Sluggish in the morning, can't get to sleep at night

[DavidN]

I'm currently on day 9 of my first Whole 30 which I'm following strictly having read 'It starts with food'. I'm not having much fruit, hardly any snacks - maybe a few nuts, I don't get hungry between meals. I'm having plenty of good fat and protein, loads of different veg. I haven't calculated what carbs I'm having but I think its a bit on the low side.

For many years have had the problem that I'm very sluggish first thing, I usually want some extra sleep. I might be yawning a bit in the evening but when I go to bed my mind starts going and I won't go to sleep for quite a while. I also got very lethargic at certain points in the day, particularly late afternoon. I seldom have enough energy that I can sustain much exercise. Concentration was increasingly a problem. I didn't have a weight problem, my blood tests were all spot on so the doctor could offer no advice. I already had what I thought of as a good diet - I didn't eat junk.

My energy is now much more stable though still quite low overall, but I still have this problem with waking up and going to sleep. I have a feeling that this won't be resolved by continuing with the plan as I am doing, and I'm concerned that my progress will be negatively affected by lack of quality sleep. , especially after reading 'The Paleo Solution' where the importance of sleep is greatly stressed.

Things I've tried include not looking at any screens an hour before bed or doing anything else that's stimulating. I have a cup of camomile tea before bed sometimes. I don't have caffeine in the PM - I do have a coffee first thing. I don't have any particular stress or worry at the moment that would upset my sleep. In the past I've just put this down to being a "night owl" but I was hopeful the new diet could turn that around.

Are my cortisol levels wrong - too low in the morning and too high later on?

Could it be related to carbs? This is the thing I'm unsure of - I don't want to have too much and not be able to become 'fat adapted' or too little and not be able to perform, or end up in ketosis. I'm going to try having a bit more in "meal 3".

Many thanks

David

[Robin Strathdee]

David -

It's still early days. People experience changes in all areas of their lives throughout the entire 30 days. If, as you said, this has been your problem for years (it has been mine since childhood), it may not work itself out this month. I've experienced much improvement in this area over time (I've lived this lifestyle for a couple of years). I've personally experienced that deeper sleep helps with mornings and energy throughout the day. Better food quality and overall health also helps my body deal with the stress of late nights.

[DavidN]

Thanks Robin, I'm going to stick with it anyway since I'm seeing other benefits already.

[Tom Denham]

Like Robin said, it is early yet for you. You are doing some good things to support sleep like avoiding PM caffeine, no screens for the last hour, and drinking camomile tea. There may be a few more things to try/work on.

A great way to help get cortisol up in the morning and down at night is to eat a good breakfast within an hour after waking in the morning. That first meal is part of what helps to get a healthy hormonal rhythm going.

You mentioned having a bit more in meal 3. If you were waking hungry, I would understand that, but that doesn't seem to be your issue. Eating more at your last meal, especially if it is not more than 2 or 3 hours before you are ready to sleep can be a problem. This is an issue for me. I find if I don't get several hours to digest my last meal before bedtime, I tend to wake up in the early morning. My answer to make all of this work is to eat big at breakfast and lunch and to eat a little lighter at supper. On the days when I don't get big meals in earlier and eat big at supper to make sure I eat enough for the day, I tend to have more disturbances in my sleep.

There are a variety of sleep support issues to consider. Blocking or eliminating light sources so you are sleeping in a dark room. A sleep mask can help some, but our bodies are sensitive to light, so sleeping in any light can reduce sleep quality.

I take the magnesium supplement Natural Calm both because I want to make sure I have enough magnesium and because the sedating effect it has on me helps me to get to sleep. I also take a timed release 5 mg melatonin supplement. I've only been doing this for about 3 weeks, but it is helping me stay sleepy all night. I wake to urinate at least once and sometimes twice each night, but fall back asleep easily since beginning the melatonin. Years ago I tried melatonin and it stopped working after 2 weeks. However, I was not using the timed release format before and I wonder if it was wearing off in the middle of the night just when I needed it.

[Moluv]

I can relate- I used to feel just like that. I discovered that I just can't handle coffee. Even one cup in the am will crash me in the afternoon and keep me up late at night. I experimented with some adrenal support supplements which did bring me back from a crash, but after a couple weeks into w30 just decided coffee wasn't something that had the potential to make me more healthy. I replaced it with hot water with lemon on days I want a warm drink- other days I just wake up and chug water. I also take melatonin to help me get to sleep by 9 or 10 and I wake up rearin' to go at 5 or 6. I am needing the melatonin less and less as my body adapts.

[DavidN]

Tom, thanks, I ordered an eye mask since we do have a night light in the room for our son.

I looked into melatonin, I see on wikipedia that bluish light prevents it being produced:

"principally blue light … that suppresses melatonin, proportional to the light intensity and length of exposure. Until recent history, humans in temperate climates were exposed to few hours of (blue) daylight in the winter; their fires gave predominantly yellow light."

I have noticed that in our living room I will feel sleepy where we just have one lamp on in the evening and a woodburning fire. In the bedroom the night light is LED based and bluish in colour.

Moluv, caffeine may also be part of my problem, I also have a tea around lunchtime though I try to have it before PM it ends up being around midday. I'll try tea first thing instead of coffee, and nothing after that. The 2nd drink is just habitual, since my energy is more stable I don't really feel the need for the caffeine at that time, I can swap that for redbush.

[Karen]

Yes, blue light exposure can make you more alert - (light in the 5000k - 8000k range or more)! We had a lighting rep come to our company to talk about how light affects productivity, alertness, etc., and he complained about blue LED displays. It may not be causing your problem, but I don't think it would hurt to replace your blue nightlite. Phillips has done a lot of research on blue light and I have one of their blue lights to use in the morning to help trigger my body to wake up.

On the flip side, reddish colored light helps produce melatonin - think sunset - so that's something to consider as well. There are studies that show exposing shift workers to red light can help them set their internal body clocks so they can sleep, so if you're still struggling with your body clock, consider picking up a bulb low on the K scale and basking in it before bed.