Not sleeping
 

I know this isn't related to atkins, but for the last three weeks, I 'm not sleeping. I fall asleep no problem and sleep sound until around 1 a.m. then I fall asleep and wake up every twenty to thirty minutes this goes on for the rest of the night. Last night was the worse, I couldn't sleep at all between 1-3.30. This is catching up with me. By afternoon I have circles under my eyes and I and so so sleepy behind my desk. I only drink one cup of coffee in the a.m., so I know its not that. I eat only a light supper at night before I go to bed and I"ve always done that so its not that.

I'm no more stressed then I have ever been. I can't take over the counter sleep aids it makes my heart race. Advils help some but not completely. The more this goes the tireder I'm becoming and I don't want to feel bad since I"ve come such a far way with atkins since Feb.

Any advice on this. I asked a coworker and she said just get used to it. Then later she made me mad and said its probably my diet. Yeh right, I've been eating like this for months why just the past three weeks have I been having sleeping problems. :nono:

My husband has the same problem. How is your exircise. it could be that you need more physical activity during the day so your body will want to rest at night. if it happens much longer you should probaly consult your doctor.

I would like to know how to fix that also. Starting at 4am I wake up every 15 minutes. I don't know how you hold a job. I have to sleep about 12-14 hours just to make up for all the waking up. The days I have to wake up with say 6-8 hours of sleep I fall asleep sitting down very early in the day!

I really notice a difference in my sleep when I forget to take my Calcium at night. That mineral knocks me out, and little son, too. Sweet dreams, Helen

Oh my goodness. I've been having terrible sleep problems. I still think it's because I'm having awful personal problems - but maybe it's the diet! That would be cool actually. Because I've had personal angst before and not woken up at 4 a.m. just to stare at the cieling. It would be nice to have a semi scientific explanation.

I've had insomnia since I was 16 so I'm very familiar with not sleeping. I've actually noticed that I tend to sleep better while on Atkins - I always am up for a few hours (generally 1-2 and 4-5) every single morning. It's very interesting how my body and mind have adapted to not sleeping soundly. I've always wished for 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep...sigh...

Anyway, you could pop 2 tylenol pms (they're actually just tylenol with diphenhydramine [Benadryl]). When I'm in a particularly bad episode of insomnia (i.e., more than 3 nights without any sleep), I use these. They give me about 6 hours, if I'm lucky...

EEK For me, sleeping pills are the devil ;) They help me sleep, yes, but I wake up in the morning feeling groggy and thick headed. You might want to try valerian before sleeping pills. 200mg with a big glass of water an hour before bedtime does wonders to promote a restful sleep without the awful 'hungover' feeling you can get from sleeping pills.

When I am not getting enough vitamins or exercise, I do this

Me too!!! not sleeping worth a darn! I just told a friend that this morning (she is on Atkins too and sleeping well). I think it must affect everyone differently, I do believe it's the "diet".

Anyone know what the scientific reason is? I'll bet Nat or someone knows....

Just a few things to think about: are you exercising late in the day? Exercise too late can change the balance of hormones in your body - making it harder to sleep later in the night (early sleep and later sleep are under the control of two different hormones).

Are you taking magensium? If not, some before bed might help you sleep better. I used to be the lightest sleeper in the world pre-LC and with the increased magensium I suddenly found myself sleeping through the night - for the first time in recent memory.

HTH
Nat

You may want to look into melatonin. A sleep regulating herb or dietary supplement. Many people use them to help with jet lag and the are lots of books out about it's daily usage for sleep regulation. I just know that if I dont' think I'm going to sleep well that night I'll take 2 around 9pm. I try never to take it more than a couple days in a row as I just don't want to become used to something.

Are you also having night sweats?

I've always had problems falling asleep. Many nights I'll go to bed exausted, and still toss and turn for an hour or so because my mind can't quiet down enough. For really bad nights I've recently started taking unisom. I was nervous, but it lets me wake up in the morning with no lingering grogginess and I don't have problems waking up at night if I need to, unlike other sleeping aids.