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Sleep pattern issue persists, day 26


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I eat right and think good thoughts, but I have tended to wake up around 3-4 in the morning this past week.  I have taken a Magnesium supplement the past couple of evenings, at dinnertime, but I'm not sure that that is doing anything.  As a result of my new sleep pattern, I either get up too early, and have a wonderful morning, early afternoon, but I drag near the evening.  Or, as with today, I wake up late, because I chose to remain in bed and finally did get back to sleep.  And I'm a bit groggy when I finally get up.  I don't wake up with racing thoughts or resentments, I just wake up.  Has anyone else had this experience?  Moderator, can you provide some insight?  I have searched the blog, but haven't found this exact situation.

Thank you!

Robert

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This happens to me a lot, too. Though I never get up when I wake unless I really have to go to the bathroom, and I always go back to bed afterward. But I have been experiencing the grogginess for the first hour or so of the morning as you describe. I'm also on Day 26, so I'll be interested to see what others have to say.

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  • Moderators

Eating within an hour of waking is one way that you can teach your body when it's 'up' time... eating within an hour of waking will help balance your hormones including cortisol.  Are you eating a template breakfast within an hour of waking? 

When you get up super early and have that lovely morning and early afternoon, are you compensating your food intake for the longer awake hours?  If your day is such that you are awake long enough to eat four meals spaced 4-5 hours apart, then you definitely should be eating a fourth meal.

Try and give us some more information about what you eat, when you eat it, portion sizes etc.. and we can see if we can help.

Also, try taking the magnesium about 15 min before bed...

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I do eat w/i an hour of waking up, though when I wake up at 3-4, I usually stay in bed a bit and try to go back to sleep.  This morning I did make it back to sleep, so I didn't eat until 7:45, after waking for a while at 3:34.  

I eat template meals: yesterday was a big salmon patty, with the plate filled out with a carrot, blueberries, mixed salad greens, a medallion of cooked Japanese sweet potato, with homemade mayo and avocado.  Lunch was meaty pork stew with a cabbage slaw and a carrot and some cashews.  Dinner: a large grass fed hamburger patty over mixed greens with sautéed green tomato, avocado, carrot.  I ate a boiled egg with a cup of coffee amended with some coconut oil before my workout in the morn, and followed it with another boiled egg.  I, actually, didn't eat full breakfast until after the gym and my pre/post workout mini meals, though I eat breakfast soon after I eat my post workout egg.

I don't think that I made a mental computation to determine how far apart my meals were.  Lunch was about 4.5 hrs later than breakfast; dinner followed lunch, about 6-7 hrs, I think.

 

Thank you!

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20 hours ago, Robert Bush said:

Can one do anything about one's cortisol levels?

Actually I did a number of things.  I take magnesium at night, and an epsom bath if I have time.  At about 7 PM I put on blue light blocking glasses to signal my body to get ready for sleep and take a supplement that helps to lower cortisol.  I have also pushed back my bedtime an hour which surprisingly helps me get better sleep.  In the morning I exercise as close to waking as possible to raise cortisol.

 I was waking up every night between 1-3 and having a very hard time falling back asleep, doing the above I sleep through about 90% of the time.

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Have you banned the phone and computer from your bedroom?  I no longer even read books in bed.  If I can't sleep, I get up and read until I get sleepy enough to return.  It makes a huge difference.  I have also been doing some bed yoga, some simple stretches and breathing before bed.  Do you get hungry during the night, is that part of the issue?  Getting used to not eating at all at night can be difficult.  Now that I am not on Whole 30, I sometimes use some liquid Maalox to keep the acid from getting to me at night. I also will do three deep breaths when I wake up in the middle of the night.  Breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 7 and let it out slowly for 8.  This is the Andrew Weill breathing technique.  If you haven't read anything by him, it might be worth it.  Any chance politics is keeping you awake?  Turn off the TV after 9 or so and give yourself a chance to recover.  Jus some ideas.

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