Has Anyone Conquered Insomnia? page 7

[katscratch]

codered5 yes yes yes!!!!! That described me exactly! I actually discovered primal while searching for elimination diet ideas that would allow me to maintain enough nutrients - by that point I'd lost 23% of my low-normal weight and had had full-blown panic attacks daily.

About 3 weeks into strict primal i tested bagels on an impulse, and in less than an hour had massive anxiety, heart racing, clammy skin! Realized at that moment that it had been at least a week since i'd experienced any of those things, including at night.

Kim a friend of mine with multiple grain/seed food sensitivities finally learned cherries and walnuts were major triggers, both of which she rarely ate so it took some time to discover.

I hope you find relief soon, i know exactly how horrible it is!!!

[Kate Ruckman]

And I am going to absolutely KILL my cat, a LOT. My husband has a cold and had to get up once in the night, which he often does...part of my sleep problem. But once in a while, my insane cat comes and rolls against our bedroom door, rattles it, and SINGS to us. We get up and chase her off. She does it again. Last night THREE TIMES. No wonder I can't sleep...meh! I'm putting the water sprayer by the door!

[KimInGA]

Kim, I would 100% advise you to avoid cortisol sups unless you have been diagnosed. I am guessing, as your symptoms appear VERY similar to mine, that you have an adrenal issue...so cortisol suppressants are going to do MORE harm, in fact, you actually have too low of cortisol probably to begin with, which is why you feel that SOMETHING pulsing through your body making you very awake. Which by the way is probably adrenaline. When you have an adrenal problem, your body typically produces enough cortisol in the morning, but as they day goes on your body can't keep up and you have low cortisol...Your body would normally flood your system with cortisol to help deal with stress, make you feel better, etc. If the cortisol is not available, your body responds by substituting epinephrine (adrenaline), in order to combat the stress. This process uses up your dopamine stores in your brain. It's basically like pushing full go on a gas pedal without the tank being full. This causes MAJOR insomnia and typically makes you wake up feeling like you are in the middle of a marathon or something. I have zero insomnia now...I would quit caffeine immediately if I were you and get checked for food allergies...the two most common causes of this issue.

Wow this is fascinating ... I feel like that describes how I feel exactly! During the day, especially as it gets into the afternoon and later, I feel really lethargic. After reading Good Calories, Bad Calories I thought that the problem could be that my body was used to burning sugar and bad at switching over to burning fat. I figured that if I switched to a paleo diet I would force my body to learn how to be an effective fat burner, but after 5 months I feel almost no difference. I feel like I'm not able to access and use the energy from all these good foods I'm eating during the day, and then at night I have that crazy "something" pumping through my veins making me feel very hot and very awake.

I started cutting back on caffeine about 2 weeks ago and I'm now down to 2 cups of green tea (vs. the old double-shot latte). I'll get it down to nothing but caffeine-free tea by the end of this week. As for food allergies, are there any specific ones that are commonly linked to adrenal problems? The things I eat nearly every day are meat, eggs, veggies, good fats/oils, dairy and nuts. Fruits are more rare, maybe 2x per week. There is no one specific thing in any group that I eat every day though, and the dairy & nuts are small amounts (generally cheese & crushed nuts for salad toppings).

Do you know if this test would show definitively if my problems are related to adrenal issues? https://shop.trackyourplaque.com/Pro...-test-kit.aspx

Thanks so much for the insight!!

[KimInGA]

And I am going to absolutely KILL my cat, a LOT. My husband has a cold and had to get up once in the night, which he often does...part of my sleep problem. But once in a while, my insane cat comes and rolls against our bedroom door, rattles it, and SINGS to us. We get up and chase her off. She does it again. Last night THREE TIMES. No wonder I can't sleep...meh! I'm putting the water sprayer by the door!

Lol - - our cat does the same thing. He waits outside the bedroom door for us every morning and normally he's quiet until he hears us getting up. Once in a while he just starts talking in the middle of the night though! He's a Maine Coon so he normally sings the signature Maine Coon "trill" ... kind of a purr and a meow mixed together.

[hottierockstar]

hmmm...i am sleeping *less* and getting more done (despite fur children antics and potty breaks)...i thought it was just a side effect of all the energy flowing through my body...i am gonna go with that for now LOL

[Kate Ruckman]

Lol - - our cat does the same thing. He waits outside the bedroom door for us every morning and normally he's quiet until he hears us getting up. Once in a while he just starts talking in the middle of the night though! He's a Maine Coon so he normally sings the signature Maine Coon "trill" ... kind of a purr and a meow mixed together.

What's funny is that she doesn't want IN, it's like she just enjoys DOING it. Sometimes during the day she'll roll against the bathroom door that way. When I open the door, she runs away. Laughing, I swear.

[AndFreedomFor]

Wow this is fascinating ... I feel like that describes how I feel exactly! During the day, especially as it gets into the afternoon and later, I feel really lethargic. After reading Good Calories, Bad Calories I thought that the problem could be that my body was used to burning sugar and bad at switching over to burning fat. I figured that if I switched to a paleo diet I would force my body to learn how to be an effective fat burner, but after 5 months I feel almost no difference. I feel like I'm not able to access and use the energy from all these good foods I'm eating during the day, and then at night I have that crazy "something" pumping through my veins making me feel very hot and very awake.

I started cutting back on caffeine about 2 weeks ago and I'm now down to 2 cups of green tea (vs. the old double-shot latte). I'll get it down to nothing but caffeine-free tea by the end of this week. As for food allergies, are there any specific ones that are commonly linked to adrenal problems? The things I eat nearly every day are meat, eggs, veggies, good fats/oils, dairy and nuts. Fruits are more rare, maybe 2x per week. There is no one specific thing in any group that I eat every day though, and the dairy & nuts are small amounts (generally cheese & crushed nuts for salad toppings).

Do you know if this test would show definitively if my problems are related to adrenal issues? https://shop.trackyourplaque.com/Pro...-test-kit.aspx

Thanks so much for the insight!!

Hey,

Did you end up getting allergy testing? How is your insomnia? I'm dying to know because I have the same issue you do.

[athomeontherange]

I am waiting for my sleep to come back.. 3:30am is my nemesis. Started Estrogen therapy..pfftt Slept 3 hours last night and even had some meletonin.

[AuroraB]

Hmm ... since I have the 2% solution, I would need to add 12 drops to get up to 12 mg. Maybe I need to try more, since I've never taken more than 5 drops.

I do take a melatonin pill, but I've never tried 2. The brand I have has 3 mg Melatonin with 25 mg Theanine in each pill. I'll try 2 tonight and see if that helps.



Thanks for the advice!

Do your research on the melatonin. I also take it. I also had the exact same thing happening to me ~~to bed between 10:30-11:00 and awake at 4 am, for months. I was taking 2-3mg every night and it was happening in spite of it. I lowered the dose to 0.5-1mg (I use microlingual or liquid) and it's made a world of difference. I can sleep at least until 6-7 am now.

[NZ primal Gwamma]

I am also dying to know how you got on with your sleep. I have found that after years of sleep deprivation, that firstly the ellimination of grains helped me, but also protein and fat at each meal. Very satiating !!
I so hope you have worked this wee issue out
G