Got a bit of a question here about eggs. Last week I had a couple of eggs for a snack just before I went to bed. I found I didn't sleep very well that night. A few days later I did the same ...also didn't sleep very well. Started thinking: 'hey...one of the things eggs are known for are their Vit. B12 content. Vit B12 is a bit of an energizer. Could I be eating 'uppers' just before going to bed?'

This morning I decided to eat my eggs for breakfast. Feel pretty good today (I struggle with energy 'cuz of hypothyroidism. Also, many years ago, I had pernicious anemia in which I was given B12 injections to 'get going' again ...I don't know if I ever fully recovered 'cuz I still struggle with energy).

So ...am I just creating a figment for my imagination here? Might there be some value to my thoughts? Or is this just a weird thought line? Someone told me many years ago when I was in the Philippines that if you eat a balute (it's a national food favourite ...a fertilized duck(?) egg that's been incubated to around 19ish days [they hatch on day 21ish] and then cooked & eaten), you get lots of energy. Could it be the B12 content? Maybe there's more energy giving properties to an egg than the B12?

Just the thought of that gives me enough energy to want to get up and rush to the bathroom to throw up!

What does ...the eggs or the balute? At least they're both low carb.

They're also commonly eaten in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam...

Very tasty with chilies and fish sauce!

Karen

I am with Atrsy.... I will pass on balute. I have chickens, I know what a broken incubated egg looks like and I can't imagine cooking one. eeeeeeeewww.

I can eat anything if I have to, but it's a good thing I have some alternative choices.

Atrsy...... you will always be safe having dinner at my house!

LOL
Libby

And you're welcome at my house, too. I prefer my eggs candled with nary a fertilized one in the bunch! I can just imagine that tiny foot getting caught in my throat! Terrible thought!

i was thinking, maybe i shld let the poor duckie inside live and i can earn a whole big duck to feast on.

OK ...OK maybe I shouldn't have mentioned about the balute. Guess I hadn't thought through what the reaction could have been. Yeah ...I had a tough time trying to get the little sucker down (crazy what a person will do when you're in another culture & working to gain acceptance ). However, I do think that it's just mind over matter. Most vegetarians prob'ly can't stand to think what we 'proteinies' put in our mouths either. Other cultures probably have nightmares about what some of us eat in N-America too.

Anyway ....back to my original questions:
Anyone got any input about this egg / Vit B12 / energy thing?

On its own B12 should help overcome insomnia not the reverse.

According to one study B12 enabled people with sleep problems to drift off more easily and stay asleep for longer.

Large doses contribute to the manufacture of melatonin, the hormone responsible for resetting the bio clock. necessary when we work shifts or change time zone.

So make sure you pack a large hen in your bags when you next take the red eye!

Hmmmmm ...OK. I had figured that since Vit B12 deficiency can cause a type of anemia (with fatigue being one of the symptoms), that taking in B12 would help increase energy somewhat. When I took B12 supplements, I thought I felt more energetic. Could it just be the 'power of thinking' that made me feel more energetic rather than the supplement?

I looked up a website ( http://www.eggs.ca/nutrition/health/health.htm ) on egg info. These are the nutrients found in eggs and what these nutrients do:

-Vitamin A helps maintain healthy skin and eye tissue, and assists with night vision.
-Vitamin D helps keep bones and teeth strong and regulates calcium absorption.
-Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and protects vitamins A and C.
-Thiamin helps the body release energy from carbohydrates.
-Riboflavin is needed to metabolize proteins.
-Niacin helps release energy and promotes normal nerve function.
-Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is needed to metabolize protein and form tissues.
-Folate and Vitamin B12 aid in red blood cell formation.
-Pantothenic acid helps metabolize energy and form tissues.
-Calcium and phosphorus are used to make strong bones and teeth.
-Magnesium helps metabolize energy and form tissues and bones.
-Iron carries oxygen to the cells and keeps blood healthy.
-Zinc helps the body metabolize energy and form tissues.

Could any of these nutrients be energy releasers (ie: niacin or magnesium or zinc)?

Hey Schwartz, I was wondering if just the act of eating is keeping you from falling asleep? You know, all that digestive activity that has to occur.

Maybe you should be counting your eggs to fall asleep instead of eating them?

Just a thought.........

I wonder if it works as well as counting sheep. At least both eggs & sheep are related ...both are low carb.

Who knows ...maybe it's my imagination keeping me awake

As far as when I eat eggs (or anything else for that matter), eating within an hour before going to bed never bothered me in the past (and still doesn't) ...I'm just trying to figure out if there's a certain element in eggs that could be contributing to my wakefulness on the evenings I eat a hard boiled egg. For now, I'll keep them as a daytime treat & snack on something else in the evening.

I was just hoping someone had some insights that I had never considered before re: eggs