Sudden insomnia after low carb/ketogenic? Have you ever found that you can no longer sleep as long as before? While you may think you’re fine with just five or six hours of sleep, the effects of chronic insomnia on the body are enormous. Lack of sleep can also sabotage your weight loss plans. So what causes this unwanted side effect, and how can insomnia be treated after a ketogenic diet?
Causes of Insomnia After Ketogenic
Although many people report poor sleep after a ketogenic diet, there is no clear answer as to why this is the case. Sleep problems have a variety of causes that are not related to diet, including:
- Stress, anxiety, and depression
- Alcohol and Drug Abuse
- Hormonal changes
- Certain diseases
- Drug
- Sleep apnea
- Caffeine and other stimulants
Your sleep problems can be resolved if you can treat the above causes with medical advice from your doctor. But if you can’t, it might be time to explore the link between the ketogenic diet and insomnia. Is it possible to find some possible explanation for insomnia after ketogenic? These include:
Keto Flu
The most common cause of insomnia in people after switching to a ketogenic diet is the keto flu. This happens when you switch from carbohydrates to fat as your body’s main source of energy.
Keto flu symptoms include:
- Stomach ache
- Brain fog
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Irritability
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Muscle cramps or soreness
- Inattention
- Sugar addiction
- Heart palpitations
Just like the common flu, the keto flu lasts 24-72 hours. So hopefully your insomnia will subside as the keto flu wears off.
The Body is Adapting to the New Ratio of Nutrients
Recent research has found that the higher protein and fat intake on the ketogenic diet, combined with the reduction in carbohydrates, can temporarily affect your sleep while your body adjusts to this new way of eating. It turns out that your body has to adapt to the nutritional ratios of a ketogenic diet, and this adaptation can affect your sleep patterns.
In one study, sleep decreased short-term rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stages in subjects who started a ketogenic diet, while another study found that the ketogenic diet was more active in early sleep stages 1 and 2. When you start a ketogenic diet, it can reduce REM, which can lead to insomnia.
Too Much Fat
How can high fat be a bad thing? As healthy fats like grass-fed butter, coconut oil, and MCT oil strengthen your brain and body, you may find:
- Wake up before bed
- Feeling refreshed late at night
- Get up earlier than the alarm clock
While these scenarios sound fine in the first few days or even weeks of a high-fat diet, missing an hour or two of sleep can still create health problems in the long run. It could also be a temporary problem if weight loss is your goal and you’re practicing intermittent fasting.
Intermittent Fasting May Increase Your Stress
When starting intermittent fasting, the body basically goes into glucose starvation mode. This helps burn excess glycogen stores and accelerates ketosis. However, intermittent fasting increases the stress hormone cortisol in women, and cortisol is especially sensitive in people switching from a standard diet to a ketogenic diet. Higher levels of cortisol mean extra anxiety, which can lead to poor sleep quality.
Depletion of Glycogen Stores and Loss of Water
When you enter nutritional ketosis, your body burns stored glycogen. Each gram of glycogen contains 3 to 4 grams of water. When the body depletes its glycogen stores, the body releases water through urination. Depending on the level of your glycogen stores, you may wake up more often than usual to go to the bathroom, which can certainly disrupt your sleep. Older people suffer more. According to a study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, older adults who frequently wake up at night to urinate:
- Hard to fall asleep
- Overall poor sleep quality
- Not feeling well the next day
Fortunately, this problem goes away once the stored glycogen is depleted and the water is released. The release of water from the body also has the potential to disrupt electrolyte balance.
Electrolyte Imbalance
Magnesium is an important mineral and electrolyte, and low levels of magnesium can make you more stressed and anxious than usual. This also prevents rapid falling asleep. Plus, when you don’t get enough magnesium, you’re prone to muscle cramps that wake you up during sleep.
How to Treat Insomnia After Ketogenic?
Don’t Eat Too Late
Don’t eat anything four hours before bed. This gives you enough time to burn off energy before bed so you don’t wake up in the middle of the night.
Electrolyte Balance
Close observation of electrolytes is critical. Especially for better sleep, take a magnesium glycinate supplement, which is a natural muscle relaxant and can stave off leg cramps in the middle of the night. Magnesium can also be found in sea salt, and a few drops of a calming essential oil, such as lavender or chamomile, can be added to your bath before bed to allow the skin to absorb it for a better night’s sleep.
Bone broth is also a very helpful food on a ketogenic diet because it contains high amounts of amino acid, also known as glycine, which can improve sleep quality. Additionally, drinking bone broth can help maintain electrolytes.
If you’re just starting a ketogenic diet, your electrolytes may need to be balanced. Taking a high-quality electrolyte supplement to reduce the side effects of low electrolytes, including insomnia, is also feasible.
Use Dim Lights Before Bedtime
The body follows the natural circadian rhythm of sunrise and sunset to regulate our body’s wakefulness and sleepiness. Dark light lowers cortisol levels and increases melatonin, while bright light increases cortisol levels and also affects how melatonin is produced so it takes longer to feel tired.
Make Sure the Room is Cool, But Keep Your Hands and Feet Warm
Keep your bedroom cool and dark, but your extremities should be warm. Researchers have noticed that when your hands and feet are warmer than your internal body, your body begins the sleep process more quickly.
Slowly Reduce Carb Intake
People with poor sleep may consider reducing their carb intake slowly rather than limiting it to 20g on the first day. Cut carbs by 50 grams per day until you reach your 25-gram net carb limit, and your body will adjust more easily.
Eat Some Carbs With Dinner
Studies show that it may be better to eat little carbs four hours before you go to bed. This increases serotonin production, which helps you fall asleep faster.
