took me 20 mins to fall asleep ( which I normally never do ) AND I didn't wake up in the night either! I just feel a lot calmer and relaxed.

Amazing!

I'm afraid only drugs (Mirtazipine) have helped me with my insomnia, but I love eating low carb for the flat stomach and energy levels it gives me. Because I have to think creatively to replace carbs, I eat so much more veg.

I find it harder to get to sleep if I’ve had a very low carb day, but my sleep quality is improved. I have a lot more dreams when I’m low carbing as well. However, giving up alcohol is the best thing for my sleep, I did dry jan and have still not had a drink this year, and I am sleeping so well. The next thing for me to work on is the length of sleep, but this will involve going to bed earlier which I never seem to be able to do.

Low carbing is great for my health, apart from my sleep.

It’s anti inflammatory isn’t it. So I guess your body is more comfortable and working better. I find my period pains much relieved by LC