Short hours of sleep affects keto diet?

newbies
#1

Hi, I need help, I just started doing keto diet. I’'m wondering if 3-5 hours of sleep affects it. What can you recommend? or anything can you suggest so I can have normal sleep of atleast 7 hours.

Thank you :slight_smile:

(G. Andrew Duthie) #2

Yes, lack of sleep can definitely have an impact on your success (or lack thereof) in keto.

Things to try:

  • Minimize or eliminate caffeine after noon.
  • Avoid using electronic devices with LCD screens at least a couple hours before bedtime.
  • Some people find that a hot bath or shower, or some forms of exercise, in the evening can help them sleep. Might be worth trying.
  • Try to go to bed and get up at the same time each day. An inconsistent schedule can make it more difficult to fall asleep, and to sleep as long as desired.

Sleep is also crucial for the brain, both for learning and memory retention, as well as for cleanup. 3-5 hours is not even close to enough.

Sleep also plays a role in willpower and impulse control. With too little sleep, cravings can be a lot harder to resist, potentially leading to carb binges.

If I were in your shoes, I would make addressing the issue of sleep my top priority. I’d shoot for 8 hours at a minimum. 7 hours may still be too little.

#3

I would say it is at least equally important to have good sleep compared to eating a keto diet. I’m not perfect either.

I use the program “f.lux” to reduce bluelight. My home computer monitor have flicker free backlight (which is becoming more common now). I make sure get outdoor during the day to receive natural light, which help melatonin regulation.

For me, no coffee, but I do drink cacao powder mocha occasionally.

Lack of sleep increases appetite and calorie consumption, at least from my experience. And probably reduces the effect of cellular repair and fat burning.

(Ren) #4

Restful sleep is very important. @devhammer has great suggestions for being able to get to sleep.

As for amount of sleep. Once I started keto I have been sleeping less, but getting more restful sleep. I go to bed later, and wake up earlier naturally. I used to require about 8 hours of sleep a night to feel rested. Now I sleep 5-7 hours and wake up with plenty of energy and no lethargic feeling.

How are you feeling with the 3-5 hours of sleep? Some people are able to get 4 hours of sleep and be fine, while others need more.

(Sjur Gjøstein Karevoll) #5

If you manage to fall asleep at roughly the same time every night and you feel rested the entire day then sleep is not a problem, no matter if you get 4 hours or 8. If you struggle to get out of bed in the morning and have to drag your feet around until you get several cups of coffee then you didn’t sleep well enough. The number of hours you sleep is just a number, what matters is what effect your sleep has on you and this should be pretty self-evident by how you feel.

Sleep requires energy just like everything else. If you’re tired and lethargic throughout the day, chances are you’re tired and lethargic while sleeping as well, and just as your physical ability suffers when you’re lacking energy so too does your ability to rest and recover during sleep. Many experience an increase in energy when they go keto and therefore are able to rest more in a shorter amount of time. It’s not a silver bullet to fix all sleep problems though, not by a long shot, so while it can help the most important thing is still proper sleep hygiene by far.

(carl) #6

I know at least 100 customers who use my Music to Code By to gelp them get to sleep. http://musictocodeby.net