Unable to sleep well

[pickydoo]

This is day 28 for me and, for the most part, I have really been enjoying my first Whole30! My favorite thing that I have noticed is the increased mental clarity.The thing that bothers me, though, is that I haven't slept well for the entire time. I have had sleep struggles for years, but they have gotten worse during my Whole30. Even if I am in bed by 10:30 p.m., I now can't fall asleep until 1 a.m. or later, and I wake up at 6:30 a.m. on the dot, exhausted, but unable to fall back asleep. I now walk around all day like a zombie and my body aches and joint pain have gotten worse, as well. I am 38 years old and need to lose about 50 pounds, but, unfortunately, my clothes don't feel any looser. This is also frustrating. Any ideas for me would be greatly appreciated. I would love to make this a Whole45 or Whole60, but need to start sleeping better.

[Carlaccini]

Hmmm - Are you able to list out a couple days of meals so we might be able to help you trouble shoot?

 

I know for me personally nuts, and dried fruit (Larabars especially) disrupt my gut as well as my sleep.  So even a handful of nuts will usually cause me an hour or 2 of wakefullness during the middle of the night.  So as much as I enjoy my homemade paleo granola (not whole 30) I sadly cannot eat much of it.

 

Another thought - what is your coffee/tea consumption? And what time are you drinking it?  

 

Are you snacking/eating before bedtime at all?  This sometimes effects the blood sugars in our bodies.

[pickydoo]

Thank you so much for your response! This is what I have eaten the last couple of days. All of this is homemade and from scratch, so I don't think there are any hidden, forbidden ingredients:

 

Tuesday

3-4 egg omelet (with coconut oil, avocado, tomatoes, salsa)

Monkey salad (unsweetened coconut chips, 1 sliced banana, handful of cashews)

 

Large, plain chicken breast with lettuce, tomato, carrots, guacamole (compliant)

Cherry pie Larabar

Apple with 1 TBSP almond butter

Talking Rain brand sparkling water from Costco (ingredients:  carbonated mountain spring water, essences from natural oils and extracts)

 

Roasted chicken (mostly dark meat) with broccoli sautéed in olive oil

 

Wednesday

Same breakfast as Tuesday

 

Two large hamburger patties 80/20 with lettuce, tomato, pickles, guacamole (compliant)

2 handfuls of mixed nuts (pecans, cashews, almonds)

Talking Rain sparkling water

 

Beef pot roast with roasted carrots and side salad (a variety of lettuces/greens) with compliant, homemade Ranch dressing

Monkey Salad

 

Last night, I did eat the monkey salad quite late (9 p.m.), so that very well could have been the problem last night. However, in general, during the Whole30, I have not eaten anything past 7:30.

 

I do not drink coffee/tea at all, so my caffeine consumption is zero. In general, I have eaten one Larabar only every two to three days, but I will stop them altogether if it could be affecting my sleep. Do you notice that even small amounts of nuts affect your sleep? Or does it depend on the time of day that you eat them? I would be willing to try to give them up if you think it would help, but I would have a hard time not eating any nuts at all! I really appreciate your help. Whole30 makes complete sense to me; I just have to figure out how to best utilize it.

[Physibeth]

I would definitely advice cutting out the monkey salad, larabars, and go easy on the nuts for a week and see if that helps. Your protein and fat servings are good but you could do a lot better with vegetables. Try adding an additional cooked vegetables to each of your meals in place of the above 3 things and see how that does.

 

You could also try supplementing with magnesium for a couple of weeks and see if that helps. Natural calm is the favorite around here (get the unflavored one as the others have stevia in them). You can also try topical magnesium like epson salt bath or a cream.

 

Outside of food, do you have a bedtime routine? Do you stop using all electronic devices an hour before bed? Is your room dark, quiet, and cool?

[Carlaccini]

Yes even a small closed handful will cause me problems.  (I have smallish hands compared to my height).  Nut butters seems to be okay though - provided that I don't go to town with them - bascially use in recipes as called for (Well Fed's Pad Thai)

 

I was not a nut lover previously as I had long suspected I had issues with them.

 

Lay off the Larabars, and the nuts for a few days to a week. There are a lot better fats to choose from that are better for you than nuts.

 

With regards to fruit and monkey salad.  Do not let fruit push the veggies off your plate.  I would rather see you having a side of sauteed veggies or sweet potato rather than fruit or monkey salad.  Those sugars early on in the day may be affecting your sleep as well.  So I would try to eliminate the fruit in the morning and add some veggies instead.  The funny thing is I can eat same portion size every morning and I'm full until past noon.  If I add fruit to the mix - I don't make until 11:00 - I'm famished.  Those sugars cause your body to crash a lot earlier.  You may want to eliminate it at night too, or maybe have berries instead of the monkey salad (lower on sugar than bananas)  Play around with it.

[GlennR]

I avoid fruits in the evening because the sugar keeps me up or makes my sleep fitful.

[pickydoo]

Thank you for the ideas, everyone. Starting yesterday afternoon, I cut out all nuts, larabars, and fruits for the remainder of my Whole30 (just a couple of days left!) and then I might add in one serving of fruit mid-day and in a week or so, I'll add in maybe one small handful of nuts a day and see how I do. I have also made a goal to limit my screen time close to bed! Hopefully, I can get back into a healthy sleep routine.

[tiva]

I find magnesium and melatonin at nighttime both make a huge difference. A little sweet potato can also help right before bed (a one inch cube, cooked of course).

 

A sleep mask (I just make one with a knee-high thin sock and a safety pin) and a fan for white noise also make a huge difference.  Good luck--insomnia sucks. 

[Beets]

Ditto on sleep mask and magnesium. I have seen a few people mention this monkey salad thing on the forum lately. It doesn't seem like something that will help achieve w30 goals but rather push more nutrient-rich foods off your plate. I think you'll see results from focusing on template meals and avoiding nuts.