Has anyone else sensed that keto has developed insomnia in them?

(Bansaw) #1

I was on Keto a couple of years ago and was faithfully counting my carbs.
One Christmas I had too many carbs and came out of Keto.

I tried to get back into Keto, but found that a few days later I developed insomnia that was so bad I was wide awake often and ever since then I have had to take medication in order to sleep. I had to ditch Keto.

So, I stayed away from Keto for a couple of years. My doctor who is keen on Keto encouraged me to try a fat-fast for 5 days. Again, about the 5th day I found that my insomnia got worse, and even the sleeping pill didn’t have the effect that it once did.
I’ll see if it gets better, but I may have to go to the doctor to change my sleeping pill.

Anyone else had this experience , or heard of insomnia issues with Keto?

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #2

Many people find that they have so much energy on a ketogenic diet that they sleep less. The key, however, is that they waken refreshed from the amount of sleep that they get.

I know that sleep experts tell us that we need a certain amount of sleep, but if the amount of sleep we do get is refreshing and healthy, then I personally feel that’s not a problem, even if it isn’t the amount we are “supposed” to get. Various needs are often different when we are on a ketogenic diet.

So if your lack of sleep means you are waking tired and unrested, that’s a problem. But if you are rested and refreshed, perhaps it’s not.

(Bansaw) #3

thanks… I was waking unrefreshed. Often, without the pill, I was getting as low as 1 or 2 hours sleep per night. After a period of experiencing that , I knew it would have severe repercussions on my health.
To be fair, my job is in IT, and I know that is a contributing factor too (sitting indoors behind a blue light screen all day - I do have blue-light blocking glasses which I wear in the evening).
Anyway, I just have a very strong sense that the “getting back into Keto” played a significant role. Just wondering if anyone else experienced this and what helped them rebalance.

(Robin) #4

I had issues in the beginning. It eventually passed. But I can’t remember how long it lasted. Sorry.
Hang in there.

(Eric) #5

I did find that I had some trouble sleeping when I first started due to all the extra energy I had. Now, I sleep like a rock and find I am much more rested than before I started. For me, it was just took time. That said, early on maybe I slept 5-6 hours and now its 6-8 most nights and not restless sleep.

(Denise) #6

I go with this explanation because I actually feel rested let’s say every day except for maybe once a month. I do wake up often but fall back to sleep. There is so much else in our lives that can cause insomnia and I’m the type that has to look at as many factors as possible before I settle on the cause. I’d give a lot to have a keto-friendly (in the know) doctor.

#7

I’ve had insomnia issues most of my life. I have finally gotten some good rest from taking a B1 supplement (before I started Keto diet) so that might help. But on keto I started having sleep issues again and found out that if I only do my carbs (10-30g per day range for me) at night I have no sleep issues. It’s been a couple months now and I can sleep without any carbs (some days I eat only meat).

Hope this helps.

(KCKO, KCFO) #8

When I can’t sleep well, I usually need magnesium and potassium supplementation. It also helps to cut out any caffeine foods, coffee & chocolate, mid afternoon works for me. Avoiding computer, phone and kindle screens for about an hour can also help.

Something that works for some, is to hold off on the carbs until dinner and have them about 3 hrs. before you go to sleep.

Hope you get yourself sorted out quickly.