For people who are new to the keto diet, a few people experience insomnia in the early stages. This usually only happens in the early stages and returns to normal after the adjustment period. So, if you’re feeling depressed and having insomnia on a keto diet, what should you do to improve?
First, we should rule out causes other than the diet:
- Stress, anxiety, and depression
- Alcohol and substance abuse
- Hormonal changes or conditions
- Certain diseases
- Medication
- Sleep apnea
- Caffeine and other stimulants
If you find yourself with any of these problems, treat the symptoms and try to adjust. If you don’t have any of the issues above, Then explore why a keto diet can cause feel depressed:
- Keto Flu
When switching from a high-carb diet to a keto diet, there is a shift in the way the body supplies energy and there is an adaptation process. Difficulty sleeping is probably the most common type of keto flu phenomenon.
- Other keto flu symptoms include.
- Stomach pain or aches and pains
- Dizziness or confusion
- Nausea
- Keto rash
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Muscle cramps (cramps) or pain
- Lack of concentration
- Sugar cravings
- Heart palpitations
Just like the regular flu, keto flu can start and end within 3 to 7 days. Keto flu symptoms caused by our bodies adjusting to a new dietary situation can affect the quality of our sleep. We go from a high-carb, moderate protein, low-fat diet to a keto diet, consuming more protein and fat while limiting our carbohydrate intake, which may temporarily affect our sleep and feel depressed. So as your time in ketosis grows, insomnia will slowly subside.
- Excessive Fat Intake
What happens when you consume too much fat? After ketosis, the body’s main source of energy comes from ketone bodies that metabolize fat. Our brain switches from eating glucose to eating ketone bodies, and in the case of excess ketone bodies, it may affect our sleep quality in the form of
- Not falling asleep easily and sleeping lighter
- Getting up in the middle of the night, refreshed
- Getting up earlier than the alarm clock in the morning
Insomnia problems caused by excess fat can affect our health and may make us gain weight, so when insomnia still occurs after the adaptation period, you should take a good look at your diet to see if you have too much fat and adjust the quality of your insomnia.
- Intermittent Fasting Leads To Stress
In the pre-keto period, intermittent fasting can be used to fast into ketosis, so that the body burns excess glucose, depletes glycogen reserves, and accelerates ketone body metabolism. However, some women who are sensitive to dietary changes may be affected by the concentration of the hormone cortisol after intermittent fasting. And elevated cortisol solubility can make us nervous and anxious, leading to insomnia.
- Depleting Glycogen To Release Water
When our body enters a state of ketosis, it depletes the body’s glycogen reserves. There are 3 grams to 4 grams of water in each gram of glycogen, and when glycogen is depleted, this water is excreted as the body metabolizes it. This is the main reason why we become dehydrated during the pre-keto phase.
If you have a lot of residual glycogen in your body, when that glycogen is depleted, a lot of water is released, which can cause you to keep getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and seriously affect your sleep quality.
However, this is usually only temporary and once the glycogen reserves are depleted and this water is released, the frequent urination symptoms will disappear.
- Electrolyte Imbalance
In the process of consuming glycogen, it will make the body loses water. The loss of water will take away some electrolytes, causing an imbalance of electrolytes in the body, and magnesium is one of these electrolytes.
Magnesium is a very important electrolyte in our body, when we are deficient in magnesium, we will be more likely to feel nervous and anxious, which is also a cause of insomnia.
In addition, a lack of magnesium may also lead to problems with muscle cramps, which can affect the quality of sleep. So if you have such a condition, you can take some magnesium supplements in moderation.
