Weird Health Issue (doctor, pregnancy, calories, restless leg syndrome)
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So about the last 5 or so years I have noticed that when I am dieting my sleep is horrible. I wake up about every two hours and also, I can have restless leg syndrome. It has been slowly happening and I suspect that it has been coming on slowly related to menopause / or peri menopause. I never had this problem before my 40s. And now it seems to be increasing.
If I eat 1600 cals in a day, (my typical calories) I will sleep like a baby. No restless legs.
If I eat 1200 cals in a day I will have the problem (but it wasn't always that way)
If I eat 1000 cals in a day I will have a fitful horrible night sleep.
And worse, almost nothing works as well as food. I have a script for Ativan but that isn't working as well lately and I even got a medical marijuana card to try to sleep and marijuana works great when I have eaten but not when my calories are reduced.
I have also considered eating later -- I eat my dinner now at 7 PM. It can help but typically still have 1 or 2 wake ups even if I have a bagel and peanut butter at 9PM.
I have noticed for years that dieting gives everyone energy (and I do think it isn't losing weight but it is dieting) but typically I had to really cut back to have this issue and now it seems that just eating a little less causes the problems.
Very interesting. I bet this is a more widespread problem than we think. Most people aren't alert & observant enough to make the association like you have.
After the age of 50, it's not at all unusual for people to start waking up every 2 hrs between cycles of sleep-- so maybe you're just starting early at that-- but you seem to have noticed such a high correlation with your diet that maybe something else is going on here.
The first thing that comes to mind is lower cal intake gives you more hunger, thus more adrenalin so you can go out and kill something to eat, or at least get up and walk to the fridge for a snack. ???
I have trouble sleeping if I'm hungry.
OMAD has solved it. I'm never hungry when I go to bed.
I don't have a long fast on a work day.
I don't think it is that I am hungry. I am not particularly. Though I do admit at 1000 cals I might have some hunger pangs around 4 Am. I go with the adrenaline as it feels like that. I mean I feel like I have "energy juice" flowing through my body.
I do know that fasting gives me incredible energy and concentration but the weird thing is that I don't feel like I am fasting. I mean I eat a full meal at 7 PM.
There seems to be some overall connection to *perhaps* the amount of glycogen in my body. As I notice when I eat less I have to go to the bathroom more...
Last night I had a 1/2 bagel with peanut butter. That helped. It wasn't a fitful night sleep but it wasn't amazing either.
I just wish I knew how to stop it. I would just eat the 1600 cals per day but that puts weight on. I might have to do a 16:8 fasting for the rest of my days.
As Returning says above, I wonder if mineral deficiency or electrolyte imbalance could be contributing to the problem.
Are you drinking lots and lots of water while dieting and urinating more frequently? Could you be depleting your body of necessary electrolytes? Ask your doctor for some advice.
But don't get the Melatonin with Valarian root; it's nasty.
The strawberry melatonin worked for me for years, but I quit using it when I started the CBD oil.
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