4-6 Hours Max - Why?

[JohnA]

I don't believe that the early wake-up is always related to glycogen stores, or lack there-of. A sugary/salty snack at 2 or 3am never helped me get back to sleep...

Agreed. I have a continuous glucose monitor and check my glucose when I have early morning wake-up’s. My levels are often normal. High cortisol can also cause wakeups.

 

[ThazMYchocolate]

I’ll do some research on thyroid. Scared to mess with it until I understand it more. But dying for some relief…

Have you had your thyroid thoroughly checked? This kind of sleeplessness plagued me until I got on thyroid meds. I also became much much more calm all day long.

I have something like Hashimotos. Wheat and stress really aggravated it. My thyroid levels were "good", but my total T4 was low (my free T4 wasn't tested then). Never had antibodies. My Doc didn't give a rats patoot so I suffered for a few years as he said there was nothing he could do. His words were "Your labs make no sense." If it is your thyroid, it will get much worse before doctors will care. Unless you are really informed and proactive.

Now I know that it was high cortisol from low thyroid hormones causing the insomnia and weight gain and emotional reactivity. It totally stopped as soon as I got on meds. It was like night and day. I am sorry you are suffering so much. I hope you find wellness.

 

[DBCoast]

Have you had your thyroid thoroughly checked? This kind of sleeplessness plagued me until I got on thyroid meds. I also became much much more calm all day long.

I have something like Hashimotos. Wheat and stress really aggravated it. My thyroid levels were "good", but my total T4 was low (my free T4 wasn't tested then). Never had antibodies. My Doc didn't give a rats patoot so I suffered for a few years as he said there was nothing he could do. His words were "Your labs make no sense." If it is your thyroid, it will get much worse before doctors will care. Unless you are really informed and proactive.

Now I know that it was high cortisol from low thyroid hormones causing the insomnia and weight gain and emotional reactivity. It totally stopped as soon as I got on meds. It was like night and day. I am sorry you are suffering so much. I hope you find wellness.

Thank you. I went to a functional med doctor and have a comprehensive thyroid test lined up. Interested to see the result. My symptoms are the same as you describe.

 

[ThazMYchocolate]

@DBCoast good that you are trying! If you do end up on thyroid meds, remember it may get a little weird for a few days or so. The cortisol doesn't go away instantly, but over the course of time, that's why people have to constantly adjust their meds up s l o w l y when they first start on them.

 

[Bliss]

Agreed. I have a continuous glucose monitor and check my glucose when I have early morning wake-up’s. My levels are often normal. High cortisol can also cause wakeups.

You won’t necessarily see it in the blood glucose levels- they have been normalised by cortisol turning on gluconeogenesis when the glycogen stores ran out, but meanwhile the cortisol has woken you up.

 

[Perry Staltic]

Caffeine is 5 tablespoons of pour-over coffee, two cups, finished by 10am, with some milk and honey, but I do drink some on an empty stomach when I wake up. I know this needs fixing.

I'd lose the coffee for a few weeks. I've been dealing with kind of the same problem and getting rid of coffee seems to make things better

 

[Bliss]

@DBCoast good that you are trying! If you do end up on thyroid meds, remember it may get a little weird for a few days or so. The cortisol doesn't go away instantly, but over the course of time, that's why people have to constantly adjust their meds up s l o w l y when they first start on them.

^^
I could hardly function the first couple of weeks… and it took probably six months before it felt like my body was really accepting thyroid, but there was improvement with sleep already in the first weeks.

 

[ThazMYchocolate]

I'd lose the coffee for a few weeks. I've been dealing with kind of the same problem and getting rid of coffee seems to make things better

yeah caffeine in the smallest amounts wrecks my sleep every time too. this is good advice

 

[Miggie]

Do you have malocclusion? how is your tongue posture? It could be that you don't have a correct tongue posture which is very normal for westerners. This results in a narrower and less advanced jaw. Because of this it could be you start choking in your tongue when you sleep.

 

[JohnA]

You won’t necessarily see it in the blood glucose levels- they have been normalised by cortisol turning on gluconeogenesis when the glycogen stores ran out, but meanwhile the cortisol has woken you up.

Idk. Some nights when I sleep poorly (which doesn’t happen that often fwiw), I see a blood glucose dip and then a recovery. I assume this pattern is caused by cortisol turning on gluconeogenesis as you mentioned.

But there are other nights of poor sleep where my glucose is perfectly stable all night. I assume wakeups on these nights are caused by things other than low glycogen stores (e.g., sleeping too hot, being stressed, etc.).

 

[LadyRae]

I'm in Hawaii right now. Eating fewer calories (I tracked) but more fruit, less fat. I'm just not as hungry getting so much sun and swimming a lot .

Sleeping 10-11 hours a night. I wake up once to pee at 6-7 hours in, then right back to sleep.

For me it's not a glycogen issue. Must be more digestion related, or sun. Otherwise I'd be sleeping for s$#@ cause I'm actually eating less .

Another hole in the "eat more" theory!

 

[LadyRae]

Idk. Some nights when I sleep poorly (which doesn’t happen that often fwiw), I see a blood glucose dip and then a recovery. I assume this pattern is caused by cortisol turning on gluconeogenesis as you mentioned.

But there are other nights of poor sleep where my glucose is perfectly stable all night. I assume wakeups on these nights are caused by things other than low glycogen stores (e.g., sleeping too hot, being stressed, etc.).

I totally agree with you! Maybe some people have to constantly eat to keep stress levels down. I'm glad to find another way.

 

[frannybananny]

I'm in Hawaii right now. Eating fewer calories (I tracked) but more fruit, less fat. I'm just not as hungry getting so much sun and swimming a lot .

Sleeping 10-11 hours a night. I wake up once to pee at 6-7 hours in, then right back to sleep.

For me it's not a glycogen issue. Must be more digestion related, or sun. Otherwise I'd be sleeping for s$#@ cause I'm actually eating less .

Another hole in the "eat more" theory!

How wonderful for you to be in Hawaii!! Enjoy yourself and the sun but don't get sunburned!

 

[LadyRae]

How wonderful for you to be in Hawaii!! Enjoy yourself and the sun but don't get sunburned!

I did an insy bit.... and maybe overdid the papayas ..

 

[LadyRae]

Yesterday I took five drops of Lisuride, before a spectacular jungle hike out to a black sand beach. I was hoping for increased sensory experiences and, I have to admit, probably hoping for a bit of a hallucinogenic experience. What happened was that I was extremely relaxed and I enjoyed the hike/beach very much, but then I felt really Spacey and super tired. Slept on said beach...

Last night I could not sleep at all from 2:00 a.m. on. I have since read that things that increase dopamine can rob you of sleep so I think that's what happened...

 

[frannybananny]

Yesterday I took five drops of Lisuride, before a spectacular jungle hike out to a black sand beach. I was hoping for increased sensory experiences and, I have to admit, probably hoping for a bit of a hallucinogenic experience. What happened was that I was extremely relaxed and I enjoyed the hike/beach very much, but then I felt really Spacey and super tired. Slept on said beach...

Last night I could not sleep at all from 2:00 a.m. on. I have since read that things that increase dopamine can rob you of sleep so I think that's what happened...

Wow! You're like a pharmacist!

 

[LadyRae]

Wow! You're like a pharmacist!

... I've had that Lisuride for over a year and had only taken a couple drops. It hot me much harder this time

 

[DBCoast]

Update: For the past two weeks I’ve been on vacation and I’ve eaten whatever I wanted. Shrimp po-boys, crawfish, king cakes, fried oysters, cookies, coconut macaroons, Barq’s root beer, pizza, and much more. I also drank coffee/caffeine well into the afternoon.

I slept better and I slept 8 hours last night.

 

[LadyRae]

Update: For the past two weeks I’ve been on vacation and I’ve eaten whatever I wanted. Shrimp po-boys, crawfish, king cakes, fried oysters, cookies, coconut macaroons, Barq’s root beer, pizza, and much more. I also drank coffee/caffeine well into the afternoon.

I slept better and I slept 8 hours last night.

Nice! So glad to hear.
How do you feel during the day? Any water retention or sweating or lethargy?
Do you think you're gaining weight?

 

[DBCoast]

Nice! So glad to hear.
How do you feel during the day? Any water retention or sweating or lethargy?
Do you think you're gaining weight?

No sweating. Yes on the water retention. I think I’m gaining a little.

Did not have that sick fatigue feeling. No lack of energy. More energy if anything.