1 week in, can't sleep, night sweats, perimenopause


(Amy) #1

I impulsively started keto after a bout of stomach flu just over a week ago. I’m 48, and mainly am looking for relief from perimenopausal symptoms and was hoping keto would balance out my hormones, but instead, I feel like they’ve worsened. I have blurred vision, night sweats, daytiime hot flashes (didn’t get those before starting keto), can’t sleep, can’t think, and have horrible indigestion.
On the plus side, I do feel very calm and while I’ve had some strong, clear emotions, that is actually a good thing, as I’m usually not in touch with my feelings. I’ve also lost 5 lbs, which I know is water weight. I only have 10 more lbs to lose to be back at the weight I been at most my life.
I’ve been taking magnesium, electrolytes, and vinegar/HCL with meals.

5 years ago, I did the GAPS (no grains or sugar) diet for a year, to heal my gut, after a few years of bad colon polyps and other digestive issues. I only lost 5 lbs on the diet (didn’t need to lose any), but after going off, I gained 20. After 2 or 3 months of keto, I plan to go back to a GAPS-style diet.

Because I"m so sleep-deprived, I’m forgetting why I started this in the first place, and looking for motivation to continue.


(J) #2

My guess is that you need more fluids and sodium. I’m post surgical-menopause, and this was huge for me in the days before starting HRT.


(Amy) #3

I suspect you’re right. I just weighed myself this morning and am down another 2.5 lbs (7.5 lbs total in 9 days), which makes me think I’m losing water way too fast. The night sweats, along with the stomach bug and working an active job in a hot building contribute. I also have heart palpitations this morning, which I sometimes get. I’ll up the water and sodium today.


#4

Wonder if it is also some symptoms of sugar/carb withdrawal. This too
shall pass…stay the course, it will get better. Be gentle with yourself.


#5

Yes - electrolytes and time will probably take care of most of it.

Women of all ages often see their cycles go wonky when they’re first on keto (there’s some interaction between insulin and estrogen for starters) but then almost everyone finds that things even out beautifully. There’s at least one long thread on here about this but I don’t have time to find it. When you recover some of your thinking power, you can take a look :slight_smile:

Good luck!


(Amy) #6

Thanks, guys! I slammed down a ton of water, sodium, and electrolytes yesterday and am feeling better. Gained back a couple of needed water lbs and the palpitations and blurred vision is gone. Still have night sweats and not sleeping well, but I am thinking a little more clearly.


(Renee Slaughter) #7

Hello
And I’m glad you’re doing better. I’m 58 and full blown menopause for about 8 years. Without keto I was a flashing all day and nights sweats every night. Found keto in late 2016. It did take a few months maybe 4 months in and my body found its balance. Went off keto summer this year, fell into the sugar trap and the night sweats returned. Back to keto 2 weeks in and I’m feeling so much better. Not everyone here experiences menopause relief, however I do. Occasionally, I may have a flash but it is never as bad as it was, all day and wet all night. The sleep improves at least it did for me.
Cheers!


(Soni Love) #8

I read you are taking electrolytes… How much sodium, potassium and magnesium are you taking? I do well with, 3500 sodium, 4000 potassium and 500 magnesium daily. I’m also a carnivore so I think it would be different since I don’t eat dark greens rich in potassium. I began early menopause at 38. I’m now 48 and have less hot flashes and mode swings. It took a few months on keto to get me to this point because my hormones were so out of balance from the previous high carb low fat diet (I would never recommended). Hope this bit of info helped.


(f22ad816695c00f8cf5b) #9

I don’t keep track of the amount. I guess I should, but I’m feeling overwhelmed with work, and now cooking two dinners (for my family and myself). I have little powdered electrolyte packets that are added to a quart of water. I’ve started adding lots of salt to whatever I eat. I crave salt, so I seem to be able to handle eating quite a bit. I am feeling much better in many ways, but still not sleeping well, and now my face is totally breaking out, which is odd. Plus, I haven’t really stopped bleeding since I started this diet 1.5 weeks ago, which is also odd.

Thanks for sharing your stories! It is encouraging to hear that it will get better with time.


#10

Unless you love doing this (doesn’t sound like it :slight_smile: ) I would ask for suggestions for folks on cooking for families. Those of us responsible for cooking for others find ways to shift things so that it’s one meal. Some kind of protein, some green veggies and some starch is a pretty standard family meal, and keto folks just skip the starch.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #11

Good idea! We excrete more sodium and water when not eating much carbohydrate, so we have to work a bit to keep salt intake up and to stay hydrated.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #12

My family, thank God, is usually quite happy with a keto main dish and either salad or some kind of vegetable (often with cheese sauce, yum!). On occasion, my sister will cook rice or potatoes for the sugar-burners, and we just stick to the keto stuff.


#13

Yes! I think it can be pretty simple.


(Edith) #14

How are you getting your 4000 mg of Potassium?


(Soni Love) #15

I put 6 - ¼tsp of no-salt in my water throughout the day. You can purchase it at any grocery store for around $5. It seems like a lot of potassium but if you do a little research, an average person should intake 4700 a day. Had my blood work done twice in the past 12 months and both results had normal potassium levels. My heart’s not palpating anymore. No more muscle cramps and my hot flashes subsided. Funny how I had to research this myself because doctors wouldn’t tell me what might have been the cause. They wanted to feed me pills instead of doing their job. Ugh. So frustrating.


(Irene ) #16

Hi Amy, what you’re going through sounds very familiar with pre-menopausal/menopause women (I included)! Our bodies are going through so many changes but I’m sure after a while your body will acclimate. Personally, I started taking supplements like maganisim before bedtime (to help promote sleep) and Ashawanga in the morning (to help with hot flashes/night sweats) neither one of these has effected my blood sugars or kicked me out of ketosis but everyone is different and you will need to listen to your own body…I think that has been the biggest take away and lesson being keto for me. Hang in there, it will be worth it!


(Amy) #17

Magnesium for sleep is helping quite a bit. I forgot to take it one night and woke up 3 hours later shaking with heart palpitations. They went away 20 mins after taking mag and drinking a glass of electrolyte water.
I’m considering going to a local IV fluid lounge to get a boost of fluids. I have trouble with low blood pressure anyways, and the water loss is hard on me, even with massive sodium intake.


(Soni Love) #18

Isn’t it crazy how the lack of electrolytes effects our bodies and to think most people have no idea how important they are. I would absolutely love to get rehydrated with IV fluids. Do they happen to have coffee? Kidding of course. What a cool idea. I guess I need to move to a bigger City. Glad to hear you are figuring it out. I use a journal and write everything down.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #19

I’m not! :coffee: :coffee: :coffee: :coffee:


(Amy) #20

Update: 3 weeks in, The night sweats acne, blurred vision, and heartburn all left about a week ago, but I still am not sleeping much. Instead of going to the IV lounge, I spent my money on bone broth, a good green powder supplement, and high quality grass-fed meats/butter.