Help! Stopped sleeping! Is keto safe for someone with M.E/Adrenal Fatigue?

#1

HELP - I’m doing (vegan) keto in an attempt to heal M.E/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Stage 3 Adrenal fatigue.

I’ve stopped sleeping! I’ve only had 1-3 hours of very light sleep the last three nights in a row. I’ve been doing low carb/high fat and 16/8 intermittant fasting for 10 days. My sleep got worse pretty much straight away (it was poor to begin with, but I was previously getting 6-7 hours of light sleep a night). The total insomnia of 0-3 hours of very light sleep seems to correlate with taking my carbs down further to keto level (down to 12-15g net). I increased my carbs yesterday to 40g net to see if that would help, and made my dose of carbs greatest in the evening as I have seen others suggest, but my sleep got even worse (not sure I had anything other than “awake rest” last night!). That’s 40g net in the context of 1500 calories, I don’t need much as I’m so sedentary.

As someone with severe chronic fatigue, I can’t afford to lose more sleep. It’s now stressing me out. I’m already housebound by my illness of 17 years and I’m scared of making it worse.

I’m using the cronometer app and hitting all my vitamin/mineral/amino acid/macro targets and percentages so I’m seemingly not deficient in anything or out of macro balance. I’m adding a lot of electrolytes supplements, don’t consume any caffeine, stay away from screens and stimulation in the evening, do breathing exercises, meditation, relaxing music and yoga before bed and have a hot bath etc and nothing is helping! Just wide awake all night long with an over active mind.

I’ve also ordered Dr Berg’s adrenal sleep supplement, waiting for it to arrive, but it’s very expensive to buy in the UK and since I am unable to work due to M.E, it won’t be something I can sustain even if it does help.

Is this normal in the adaptation phase of ketosis? How long can I expect this to last? Is it just my cavewoman brain kicking into gear during the adaptation phase, keeping me awake to motivate me to look for food due to lack of carbs amd therefore once I’m fully adapted it will pass? I’ve read this can be particularly strong in wonen (I’m not experiencing any cravings btw).

Urine sticks now showing high levels of ketones suggesting I am in ketosis.

In spite of the lack of sleep (or at least up until my third sleepless night in a row), I’ve already experienced more energy, less brain fog, better digestion (had terrible issues before), so I really want to stick with this and see where it goes, but I don’t want to do anything that could make my adrenal glands worse in the long run.

If anyone else with M.E/adrenal fatigue has experienced this, I’d really like to hear from you!!! Or anyone who can help, I’m desperate!

I just need to know if this is something temporary that I need to wait out or whether I could be making myself even more severely ill and should stop immediately! Doctors can’t help in the UK as they don’t recognise adrenal fatigue as a real thing and know next to nothing about M.E (which are likely the same thing as far as I can tell), so I can’t go to them for advice.

P.s I’ve been vegan and gluten free for 8 years and naturally ate in a 10 hour window everyday, so although it was much higher in carbs, I haven’t changed my diet too dramatically from my norm in other respects (so it’s not like I’ve suddenly gone vegan overnight and am further stressing my body). It’s literally since starting 16/8 IF and keto. My weight is healthy, my blood pressure is low. I’m 32.

Thanks!

(Ashley) #2

I’m not vegan, so I can’t really help
You there. But I do have cfs and also have fibromyalgia and POTS disease. I have low blood pressure. I also have severe heart palpitations. Keto has helped me decrease and heal. But of course I do eat a lot of meat, cheeses. I eat a lot of salt. Salt has really helped my auto immune diseases. I’m late 20’s. I can’t work much. I’m slowly gaining energy. I’m not fully housebound but I am close to that point. Best thing I can tell you is salt. Salt everything. Don’t be afraid of salt. If your not afraid to do meat (if you are no problem) but there’s benefits to meat on this diet. And I think it’s helped me heal.

(Ashley) #3

Keto does that in the beginning. I was hardly sleeping each night. It’s normal. Now I’ve normalized (for me anyways) to about 6 hours a sleep which is better than I was doing before keto. I feel I get better sleep. Also with my diseases a sound machine with constant noise has helped me sleep better!

(Ashley) #4

Also if it made it worse than I would go back to under 20 net carbs.

#5

Thanks monsterjuice, I’m glad to hear you are gradually improving. I will increase my salt even more.

How extreme was your sleep disturbance when you began keto? Did it ever get as bad as 0-3 hours? How long into keto did it take before your sleep improved?

I had 1-3 hours sleep again last night (well in the morning). Oddly, although tired, feeling much better than I should do considering! So far I’ve had 4 nights in a row of only 1-3 hours per night. How I feel the next day has followed an alternating pattern of feeling relatively good inspite of the lack of sleep, to the next day feeling absolutely dreadful and unable to get out of bed but still unable to sleep and back again. Hoping this will only last another week maximum!

(Ashley) #6

When I first began I was only sleeping 2-3 hours then it increased to about 4 hours about a month or so in. And after about 6 weeks I’ve settled at 6 hours. My energy has increased and my lethargy has gone down some. Im hoping you will adjust and get the same effects that have been very beneficial to me.

(Ashley) #7

I do eat a lot of meat though so idk I’d that is making any difference. But a lot of salt and water is key with autoimmune diseases.

#8

Ah! Thanks, that’s good to know!
I’m pleased to report that I had a better night last night - 6 hours but with lots of waking and needing to get up to urinate - but that’s an improvement!

I came across information that stated you shouldn’t be doing intermittant fasting if you have adrenal fatigue, so I decided to break the fast yesterday to see if it made any difference. I also made sure to sit outside to get some sunlight and fresh air to try and get my circadian rhythm functioning more appropriately, boost dopamine, get vitamin D etc (I don’t get outside enough generally - that’s a major issue for sleep). I also had a LOT of electrolyte mix, perhaps too much as I ended up with bloating and indigestion lol (though that could have been other factors). All seemed to help!

I’m glad to hear meat has helped you. For me personally, it would be an absolute last resort for ethical/environmental/health reasons (it would be something that would be very difficult and upsetting for me to have to do). I’d like to try absolutely everything else first and only try it if it seemed like the only thing left to do. I was eating meat when I first became ill, so it doesn’t logically follow that it’s healing for me, however I know it’s not as sinple as that as it wasn’t in the context of a keto diet and I was consuming too many carbs/sugars at the time as well as being under a lot of stress. I’ll keep it in the back of my mind as a possibility, but will continue to be plant based for the time being :).

(Ashley) #9

There are plenty of people who do not use meat, isn’t needed If your getting all your nutrients. I was just saying as I do I may have slightly different benefits. I’m glad your sleeping more. I too had interrupted sleep and urinating but your body will adjust and won’t need to urinate as much. Also could stop drinking at a set time to help avoid it. I still wake up ocassionally and fall back asleep easy enough. Keep with it and your body should settle. No need to fast If it’s not recommended for
You. I fast ocassionally. But not often.