Low Carb and Sleeping problems? page

[Whopper]

Hey everyone, im a pretty recent convert to the primal life, and im loving learning new things here on the site. I was wondering if anyone else who follows a low carb diet, ever has trouble staying asleep, or not feeling rested even after a full nights sleep? This usually happens when my carbs get really low, I find myself waking up and craving something to eat, and end up going to town on trail mix or something i shouldnt eat a half pound of haha.

i remember this same sort of effect from doing carb cycling diets a few years ago trying to lose weight. Could it be just due to low calorie intake, and does it pass if you just fight through it? i do drink a few cups of coffee a day, but this doesn't seem to correlate with drinking more or less coffee, although i do drink more to compensate on days after this happens. any advice or similar experiences would be great, even if just to help me feel normal, thanks!

[Griff]

Sounds like part of the low-carb flu to me. Don't eat carbs when you wake up at night. Eat something that is high-fat, like a tablespoon or two of coconut oil. The cravings will go away in time, but only if you don't feed them.

[jo]

I remember Dr Eades mentioning this on his blog. It is related to being in ketosis and he recommended eating some carb just before you go to bed to keep you out of ketosis till you get to sleep. I think he said a teaspoon of honey but can't remember exactly.

You mention low calorie intake. You may want to try raising your calories if they are low and you are doing low carb at the same time.

[Whopper]

i wonder if it could be ketosis, because i've been working towards strictly primal-ness for a few months, and it has been at least 6 weeks since i had a high sugar/carb meal, i've faught through that big flu, and this has come up since i've gotten my diet much better refined, trying to get off of snack/crutch foods like lots of fruit and nuts. Ill try that high fat snack before bed, and if that doesn't work ill try some berries. any other tips for a quick high fat snack besides almonds or nuts, i have a hard time stopping at a handful with those. being responsible takes a little preperation haha

[TigerJ]

1/2 sweet potato in the evening does the trick for me when I cannot sleep (usually only if lots of stress and no exercise). Also getting off caffeine made a big difference too.

[Ry]

My sleep has improved since adding some carbs from sweet potatoes (though I also stopped eating eggs right around the same time). I think some people do better on moderate carb levels, so adding some yams/sweet potatoes might be worth trying. Another thing to try would be cutting out all caffeine for a while and seeing what happens.

[Danger_Dave]

I too have trouble sleeping (not necessarily because of the diet, always been that way) I hear Valerian Root Extract helps but, I haven't tried it, picking some up today. I was wanting to add a sweet potato to my diet once a week. I am interested to see if eating it at night will help me get some Zs.

Ry- Do you eat your sweet potato at night? or did it just help in general?

[kuno1chi]

Have you tried using a Melatonin supplement?
You take it about half an hour before you go to bed; I've found it works best on an empty stomach.
Might be worth a go if you haven't...
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders...tonin-overview

[NoSaladWithoutMeat]

I've always been an insomniac. It's either I need more sleep than anyone else does or a lot less.. Maybe you're like me. The biggest thing though is TV/ PC... if you spend a lot of time on the computer or watching tv especially before you go to sleep it just won't work.... :/

[elorajade]

I had a bad spell of laying awake till 2am. Then I decided that I'd walk on the treadmill at night during TV time and push some weights. Worked like a charm.