Keto Transition Insomnia

(*Tame Those Ghrelin Gremlins) #21

I sure hope everyone is right lol. I’m going on a week of adrenaline and cortisol spike at night, I’ve been reading is due to low blood sugar? But why now all of a sudden 3 months in? I’ve always slept like crap waking up every 3-4 hours but never had issues falling asleep until now. I don’t want to quit Keto I’m with most people on here I’m just trying to ride it out.

#22

“Low blood sugar”, doesn’t sound like keto articles, in keto your liver would produce glucose on demand and so the amount would be pretty spot on.

It could be due to a magnesium deficiency, Phinney says two thirds of his patients end up needing supplements for it.

As per lab tests - I also also Vitamin D deficient.

I’m a very pill-o-phobic person but realised (thanks to Dr Ken Berry’s vids), I needed to at least get more magnesium (better sleep, no constipation, no muscle cramps but symptoms vary!).

Small tweaks are definitely par for the course, keto or not…

(*Tame Those Ghrelin Gremlins) #23

I’m taking magnesium. Also electrolyte pills that have sodium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin D and calcium. I’m not sure what else I need to take as far as pills. I’m trying relaxing techniques and lavender candles, no tv or phones before bed…I’m not sure what I’m missing. Is there anything that may reduce adrenaline that I have missed? It’s only an issue at night for some reason.

#24

I would look into the type of supplements you’re taking for example in the store I noticed a combined vitamin D3 plus calcium “all in one“ which sounded like a good one but the quantities of both were pretty low. Not enough to help me catch up, they might have been fine for someone in maintenance mode.

Similarly some are magnesium oxide, unless its a slow release version, they would pass straight through most people. Poor bio availability.

It can be something as simple as insufficient sodium. I keep thinking yeah yeah I get tons of salt and water but on reflection I’m always lower than I should be.

Too much caffeine Will keep me up all night

(Diane) #25

I’d recommend taking certain supplements in the morning (like B complex, B-12 and calcium) as they can interfere with sleep. While magnesium should be taken a little before bedtime.

(Cathy) #26

You don’t know that you are over producing adrenaline unless you are testing saliva or urine. You should consult your physician if there is some reason that you think you are. Otherwise, continue with good quality mag supplements and maybe melatonin (5mg sublingual). Vit D3 with K2 is also a good idea.

#27

Well, 8 straight weeks of keto didn’t fix my keto insomnia. But, Endoca brand CBD oil does the trick at 25-50mg per night. So far, that’s the only brand that works though. Testing CBDistillery now to see if that work.

All those sleep hacks like no blue screens, magnesium glycinate, massive melatonin doses, snack before bed, etc…none worked.

(Diane) #28

I’m glad you found something that DID work for you!

(Tamela Robinette) #29

I feel your pain. I’ve dealt with sleep issues my entire life. People don’t realize how much lack of sleep affects quality of life. It sucks.

(Joe Potter) #30

Try a cold shower before bed…they aren’t fun but they do work.

#31

I’m revisiting this after some time off keto and had to stop CBD for a career change (drug testing).

I have a new theory on at my own keto insomnia. I realized that it’s not just keto; if my carb intake is lower than 75g, or even eating 50g (excluding fiber), right before bed, I’ll still get jolted awake. I had saliva cortisol testing done a couple years ago and while still in normal range, they were low end of normal.

I’m thinking I’m having catecholamine surges like adrenaline or norepinephrine because my liver glycogen is empty, and that raises my blood sugar back up. I’ve also found a study that shows increased adrenaline depresses ketone production by 60%, which makes sense since my ketones are always weak compared to everyone else I know. 1g per kg of BW protein and ketones are still .4 or .5 mmol when I wake up with the adrenaline surge.

I’m not exactly sure what to do about it, but I am going to try 5mg regular melatonin (instead of time release because that gives me drowsiness the next day) and a protein/fat snack right before bed. But I wonder, if my body is using adrenaline to bring my blood sugar back up, would taking large amounts of stuff like taurine or theanine to reduce the adrenaline prevent the blood sugar from coming back up too and result in actual problems if my ketones don’t elevate?

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #32

A woman I work with just started using valerian and kava after dinner and she said she’s sleeping like a baby through the night. She was formerly taking melatonin but hated how weird she felt the following day. I sleep well but if I’m having trouble (or had coffee too late in the day) I use Sleepy Time tea (common at grocery stores) with valerian root. Hope you get it sorted and get some rest.