insomnia???

[back2me2007]

Guess what I got a few days into my new plan. Yep! Insomnia. I wake up about every 30 min. I thought maybe it was ketosis but I register negative on the keto sticks. Last night was the first night I slept more than 30 minutes a crack and have tried , a sleep aid, one night I took a vicodin (I have them for when I get really bad with my back) and the magnesium at night. No luck. Now I was shocked as I'm normally a good sleeper, and the night I got desperate and tried a vicodin ummm vicodin usually knocks me right to sleep.:eek:

Any suggestions??

[Missy]

I go through this sleeplessness everytime I "restart" Mikki. I don't have any suggestions as I'm struggling with it too. Melatonin is what I take, or tylenol PM..but often neither of those two things work either. :rolleyes:

[joanneb608]

Hi Mikki, guess I can't help too much - the only time I experience that is when I'm in ketosis and it is heavy, like into medium color pink. I've been taking 2 Benedryls though when I'm trying to sleep in the mornings. I'm a night CNA, 10 pm to 6:30 am, and I don't sleep easily during the day normally. They do make me drowsier and I think, keeps me sleeping about an hour longer than usual without them.

I've tried rearranging my supps too, and the one thing, I think my multiple vitamin that has a lot of B complex, it makes me more wakeful, so I started taking it in the evening when I go to work.

[gitfiddle]

Mikki, I'm certainly not a medical expert, but I've had sleep problems off and on; more on lately because of a knee problem. I've been taking 3 mg Melatonin, which doesn't necessarily keep me from waking up, but usually lets me get back to sleep, otherwise I would lay awake for a couple of hours.

Flexeril is a prescription muscle relaxer my doctor wants me to take, but it knocks me out for too many hours and makes it dangerous to drive to work. A friend uses prescription Sonata, which is a 4-hr sleeping pill. The benefit is that you can take it in the middle of the night and still wake up in the morning. He also has an anti-anxiety prescription for bedtime use.

The trouble with the big guns is that they are all addictive. One very dear friend became dependent on Vicodin and their whole personality changed. I'm scared of that one.

DesMasions suggests a starch (like a small potato or a little oatmeal), with a very little protein (like cheese or milk) which is supposed to give you some tryptophan just before bedtime and relax you. Those are carbs that you would have to work into your plan. I believe there is merit to the idea, though. It's supposed to even out your nighttime blood sugar.

One more thought. In this program, we eat quite a bit of protein. If I eat too late in the day, I'm not digesting it before sleep and I can't sleep well under those circumstances. If that happens, I can take an antacid and go back to sleep.

[BeccainSC]

My doctor has told me to use Benadryl for a sleep aid. I've actually had several different doctor's tell me that over the years. Non-addictive and it works!

'becca

[back2me2007]

Thanks for all the advice! Joanne I had no idea benadryl helps one sleep!! I have a box of that.
Carol I kind of tried a little carb with my bed time snack (cheese stick and apricot) but maybe I'll try a small bit of oatmeal with protein powder.
I do actually have muscle relaxors but I am scared to death to take them. The last time I took 1 I was so limp and loopy I feel down the stairs.
That is so sad your friend got dependant on vicodin. I sure don't take it often as it causes terrible constipation (Tmi). I hope she is doing ok now.
Missy I hope it's a restart problem like your suggested.
May we all get some sleep!

[back2me2007]

Ah ha! I see Becca seconds the benadryl.

[Anniesnan]

Mikki,

my dh drives me insane when he follows PP, 'cos he has tons of energy at night and can't wind down to sleep. He has type 2 diabetes, though, and when he eats just a few g of carbs too many, he falls asleep very early and has no energy, not to mention everything else it does to his system.

Without all the carbs, he can't have ANY caffeine. At ALL!

I suggested he get up earlier by 1/2 an hour and we eat dinner relatively early. If I turn the lights off while we're watching tv, he seems able to get to sleep easier.

[back2me2007]

Anniesnan that is interesting. I think that kinda points me back toa little extra carb like I think Carol was speaking of. Thanks for sharing!

[back2me2007]

Last night I realized that my magnesium bottle says 3 tablets for 400 mg not 1 tablet. So I took the two and tried the snack trick. I only woke up 3 times! Oh do I feel so much better!!!

[gitfiddle]

Mikki, I take magnesium twice a day. Works wonders in a lot of ways. My doctor agrees with the Eades on that one.

I think enough carbs to make a diabetic groggy is too many for PP. Even if I'm not paying attention and counting carbs, I can tell when I've had too many. Non-diabetics wouldn't have the same reaction because their bodies are regulated more evenly.

Glad you're sleeping better. I've been taking one potassium tablet before bed for three days and I'm no longer having leg cramps or the whole aching leg thing. Still knee problems, but I can get around that with linament for the most part. I'm going to touch base with my doctor about the potassium because I know it can affect the kidneys and I really don't know how it interacts with the meds I take.

[Mitra]

Carol, the UK official advice on potassium (and they generally aren't in favour of taking any supplements) is not to exceed 3700 mg per day - so if you're taking a 99mg tablet, I can't imagine it will be a problem (not trying to talk you out of checking with your doctor, just to put it in perspective). And half an avocado or a serving of red meat would give you a few hundred mg.