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Intermittent Fasting & sleep

Leo Hendrix

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Hi

I recently took up intermittent fasting ( since Wednesday I think)
Start fast from 12 til 8pm

I have issues regarding sleep.
After the small coma(s) from eating which I learnt that I must eat in smaller amounts to avoid, I gain a burst of wakefulness or energy and cannot seem to get to sleep til 2am or later.

Anyone into IF on here? And had issues with sleep they have been able to overcome?

Feel free to comment regarding IF if you wish.
 
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BlakeIC

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Been having insomnia the last 3 weeks, no idea why

I don't fall asleep till 4am and wake up at least 2-3 times a night
 

AustinS28

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When I did IF, I picked my eating window so that it would end right around the time I was going to bed otherwise I'de have trouble sleeping. I have no science to back why this helped, but it did.
 

Leo Hendrix

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Ok thanks for that @AustinS28 I'll probably try that out, I definitely feel sleepy after eating the final meal usually.

So @AustinS28 any particular reasons you stopped or gave up intermittent fasting?
 
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Leo Hendrix

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@BlakeIC

Have you been getting enough sunlight in the mornings? I think I read the best time for this is from 6-8.30am

Also Check Vitamin D intake and Magnesium is also important for sleep.

I think I had adrenal fatigue before and overcame it with Himalayan rock salt and magnesium through a lot of spinach etc. I could not sleep well for over 2 years on and off during that time. So yeah check if you have adrenal fatigue.
 

AustinS28

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Ok thanks for that @AustinS28 I'll probably try that out, I definitely feel sleepy after eating the final meal usually.

So @AustinS28 any particular reasons you stopped or gave up intermittent fasting?

It did it's job. It helped me lose some weight as it really was just a tool to set some boundaries and eliminate some unnecessary calories in a systematic format.

I don't have any need for it at the moment. It doesn't fit my lifestyle that well. I work irregular hours, have a girlfriend, a pretty active social life that involves food and drink so I am just on the, eat healthy as often as possible diet and not worry too much about the rest.
 

BlakeIC

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@BlakeIC

Have you been getting enough sunlight in the mornings? I think I read the best time for this is from 6-8.30am

Also Check Vitamin D intake and Magnesium is also important for sleep.

I think I had adrenal fatigue before and overcame it with Himalayan rock salt and magnesium through a lot of spinach etc. I could not sleep well for over 2 years on and off during that time. So yeah check if you have adrenal fatigue.
already supplement with vitamin d (including sun) and magnesium

thanks for your advice though
 
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IrishSpring600

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"After the small coma(s) from eating which I learnt that I must eat in smaller amounts to avoid, I gain a burst of wakefulness or energy and cannot seem to get to sleep til 2am or later."

I cannot parse this sentence. Do you mean you get sleepy after the big meal? If so, eat the big meal when you're about to sleep. Otherwise, eat the meal at an earlier time, such as 7pm.
 

Digamma

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I find weird that it has such a big effect on your sleep. I fast from around 8pm to 1pm (basically a only get lunch and dinner, nothing else).
Never had a problem.
Sometimes I do longer fasts (24h, 48h), never had a problem either. Hunger is nothing.
 

Leo Hendrix

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@Digamma

Yeah I don't get tired from fasting, I only feel sleepy after eating.

But its at night when I need to sleep, I feel awake, but I will try and shift my hours further back to time dinner to coincide with sleep.
 
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MTF

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I've been fasting for about 4 years and have never had any issues with sleep which were caused by IF. However, I know that some people need some carbs to help them fall asleep, and for some people a different eating period (for instance, noon-4 PM) works better. You can experiment with that.

I would also make sure you're not consuming caffeine up to 8 hours before going to sleep. Whenever I have trouble falling asleep, it's usually because of drinking tea less than 6-8 hours before going to sleep. Since you're shifting your eating period to later in the day, it's possible you're also shifting your caffeine intake.

By the way, feeling sleepy after a meal is probably due to a huge spike of carbohydrates and the subsequent crash. You can reduce this effect by adding more fiber, protein, and fat to your meals. Try drinking a few glasses of orange juice for your "meal" and then try eating a pound or two of vegetables and you'll see the difference (orange juice will put you into a coma when you get a sugar crash, this effect is almost non-existent with fat- and protein-rich meals with slower rates of absorption).
 

Alexander A.

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I've experimenting with IF for the las 3 years. I struggled some time with the same issue, and trough trial and error I´ve figured this out.

But first I'm gonna explain why this might be happening.

Whenever you are in a fasted state your body shifts to the sympathetic nervous system, which elevates hormones like cortisol and noradrenaline(adrenaline) and glucagon, thus you are naturally more awake (and probably you have experienced this).
So every time you´re in a fasted state your body shifts from the parasympathetic nervous system to the sympathetic, and when you're in this state your body is primed to shift the source of energy from glucose to body fat (stored triglycerides).

So in order to sleep well you have to shift your autonomic nervous system to the parasympathetic nervous system, and to archive that you'll need to change the fuel that your body is using to glycogen, besides, the simple fact of eating a large meal puts you in the parasympathetic nervous system.

So, how can you use some strategic meal timing to prove your circadian rhythms?

Try to have your biggest meal of the day (calories) at dinner, and aim to eat the majority of your carbs at this meal too.
This works because you restore your liver's glycogen stores (which take around 8 hours to deplete), thus you are gonna sleep like a baby.

This strategy have served me well when i am trying to lose some pounds.

I really hope that you can fix your problem with this info ;)

As you can see I´m new at this forum , so any suggestions , doubts, or complains are very welcomed.
 
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Leo Hendrix

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Thanks a lot @Alexander A. I will test it out tonight. Actually I no longer feel that sleepy after my first meal though, I think my body has adapted to the changes already perhaps.
 

Alexander A.

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Thanks a lot @Alexander A. I will test it out tonight. Actually I no longer feel that sleepy after my first meal though, I think my body has adapted to the changes already perhaps.

You're welcome.
Be aware of cold hands and feet, tiredness, and general fatigue though; this symptoms are common between people consuming a calorie restricted or low carb diet during large periods of time (this a normal adaptation of the body seeking homeostasis).
Some people associate this symptoms whit adrenal fatigue(which i don't believe it exists really), but the simple solution is to take a break from dieting(1-2 weeks).

I´m glad you feel better.
 

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