Vegetaria and sleep?
I posted this as part of another post but I'd like to get some feedback from some of y'all on it. Esp. if any of you are in healthcare or medicine, but not only.
I don't know if this is just change over time or diet-related. I was suffering terribly from insomnia related to perimenopause. Sometimes I would feel ready to sleep, lie down and then find myself coming awake and unable to sleep. Other times I would sleep for about 3 hours and then be awake for the day. Which is not good in our tiny apt...if I get up I wake up my husband, and then we're BOTH grumpy. Since I have returned to being ovolacto, I also seem to sleep better--IF I am careful about not drinking caffiene! ;)
I don't know if there's a direct relationship between "vegetables and sleep" or not as I say. I can't get a sensible answer (or indeed, in many cases, any response at all) from a Spanish doctor, because they all seem terrified of vegetarianism...When I asked my GP if she thought vegetaria would help, she didn't even react...basically she pretended I hadn't spoken. Fortunately that doctor has transferred...I haven't seen her replacement yet.
What say you?
Well, this past summer when I moved back to the U.S. I had a VERY hard time falling and staying asleep - but at that time I was ovo-lacto. Towards the end of the summer I became vegan again and have been able to fall asleep much more regularly and I'm able to sleep in again.. I'd like to think it has something to do with my return to veganism. I'm guessing your thing isn't diet-related, though. I know how bad insomnia is, sorry I couldn't be more of a help!
Hey Yabbit,
I tried to send you back your wave hello, but I don't know if you got it.
Anyways, I have been having the same problem. I would be tired, go to bed, and sleep for about 3 hours. Then wake up. I just recently went vegan (I was lacto-ovo). I have also been on the depo shot, but my last one was in october. My monthly hasn't returned yet, and my sleep patterns are weird, like yours. One of my best friends is a nurse and vegan, so I should ask her.
I was always known in the past for being a sleeper. I love to sleep. It was easy for me to sleep 8 to 10 hours, no problem. Not now.
I'm in the same boat you are (perimenenopausal) and have had trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. I can't have most dairy products because they have a bad effect on my sinuses (way too much drainage). I googled dairy+sleep and found this article:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T042400.asp
The main sleep inducer is tryptophan and the article lists several foods which have it that are vegan. So you could see about adapting your diet to add more of them, if it bothers you to be ovolacto.
I think I'll make room in my diet for a bedtime snack of an oatmeal raisin cookie and a small glass of soymilk.
I would say that your sleeping problems are more likely related to caffeine and not to food. I also have sleeping problems, and have for quite some time now. I have not noticed a change since I became a vegetarian, and have not been eating vegan long enough to say if that matters for me... I do know that I can NOT sleep at all if I have any caffeine past 4pm (even a tiny piece of chocolate). Some people are so sensitive to caffeine it can stay in their system for 12 hours... I would say try and eliminate it from your diet completely for a few weeks and see if it helps. I also know that when I am working out regularly I seem to sleep much better. Maybe try and exercise more (although not within 4 hours of going to bed) or even just increase your activity level (sometimes "exercise" can be a negative though to some people.) I am in the medical field (nursing school) but most of this is written from personal experience... Hope if helps!
Oh, and as far as sleep meds go... There are a lot out there that can help (trust me I have taken them all) but lately I have been taking Melatonin (3 mg.) and it seems to help me fall asleep and achieve a very deep restful sleep! You can find it at any health or vitamin store for those nights that you really need it.
And one more thing, (and I shouldn't say this as a nurse) but doctors really don't know very much sometimes! Especially related to nutrition, they receive very little training in that area. I think us nurses actually learn more about it then they do. It doesn't surprise me your doctor is not willing to give advice on a veg diet, I really think most are just uneducated about how to do it properly. I would look for a more naturopathic physician who is more likely to be educated on veganism... Good luck to you!
I think I'll make room in my diet for a bedtime snack of an oatmeal raisin cookie and a small glass of soymilk.
I know for some people, eating at night contributes to insomnia. I know I have this problem! Your body messes around with the food you just ate, and it keeps you awake. Maybe you're a lucky one, though, and don't have this problem!
I cycle in and out of nights of insomnia. Most of the time it's related to my structural pain (scoliosis, arthritis, degenerative disc disease). I generally go to sleep easily enough but once I've had 3-6 hours of sleep, I wake up and have just enough pain to keep me from being able to get back to sleep. Then my mind starts going and that exacerbates it. I take Ultram for pain on the worst nights and get much better sleep when I do. Still, I try not to take it until I just can't stand it any more. I've never been able to associate anything I have eaten with an inability to sleep. I went through a short period of time when I drank coffee after supper. It was usually decaf, but even when I drank caffeinated coffee that late in the day, I didn't have trouble getting to sleep. :D