Getting Less Sleep on Keto or Carnivore = Normal

(Windmill Tilter) #41

I just reserved this guy’s book “Why we Sleep” at the library. I’m looking forward to reading it.

My sleep has not been great since starting keto and doing extended fasting on a serial basis. I got used to it, and I’m completely functional, but it’s not as good as it could be by a long shot.

I figured this out after increasing my carbs dramatically for a couple days and had the most amazing sleep ever. What a difference! I have no interest in increasing carbs significantly long term, but I’m hoping Walkers book can help me identify ways to get the best sleep I’m able to while on keto.

Thanks for the recommendation. :+1:

#42

I have just started the carnivore diet (I reach a month in two day). Almost immediately I started waking up at 2 or 3 in the morning (usually in bed at 10:00) feeling completely rested. I think a lot of the explanations on this forum, for this development, are interesting but I am wondering if it just that we are all getting better sleep. Doing you sleep deeper? Do you dream? Personally, I think the reason I wake up so rested is because I get more REM sleep. I dream every single night now. They are very lucid and I remember them. They are also very entertaining. They are so reliable I am excited to go to bed just so I can watch my midnight movie. Before carnivore I can only remember a few times having little sleep (because I stayed up too late) and waking up feeling ok. But it was alway really solid sake time. These times were very rare as I have never been a morning person. Now I guess I am. But I can’t say I have figure out what to do with all the extra time.

(Megan) #43

That doesn’t look like an article to me. it looks like someone burbling about what they think, with a few links. The one study linked in the burble was a study of 18 children with therapy-resistant epilepsy. One of the links in the burble takes you to a site selling keto supplements etc.

(Megan) #44

I agree our body can expend less energy on digesting food when fasting, but do we know what our bodies are doing instead? Some tissue repair and healing? Other things as well? The conclusion that therefore we need less sleep is like me saying “oh cool, my friend just did my dishes, now I don’t need to vacuum and hang out the washing!”

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #45

Since no one knows what sleep really does for the body, except that it appears to have some relation to memory integration and other psychological functions, I’d take all the speculation about energy and sleep on keto with a grain of (pink Himalayan) salt.

Some ketonians find their sleep curtailed but they waken rested, while others find their sleep curtailed and the sleep they get is not enough. Yet still others (the largest group, so far as I can tell) find their sleep is unaffected. I haven’t heard anyone complaining that they sleep too long on keto, however.

I believe that is all that can truly be said for certain, at this point. All the sleep research that has been done on the carb-burning population should probably be redone on ketonians, to see what the similarities and differences are.