Night Time Food Cravings

[rutland]

Usually around 9:30, no matter what I had for dinner. I start to feel hungry for carbs, very hungry. So hungry that I feel that I have no choice but to eat something starchy. Lately Ive been eating gluten-free bread with some goat cheese. Like clock work around 2:30-3:00 am I wake up in a sweat with my heart racing and a sick stomach. I dont know what to do, obviously my body is not able to handle the food and it sits and my stomach and does not digest and wakes me up abruptly. But I also need to eat because my low blood sugar will keep me up at night as well.

Does this happen to anyone else? If so what do you do. I realize that its low blood sugar that triggers these cravings, is there anything that can be done to control it? Chromium maybe?

[bluejeangirl]

Stef,

When my stomach feels that way it's usually because of acid buildup. I get that way frequently, and it feels like your stomach has undigested food but not necessarily so its the acid that makes you feel full. I would eat a bigger supper and try time it so your going to bed about 4 hrs later. I would skip the snack because it interferes with suppers digestion. Then before you go to bed take a tablespoon of Maalox Max or Peptol bismol. Both work good. You can try taking it during the day until you get the acid to balance out again. This is what always works for me. I have to take it for about 4 days depending on how bad it is.

Gail

[Guest cassidy]

Could you eat something that has protein in it a little bit before you get to that starving point? I really like kefir - it has tons of good bacteria which will help you, 14 grams of protein and it is liquid. That might sit well with you. I also drink that if I wake up in the middle of the night hungry. It has some carbs but enough protein to be a good snack.

I know you have been having some problems, did you get some digestive enzymes? Hopefully when things settle down you won't still have these problems.

[CatandCanary]

Hi Stef,

I have the same problem, I don't know what to think when this happens. One night I didn't make it to the fridge in time and passed out on the kitchen floor. I am not over or under weight and the doctor told me the blood test I had came back ok. I try to eat a lot of food just before bed to try and make it all night. Sorry this is happening to you to. If anyone out there has an answer for this please help.

Cat

[TinkerbellSwt]

I have the same sort of problem, but mine is at 3am! I wake up with this intense craving and I follow it and go eat something.. I know, bad bad bad, but I cant help it sometimes. Or it feels like I can help it.

I have been working on it. It used to be everynite, now its once or twice a week.. I get up and have a rice cake with PB&J on it. I know its bad to eat that late.. but I am working on it.. I think I can, I think I can....

[rutland]

Thanks for all the support and replies, I always learn when I post on the boards. Its such a blessing.

Gail, Your making me think. I never suspected acid buildup as the culprit, I always assumed that I didnt have enough acid to digest my food. Acid indigestion did cross my mind recently though because I noticed a sour feeling in my throat and I wondered if I really did have an acid issue. The GI doc that I recently saw listened to my symptoms and wanted to prescribe an acid blocker. I told him no because I dont like having to take meds, and I wasnt sure if acid was really my problem. Do you think its better to take over the counter stuff, since its probably much more mild. Im going to try it. Thanks a bunch.

Tinkerbell, please dont feel bad about yourself for needing to eat something at night. This really isnt about will power. Our bodies give us powerful signals to tell us what we need. If you have to eat, you have to eat, and avoid a low blood sugar episode, which can be dangerous. Those late night PB&Js are necessary, you have low blood sugar. I just want to tinker with a way to balance my blood sugar so I dont have to wake up with a hypoglycemic episode.

[bluejeangirl]

Thanks for all the support and replies, I always learn when I post on the boards. Its such a blessing.

Gail, Your making me think. I never suspected acid buildup as the culprit, I always assumed that I didnt have enough acid to digest my food. Acid indigestion did cross my mind recently though because I noticed a sour feeling in my throat and I wondered if I really did have an acid issue. The GI doc that I recently saw listened to my symptoms and wanted to prescribe an acid blocker. I told him no because I dont like having to take meds, and I wasnt sure if acid was really my problem. Do you think its better to take over the counter stuff, since its probably much more mild. Im going to try it. Thanks a bunch.

I really think this is your problem because I have the same exact symptoms for years and I didn't want to believe it was acid either. Someone explain to me it was. I would also have a feeling in my head like it was swimming in water. At its worse I would get little hard bumps break out (not many) but they would kinda itch. I believe when there is an excess of acid your blood gets the same way and crosses the blood brain area giving me the swimming in water feeling. And the skin is just another way your body uses to get rid of toxins.

I have taken prilosec but its expensive and I was never sure if I needed to take it for the length of time they tell you. So I've learned to take the Maalox Max a couple of times during the day and then before bed I'd take peptol bismol because that has something in it that kills a bacteria that can cause problems. I do it for as long as I need it, about 4 days. I'll notice I'll sleep through the night when I start to get better.

I remember you have problems with candida, so do I and this may be the problems we get this way. I read somewhere when I was doing research that candida causes an acid state in your gut. If I find it I'll post it.

I read to find out if its an acid problem you mix 1/2 t. of baking soda in a glass of water when your feeling that full feeling.

It you start burping its likely to be acid, if you don't you don't have enough. Don't know how valid that is.

It'll be interesting to see what happens. I hope you get to the bottom of this.

Gail

[Guest cassidy]

Thanks for all the support and replies, I always learn when I post on the boards. Its such a blessing.

Gail, Your making me think. I never suspected acid buildup as the culprit, I always assumed that I didnt have enough acid to digest my food. Acid indigestion did cross my mind recently though because I noticed a sour feeling in my throat and I wondered if I really did have an acid issue. The GI doc that I recently saw listened to my symptoms and wanted to prescribe an acid blocker. I told him no because I dont like having to take meds, and I wasnt sure if acid was really my problem. Do you think its better to take over the counter stuff, since its probably much more mild. Im going to try it. Thanks a bunch.

Tinkerbell, please dont feel bad about yourself for needing to eat something at night. This really isnt about will power. Our bodies give us powerful signals to tell us what we need. If you have to eat, you have to eat, and avoid a low blood sugar episode, which can be dangerous. Those late night PB&Js are necessary, you have low blood sugar. I just want to tinker with a way to balance my blood sugar so I dont have to wake up with a hypoglycemic episode.

I have had reflux my whole life. I had surgery as a kid and it came back a few years ago. My reflux is completely due to celiac because when I get glutened it really comes back, but that is the only time now.

I've looked into acid issues a lot and here is what I found: If you have too little acid the muscle that opens and closes when you swallow to seal your stomach doesn't think it needs to stay closed because it needs acid to trigger it to stay closed. Then the little acid you do have in your stomach is able to reflux back up. I had burning in my throat and it was due to too little acid. Apple cider vinegar pills got rid of it. I didn't think that would work but I was desperate. Before that I was on aciphex twice a day and still eating gaviscon all the time and I still had burning.

After I went gluten-free I was still having some problems so they did a 3 day stool test. I had an amoeba and a bad bacteria. I asked how I got that since I don't drink lake water frequently. They said the acid reducer medicine I was on lower my amount of acid enough that these critters that are naturally found in drinking water were not killed by my stomach acid. Because of that I will never take another prescription acid reducer. I had to take two very strong antibiotics that were completely awful to take. I've just been where you are and went through all the acid medicine before I got better.

Also, I get up in the middle of the night every night but it is because I'm pregnant that I'm so hungry. The kefir I posted about above really helps me get full so I can go back to sleep. I also try to have a high protein snack right before bedtime. Then I have my husband bring me some kefir before I get out of bed because I am starving when I wake up.

Hope you feel better.