Sleeping like 3hrs a night

(Eric Brian Baltch) #1

Been doing keto about 2.5 weeks…really trying to keep the carbs down to 20g for about 1.5 weeks…my sleep which was not great before is even worse…im only able to sleep about 3hrs straight…then I’m up and lucky if I can fall back for maybe an hour…when do you guys think I could expect an improvement? Thanks everyone

(Cecile Seth) #2

My understanding is that sleeping less is very common during keto adaptation (first 12 weeks) but that it can be dangerous. Perhaps you’ll find relief by making yourself roll over vs. hopping up and starting your day, camomile tea, hot bath, heavy exercise and time outside. If all of your sleep trick don’t work, you might want to try Melatonin. If you can’t fix it on your own then speak to your general practitioner and ask for something.

Folks who have mild, undiagnosed depression or another metabolic or mental condition may be more likely to experience it. (No studies. Just anecdotal info.) This is part of the mental clarity that is often described as accompanying keto. My understanding is that it is not a contraindication to staying on the diet, unless you can’t fix it. Metabolic activities such as sleep, stress, exercise, sunshine, etc. all interact with your diet for good health.

Think of the common sense advice that your grandmother might have given you. Keep us posted!

(Scott) #3

I sleep anywhere from 4 to 6 hours a night. If I wake up at three I read a book for a while and when the clock hits 4:15 am I get up and go for a run. The exercise has totally gotten rid of that feeling that I want to go to sleep but can’t. If I wake up at 5:00 I consider that oversleeping. I haven’t used an alarm clock in decades. I guess my advice is to add some walking or other exercise in the morning. It worked for me.

(mole person) #4

Do you drink coffee? My entire relationship to coffee had to change on keto. It hits me way harder now and and afternoon cup will prevent any chance of a decent sleep. But honestly, on keto a good night’s sleep for me is now only about 5 hrs where it used to be 8 to 10.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #5

I have been running on a sleep deficit for years. I wake up at sunrise or just prior to it everyday. I feel extremely lucky when the odd 7 hours happens. Most nights it’s 5-6 hours.

What has helped me is eating all my food earlier in the day. I am usually finished by 3pm. I sleep much better without any food in my belly. When I ate carbs this wasn’t possible, I would wake up cramping about 2am, get out of bed and wash some dishes or something to move around. Eat some bread or crackers and go back to sleep. This went on several years.

I used a benzodiazepine sleeping pill for years to little effect. I still use 10mg Zolpedem most nights to actually fall asleep once I get in bed. I mostly try to go without them but it often doesn’t work. Even when I fall asleep watching TV I will wake up an hour later, groggily move to my bed and as soon as my head hits the pillow I wake up more. Like once I start thinking that makes me wake up.

I went to a sleep specialist and got suggestions that I tried. Melatonin is useless to me. Tried the lights thing. Tried ambient sound which can go either way. I have really loud tinnitus 24/7. Like the beginning of the scene in Saving Private Ryan where Hanks has a shell explode on the beach near him. This has only been for the last 4 years though. I used to try and mask it with ambient sounds. Now I just “go into it” and my brain has accepted it and it’s even peaceful. My hearing is pretty muffled without hearing aids.

Sometimes I feel the toll of inadequate sleep and sometimes I don’t. But one thing that I did get from the sleep therapist was that you shouldn’t stress about the lack of sleep. Just accept it when it happens. You will straighten out in time most likely and worrying about it makes it worse. Even if you find yourself unable to sleep you can lay very still and do some slow deep breathing and your body will get into a deeply relaxed state that will give you some of the benefits of actual sleeping.

I know it’s cliche but sometimes when I am restless at night a few grams of salt rock washed down with some water calms the tension in my limbs and it’s easier to fall asleep.

I hope things get better for you soon, with all I said I am generally sleeping much better on Keto than carbs. :cowboy_hat_face:

(Susan) #6

This is what I do if I feel really wide awake when it should be bed time. I have been doing Keto since February and I still have this at times, depending on the night.

(Cecile Seth) #7

I’m almost 2 years in and still do sometimes. Also yoga/stretching before bed & regular gym time can help me.

On keto sometimes I wake up so excited to start my day that it is hard not to bound out of bed at 4 am. I’m also trying hard to go to sleep at closer to the same time every night and give myself a chance at close to 8 hours. So much keto energy!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #8

Are you rested after getting 3 hours, or do you feel sleep-deprived? If the former, enjoy the burst of energy, because it will likely settle down after a month or so. If the latter, that’s a different story, because sleep-deprivation is a stressor, and stress is hard on the body.

You’ve gotten some good suggestions, and I’d like to add a couple more. One thing that often helps me fall right to sleep is a cup of warm milk. A ten-ounce mug heated for 2-1/2 minutes in the microwave usually comes out just right. Another thing that tends to put me right out is reading a nutritional study that contains a lot of statistical analysis, lol!

Something to bear in mind is that it’s possible you might actually be getting more sleep than you realize—a study I read a couple of years ago found that many of the study participants who thought they were awake all night actually had the brainwaves of deep sleep most of the night. And conversely, other participants who thought they were sleeping soundly had brainwave patterns that indicated they were mostly awake. I’m not sure that this is actually all that comforting to know, but I thought I’d share it anyway, lol!

It also helps not to stress about whether you’re sleeping or not, I find. And if all else fails, I have three novels that I’m “writing,” and trying to put together a scene in one of them knocks me out fairly quickly. (Needless to say, these novels are hardly likely to ever find their way into print, lol!)