Quiet Mind?

[nanette09]

Hi,

I am on Day 10 and noticed I am sleeping so much better. It could be because I am exhausted from all the kitchen work, lol, but I don't think so. Before starting the program, I would wake up during the night and have trouble falling back to sleep, because my mind would start "buzzing" - I would lay there thinking about random things - not even anything stressful - just ordinary things, and before I knew it, an hour or two would pass! Try as I might, I couldn't "turn it off" and fall asleep.

Now, I am finding that even though I wake up to use the bathroom once or twice (need to stop drinking tea right before bed!), I literally fall right back to sleep! This is like heaven to me!

So I am wondering if there is any evidence or known connections to food and an "overactive" mind? Can the absence of carbs, sugar, dairy or alcohol be the reason I'm sleeping? Do they somehow activate part of the brain to keep it wired in the wee hours of the night?

If so, that alone is a HUGE reason for me to continue to eat this way after the 30 days!

I'd love to hear if anyone else has had, or is having this same experience, and if there is any "truth" behind my theory.

Thanks!

Nanette09

[jmcbn]

7 minutes ago, nanette09 said:

Can the absence of carbs, sugar, dairy or alcohol be the reason I'm sleeping?

In short, yes. All of these things are known to disrupt sleep patterns, particularly if you are in anyway sensitive to them. The problem often is that they have a creeping effect, and so when first reintroduced you may not notice any negative effect on sleep. But if you include them regularly in your diet the build up in the system eventually disrupts your sleep patterns again...

[nanette09]

1 hour ago, jmcbn said:

In short, yes. All of these things are known to disrupt sleep patterns, particularly if you are in anyway sensitive to them. The problem often is that they have a creeping effect, and so when first reintroduced you may not notice any negative effect on sleep. But if you include them regularly in your diet the build up in the system eventually disrupts your sleep patterns again...

Thanks so much jmcbn for answering my question! Good to know about the creeping effect - something I wasn't aware of. I will surely pay attention to this as time goes on. 

Best,

Nanette09

[becs]

@nanette09 - I, too, had major issues with a busy mind keeping me awake - some nights it would take 2 to 3 hours to finally fall asleep. I could not turn my brain off! A lot of it was random anxiety for me, though. I'm on Day 22, and am thrilled that this is no longer an issue. I fall asleep much faster, and don't wake up throughout the night anymore. I'm less anxious in general, actually. I don't understand the physiology of how food affects things like stress and a mind that won't shut up when you want it to, but I'm so happy that it does! Major NSV.

[nanette09]

Thanks becs! I'm glad to hear you are having good results with your sleeping. More motivation for me!