Not Hungry, Not Sleeping

[katierocco]

Hi All,

I'm on Day 7 of the Whole30 and physically, I'm feeling great. All 2012 I fought with terrible acid reflux and IBS. Finally concluded by trial and error to stop the following foods: coffee, alcohol, chocolate and peppermint. Since, according to the doc they're inflammatory for acid indigestion. I also had to cut out dairy, when low and behold, I found I'm lactose intolerant. Last month, I would still cheat myself or "risk it" and have some off limits foods, but I finally got tired of it and wanted more discipline. So here I am and that's my background.

My troubleshooting question is this:

Since I've been on Whole30 for 7 days now, I'm finding myself having a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep during the night. I'm also not very hungry. I look at the clock to say, "Oh, now I should probably eat", but I don't feel it, really.

I've read the "What to Expect" timeline and I seemed to follow it for the first couple of days, but now I'm anxious for that good night's sleep to no avail. I slept better before the diet it seemed. Any ideas?

Thanks!

[Lisa@SwissPaleo]

Lots of people seem to have sleep trouble in the first 2 weeks. Try supplementing with some magnesium before bedtime. I use Natural Calm--they have a plain flavor with no added anything. You might also try adding a little bit of starchy carbs into your dinner meal (something like a sweet potato). It's also a really good idea to turn off the computer and tv a few hours before trying to sleep.

[Della Nova]

It's relieving to hear Lisa say that the sleeplessness is normal. I am on Day 7 as well and have been experiencing a similar issue where it seems really difficult to get my brain to settle down and get into deep-sleep mode. I used to fall straight as sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, but so far it will take me at least 1-2 hours laying in bed before I actually sleep.

Also, the lack of hunger can vary as well. I find that a well portioned meal usually keeps us feeling fuller for longer than on the Standard American Diet. Despite your lack of hunger, continue getting 3 correctly portioned meals at the right time. With time and repetition your body's hormones will adjust to the new diet.

[melody]

I just finished day 6. I've also had a much smaller appetite this week.

I've had trouble sleeping too (hence being on here in the middle of the night after tossing and turning for way too long). I was having some trouble sleeping before I started the Whole30, and figured it was from eating sweets late at night. But usually when I cut that out, I go to bed easily. Wondering if this may be hormonal?

The annoying thing is, I get tired and sleepy but then as soon as I hit the pillow, I'm wide awake again!

Thanks Lisa, I think I'm going to try to get extra magnesium tomorrow! Just researched foods rich in it: Dried Coriander, Chives, Spearmint, Dill, Sage, Basil, Savory, pumpkin, squash, and watermelon seeds, cocoa powder, flax seeds, sesame seeds, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews, and pine nuts, halibut,dates, avocados, bananas, seedless raisins, walnuts, spirulina, cod, pecans, cooked spinach.

[katierocco]

Thanks for the research, Lisa!

[Anita20]

I'm now 16+ days in, and I haven't been this exhausted in years-- not since I got my vitamin D, iron, and thyroid meds properly adjusted. I've always had insomnia, but now I've lost my whole "second sleep"-- I'm up for the day, apparently, at 3am. I'm having to take more sleeping meds just to get even that much sleep. I'm currently taking a calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement at bedtime, and switching off between Benedryl and Lunesta, frequently taking another round in the wee hours to try to eke out a few more hours of sleep. It's getting to the point that I'm scared to drive a car, and I'm having a hard time working or taking care of my kids. The other day, i felt totally "vision quest"-y from exhaustion. I'm not hungry at night. I've tried more carbs and less carbs in the evening. I've tried bedtime snack and no bedtime snack. I haven't had caffeine in years, so it's not that. I haven't really had any other symptoms/alleviation of symptoms this month, aside from my sinuses getting a little clearer.

Please, somebody tell me all about how they suddenly started sleeping like a rock on day 17.

[melbournegirl]

I didnt notice I had sleep problems before my whole30 but I noticed it during. It actually took me more than four weeks and was one of the reasons I started a whole100..... Some of us tke longer to 'heal' .... Good luck

[Anita20]

So how many weeks did it take? And how do you tell "needs more healing" from "isn't appropriate for my body"? Because at some point, surely that is the logical conclusion.

[Renee Lee]

Anita, I'm sorry you're still struggling!

Tbh, you have a lot of variables to contend with, (thyroid, food intolerances, sleep meds) so it's hard to give you definitive advice.

How are your pre-sleep habits? Are you shutting off your computer/tv a few hours before you're going to turn in? Is your bedroom COMPLETELY dark, including all those glowing electrical lights? Are you avoiding working out on the evenings?

If the answer is yes, I don't really have much else to suggest besides thinking about consulting with the Whole9 team.

And if you think you slept better before the diet, why not finish out your thirty days and go back to your norm to see?

[Anita20]

Thanks, I think that's good advice, assuming I can make it through the end if the month without crashing my car from exhaustion. ;-)

After a couple of weeks of strict compliance with the list of "ok foods," I'm actually starting to feel pretty confident that I actually don't have food sensitivities, aside from possibly something that makes me a little sniffly. (My sinuses are a little clearer now.) I didn't have any particular gastro issues before, and I haven't yet during the Whole30. Which is actually a great result! No major changes aside from the sleep issue.

My sleep hygiene is pretty good-- I generally read before bed instead of TV, I exercise in the morning, and for the last week, I've switched to a guest bed, so it's in a really dark quiet room. It could definitely be a little better-- a few months ago I did a rigorous CBT-based insomnia protocol, and I've definitely slipped a bit from my best behavior (e.g., not even reading before bed). I'm going to kick that back up a notch for the rest of the month and see what happens. I was just so hoping that the whole magic "sleep like a rock" part of Whole30 would ditch the last of my insomnia, so it's disheartening to see it have the opposite effect.