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Sudden Insomnia After Going Gluten Free

soulcurrent

By soulcurrent
in Related Issues & Disorders

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Booghead Contributor
Booghead
Posted

I didn't sleep well after going gluten free either. I've been gluten free for 3 weeks almost. For the last 2 of those I have had a bugger of a cold so I've been taking Nyquil pretty much every night. I'm begininng to think I might be abusing it for sleeping because I couldn't sleep after going gluten free. The last 3 days that I have taken Nyquil it has been because the cold is at its peak and I can't breathe if I don't take it. Last night I took 2 like usual and I didn't sleep at all. Then I crashed at 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. and felt sicker then before. B) I hate colds.

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pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

I didn't sleep well after going gluten free either. I've been gluten free for 3 weeks almost. For the last 2 of those I have had a bugger of a cold so I've been taking Nyquil pretty much every night. I'm begininng to think I might be abusing it for sleeping because I couldn't sleep after going gluten free. The last 3 days that I have taken Nyquil it has been because the cold is at its peak and I can't breathe if I don't take it. Last night I took 2 like usual and I didn't sleep at all. Then I crashed at 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. and felt sicker then before. B) I hate colds.

Two words.

Neti Pot.

KaraBoga Newbie
KaraBoga
Posted

Yeah since I went gluten free I wake up very early in the morning, 3-4AM and cannot go back to sleep. Snacking before bed seems to help a little, but I am not able to sleep longer than 5-6 hours at the most and a lot of times it is less than that. I ordered B12 sub-lingual supplements, will give them a try, but I am wondering how you all have been coping with this.

One more thing, my blood pressure is lower than what it used to be. My normal blood pressure was around 120/80 to 130/85, now it is about 105/70 :huh:

AVR1962 Collaborator
AVR1962
Posted

I hope this helps some of you. If you are in the detox these tips may not work but this is what I have tried and it does help.

Make sure your vit levels are where they need to be. If your body is not receiving enough nutrients sleep will be difficult.

Exercise of some sort during the day but not close to bedtime.

Do not take vits before bedtime.

Drink a soothing hot tea like camamille or sleeping time.

No dairy or sugar before bed.

A good sleep aide is Meletonex which is B3 and magnesium.

Marilyn R Community Regular
Marilyn R
Posted

Even before going gluten-free Nyquil used to hurt me. I'd break out in hives and feel like I was ready to crawl walls (forget about sleeping). That could just be me.

  • 1 month later...
RockChalkChic Newbie
RockChalkChic
Posted

I'm two weeks gluten-free and am having some trouble sleeping, too - lots of tossing and turning and strangely I seem more restless/anxious on my back and left side (usually my go to side) ... ?

  • 2 weeks later...
rarmama Apprentice
rarmama
Posted

2 Weeks gluten free, and terrible insomnia. I trend to go through phases of insomnia anyways, but its been really bad the past week or so. Think I'll have to pick up some melatonin.

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jeanzdyn Apprentice
jeanzdyn
Posted

I have been working toward gluten-free and I am already experiencing sleep changes. I am not tired at my usual bedtime and stay up for another hour or later. Then I wake up at 4:30am and don't get back to sleep, despite trying to clear my mind and sleep more. On the positive side I do not feel as tired as I did when I was eating gluten at every meal.

I still nap on the weekend, but do not sleep nearly as much then either.

It is the waking up at 4:30am that bothers me, as I have always slept like a rock until at least 6:00am.

I used to average 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, and now I am lucky if I sleep for 5 hours.

The plus is not feeling tired and fatigued all the time, but I wonder if this will have a negative effect if it continues.

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted
Even before going gluten-free Nyquil used to hurt me. I'd break out in hives and feel like I was ready to crawl walls (forget about sleeping). That could just be me.

Well, it's just me, too!! The main ingredient is a decongestant which hypes you up. Then they put the other stuff in to calm you down. Most people it calms way down to sleep. I don't take much hyping up, but a take a LOT of calming down. No sleep for me with Nyquil. :rolleyes:

I am in the wake up at 4:30 a.m. group, stil!!!! But at least I do usually get back to sleep some time later and often sleep till 8 or 9.

  • 2 years later...
AlexDAK Newbie
AlexDAK
Posted

Hi. I have the same problem now. After 2 weeks on gluten free diet, I have terrible insomnia. I am trying GFD for the second time, but in first time I had no such problem. Also I began to loose weight quickly and became very skinny.  

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

You may be experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Continue the gluten-free diet and check every single ingredient for gluten. Be sure to eat lots of healthy whole foods to avoid weight loss.

Take care!

  • 3 months later...
CK1901 Explorer
CK1901
Posted

I've had on-off insomnia for most of my life. I've found that keeping the bedroom cold temperature-wise helps me fall asleep. Weird maybe, but it helps me. 

  • 1 year later...
Rower0 Newbie
Rower0
Posted

Hi all.

Im returning to this topic to hear how all of you are doing?

Last january me and my wife went to gluten-free for the whole month. At the same time my wife started waking up 3am every night. We returned back to normal diet in february but the insomnia continued, and continued and continues. Now after 12 months she has been running thru doctors who in the start of the year just wrote her Mirtazapin and melatonin for "stress related sleeping problems". Well the spring went by, and in summer she tried one month without the medication, stressfree relaxing time in Greece where the sleep shouldnt be a problem. Nothing. this autumn she has been going thru insomnia tests, sleepapnea etc. Nothing.

In some point i was thinking about the gluten-free january that we have, but didint google anything. Now i found out that many of people are having the same kind of problems.

SO. How many of you have been suffering from insomnia after your posts. Have you gotten any help? Are you still on gluten-free? And please, no Vitamin, magnesium etc tips. Tried them all. tried high protein evening snacks, you name it. What im looking for is real advices for real troubles. 

THANK YOU!

Iiro

  • 5 weeks later...
canadianjem Rookie
canadianjem
Posted

I went through a bout last year of the worst insomnia I have ever had.

For two months I would fall asleep around 3 am to wake up at 4:30 or would not fall asleep at all.  I was a walking zombie and terrified!!

People would tell me to exercise more and eat healthy.  I eliminated coffee, did a spin class, plus 2 hours of weight lifting, plus walk the dog DAILY.

People said have a bedtime routine, bath, read a book, camomile tea...I did that too. Nothing worked.

I now have to take 10mg of Elavil on a nightly basis.  Its a drug used for depression but in small doses works to make you drowsy.  Its not something that I wake up groggy and am fully rested and alert.

I am not saying that this is a route for everyone to take but Its my route and saved me :)

  • 4 years later...
gudwin Newbie
gudwin
Posted

I tried  fasting for 2 days and on the third day I could not sleep at all. This went away after a couple of days and my sleep was normal. Anyway, I tried the gluten free and dairy free diet at the same time two weeks later and after the third day I got a bad gut in the middle of the night and it kept me up the rest of the night and one week later I have been getting only 3-4 hours sleep a night. I could not seem to stay a sleep for long. I have gave up the gluten and dairy free diet when I got the bad gut. So i began to drink milk and eat gluten products but still no change in sleep. I tried everything to get over it and nothing worked so I decided to just accept that I have insomnia and get on with my life as if nothing important happened. I went about my normal day and did the same things I would do before I had insomnia, not caring if I slept or not. I just lay in bed closed my eyes for 7 hours and rested. Anyway after 2 weeks my sleep pattern came back and I no longer have insomnia. My point is some times the harder you try to make something happen the harder it is to make it happen. All the supplements therapies exercise, bedtime routines just tells your brain how important you think sleep is and this puts the brain on high alert 24/7 about sleeping making it impossible for you to relax and sleep. Try accepting that you have insomnia and it's not the end of the world and won't change your life in any significant way. It worked for me and might for you.

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