Does The Insomnia Get Better?

[no-more-muffins]

One of my very first symptoms when I started getting sick was insomnia. I just developed terrible insomnia, both being unable to fall asleep and waking up early in the morning. I have been using prescription sleep aids for a few months to help. At the beginning of my sickness I also developed depression and anxiety and I believe those were the underlying problems which were causing my sleep problems. (Well, the gluten intolerance was causing the mood problems which were causing the sleep problems I think.)

Anyway, my mood has improved dramatically since I went gluten-free 2 weeks ago. I haven't been depressed 1 day. I have had a little anxiety but I think it is from the gluten withdrawal. It has been getting better and better. My sleep hasn't really improved yet. Sometimes I don't have trouble falling asleep (with 1/4 ambien, probably just for placebo lol) but I still wake up really early and I have a very difficult time going back to sleep. Often I wake up at 5 and am wide awake. Last night I woke up at 2:45 and could only doze off and on a little, but felt awake the whole time. Does this get better?

[The Fluffy Assassin]

One of my very first symptoms when I started getting sick was insomnia. I just developed terrible insomnia, both being unable to fall asleep and waking up early in the morning. I have been using prescription sleep aids for a few months to help. At the beginning of my sickness I also developed depression and anxiety and I believe those were the underlying problems which were causing my sleep problems. (Well, the gluten intolerance was causing the mood problems which were causing the sleep problems I think.)

Anyway, my mood has improved dramatically since I went gluten-free 2 weeks ago. I haven't been depressed 1 day. I have had a little anxiety but I think it is from the gluten withdrawal. It has been getting better and better. My sleep hasn't really improved yet. Sometimes I don't have trouble falling asleep (with 1/4 ambien, probably just for placebo lol) but I still wake up really early and I have a very difficult time going back to sleep. Often I wake up at 5 and am wide awake. Last night I woke up at 2:45 and could only doze off and on a little, but felt awake the whole time. Does this get better?

Is there any caffeine in your life? On the long, long quest to figure out what was wrong with me, at some point I eliminated caffeine, and suddenly started sleeping all night for the first time in decades. I suspect it has a stronger effect on us that others.

If you're already caffeine-free, sorry that I don't have any other suggestions.

[no-more-muffins]

I cut out caffeine about 6 months ago so it isn't that.

[darlindeb25]

I too have insomnia. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, then insomnia, then told I had chronic fatigue syndrome. The doc told me to get as much rest as possible, and exercise...which is next to impossible with insomnia. I too have Lunesta, and Sonata, but the majority of the time I use melatonin. Lunesta gives me tummy cramps, and the Sonata doesn't work long enough for me.

When you are gluten intolerant, and still eating gluten, you are deprived of vitamins and minerals...it takes a long time to get those built back up, and often times, you will have to take supplements forever to keep them where they belong.

Have you had your B12 tested?

[no-more-muffins]

I had my b12 tested in January and it was fine (back then). I have been taking some sublingual b12 supplements though.

I have been waking up with night sweats the last couple of nights. I don't know what that is all about. I am 33 so it shouldnt' be menopause. I know my hormones are whacked though.

[mushroom]

Can't offer much help with the sleep problem, I'm afraid. My sleeplessnes was mostly caused by the gas and bloating; but I still get it and still consume a lot of Gas-Ex and take a 5 mg Valium for sleep. Sleeping better, but it's a rare night when I sleep through. I sometimes use Formula 303 which I got from my chiropractor, to calm down that feeling that my head is plugged into an electrical outlet

[JohnDory]

Hi. my sleep patterns are very similar to yours, often waking at 3-4am and not being able to fall back to sleep untill just before my alarm goes off where I have to hit it and sleep in.

Gluten tends to make it worse, one of the only obvious symptoms apart from fatigue that i get after eating gluten.

Do you have to get up at any particular time in the morning, or are you allowed to go back to sleep and sleep in?

I watched a program the other night about an australian insomnia solution (forget the name) that had a very good success rate which worked on improving sleep effiency by reducing the number of hours you allow yourself to sleep, and increasing them slowly once your sleep becomes more efficient.

I am going to try this as I am a student and allow myself to sleep in to whenever I like, so often am in bed for over 12 hours, with as much as half of that in a half asleep, half awake daze. 3+ awakenings per night is normal for me, and I remember a lot dreams so I'm guessing my sleep is not that deep and by restricting my 'in bed time' it may train my body to make better use of its time asleep.

Just a suggestion you may try if you're in a situation where you give yourself a lot of 'in bed' time but still suffer from insomnia

[JohnDory]

Hi. my sleep patterns are very similar to yours, often waking at 3-4am and not being able to fall back to sleep untill just before my alarm goes off where I have to hit it and sleep in.

Gluten tends to make it worse, one of the only obvious symptoms apart from fatigue that i get after eating gluten.

Do you have to get up at any particular time in the morning, or are you allowed to go back to sleep and sleep in?

I watched a program the other night about an australian insomnia solution (forget the name) that had a very good success rate which worked on improving sleep effiency by reducing the number of hours you allow yourself to sleep, and increasing them slowly once your sleep becomes more efficient.

I am going to try this as I am a student and allow myself to sleep in to whenever I like, so often am in bed for over 12 hours, with as much as half of that in a half asleep, half awake daze. 3+ awakenings per night is normal for me, and I remember a lot dreams so I'm guessing my sleep is not that deep and by restricting my 'in bed time' it may train my body to make better use of its time asleep.

Just a suggestion you may try if you're in a situation where you give yourself a lot of 'in bed' time but still suffer from insomnia

[The Fluffy Assassin]

I cut out caffeine about 6 months ago so it isn't that.

You might also want to get a sleep mask. I completely forgot that I got my sleep mask at the same time that I cut out caffeine. It might well be that the former was more important than the latter. I got my most recent one at CVS; it has a much sturdier strap than the ones they sell at other drugstores. (Earplugs might also help, though I've never tried those.)

[no-more-muffins]

I sleep with earplugs every night and i have a sleep mask (although I think one of my kids may have wandered off with it. I couldn't find it this morning after I woke up at 5:45.

My main problem right now is that I wake up early every morning and I have a hard time getting back to sleep. I often wake up at 5:30 and I can't go back to sleep. I have to get up around 7:30 when my 20 month old wakes up. I know I should just get up when I wake up but I just lie in bed hoping I'll get back to sleep. I have seen some improvement in my sleep since I started eating gluten free so hopefully things will keep getting better.

I also bought a book called "The Promise of Sleep" (I can't think of the author). It has some good info in it.

[mushroom]

Ah,"The Promise of Sleep". It is always there and sometimes fulfilled, but I tell you, 18 months (more) down the road, it is still pretty elusive. I have been decaffeinated for over 30 years and eliminated so many things from my diet I have lost count, but the promise of a full night's sleep is pretty elusive. It is always a surprise when I sleep through the night (once or twice that I remember in the last year). I don't mean to sound discouraging, but it's probably not that unusual. You just have to not fret about it, develop a pattern of thinking about positive/interesting things, and try to enjoy this time of wakefulness. Sounds a bit Pollyanna-ish, I know, but it beats the alternative. I used to have the nighttime horrors until I decided that was totally unproductive; I had a friend who was dying of ovarian cancer and I used to use the time to send her positive thoughts and vibes and remember our good times together. And this has carried over so that I no longer dread the nighttime wakefulness, and instead rather enjoy this time because eventually if you don't fight it sleep will come.

[misslizzy]

One of my very first symptoms when I started getting sick was insomnia. I just developed terrible insomnia, both being unable to fall asleep and waking up early in the morning. I have been using prescription sleep aids for a few months to help. At the beginning of my sickness I also developed depression and anxiety and I believe those were the underlying problems which were causing my sleep problems. (Well, the gluten intolerance was causing the mood problems which were causing the sleep problems I think.)

Anyway, my mood has improved dramatically since I went gluten-free 2 weeks ago. I haven't been depressed 1 day. I have had a little anxiety but I think it is from the gluten withdrawal. It has been getting better and better. My sleep hasn't really improved yet. Sometimes I don't have trouble falling asleep (with 1/4 ambien, probably just for placebo lol) but I still wake up really early and I have a very difficult time going back to sleep. Often I wake up at 5 and am wide awake. Last night I woke up at 2:45 and could only doze off and on a little, but felt awake the whole time. Does this get better?

Insomnia was one of my first symptoms also. It's still a sign for me that I've been glutened and can cause night sweats as another poster mentions below. It will take you a while to discover all of the hidden sources of gluten but as you heal, your insomnia will ease. Magnesium supplements (and a combination of calcium and magnesium) have made a big difference to me also. I can only assume I was deficient in these minerals while eating gluten. Magnesium can cause loose bowels so you have to be careful with it. I take about 500mg going to bed and then if I wake up again during the night I take one of the cal/mag (250mm of each). Over the counter drugs are often contaminated with gluten or so I have found so it's generally best to avoid them. Good quality supplements are usually more carefully labelled.

I also has intermittant anxiety. I think it's a symptom of your body being full of toxins - due to malnourishment from eating gluten. No amount of supplements did anything for me until I gave it up completely. When you give it up, I think you do go through a detox of sorts as your body is finally able to process toxins it previously had to put into storage in your tissues.

Hope this is of some help!

Misslizzy

[dwillia75]

I had Celiac symptoms for 30 years before I was diagnosed. For the last 8 years, I was prescribed Lunesta, and then Ambien CR, for insomnia. After my diagnosis, my doctors advised that I go off Ambien and try 3mg Melatonin tablets. Between my ear plugs, Melatonin, gluten-free diet, and caffeine limit of one caffeinated drink per day, I now can fall asleep and stay asleep for 7-8 hours each night. Good luck to you!

[juliasmith]

I heard that celebrity like Enrique Iglesias got the same problem

Open Original Shared Link| Open Original Shared Link

[darlindeb25]

I have sleep apnea, and a sleep doctor. My doctor tells me, we should all go to bed at the same time every night, and get up at the same time every morning...make it a habit. I have had insomnia for over 30 years, and to tell you the truth, I didn't realize it was insomnia. It had gone on for so long, I just thought it was the way I was. 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night, and I thought I was doing ok. I went to bed around midnight, fall asleep maybe around 1, then up at 5 or so.

Once I received my CPAP, I thought everything would be ok. WRONG!!! I still wasn't sleeping...I have been caffeine free for 1 1/2 years now, at least. My doc gave me Lunesta (he prefers Ambian CR, but it contains gluten), the Lunesta didn't help. Then he gave me Sonata, suppost to put you right to sleep, and allow at least 5 hours of sleep, I slept for 3 at the most. I was getting very depressed with this CPAP...both my sons, diagnosed around the same time as me, said the CPAP was wonderful.

During this time, I was finding dairy was becoming a problem for me. First I lost my ice cream, then my cottage cheese, then my beloved cheese...finally I gave up dairy altogether on the 10th of July. On the 11th, I slept through the night, and except for getting glutened by my new milk, adding a few more days of insomnia, which I have given up...I am now sleeping 6 and 7 hours a night. Who would of thought dairy was doing it!!!

Good sleeping to all. Oh, I do take 6 mgs of melatonin every night, one day I may see how I do without it. Although, our bodies do produce our own melatonin, so maybe I should keep using it too, maybe my body needs it.

[taweavmo3]

I haven't had time to read the other posts, so forgive me if someone already suggested this! If gluten free alone doesn't help, you might try eliminating dairy, if you haven't already. I have slept much better since dairy free....and if I indulge and have cheese on pizza, my sleep suffers terribly. I have a fitful sleep, vivid dreams, and wake up all night. Without dairy, I sleep like a rock. Hope you get some help soon, good luck.

[Mskedi]

I hope your sleep gets under control soon.

I've always been an insomniac. A good night for me involved four hours of sleep. Five was miraculous. Usually I got one to three hours, and I ended up with some serious problems last year because I went several days in a row without so much as a minute of sleep. Sleeping pills just made me hallucinate. Fun.

Then I went gluten-free about a month and a half ago and I've gotten great sleep every night (about eight hours) but two (and there were outside reasons for those -- loud neighbors were involved). I would say it's been a more dramatic change than the digestive issues, and those were pretty dramatic, too.

[Evie4]

Gosh...I don't want to speak too soon, but it sure seems like my sleep has improved since I've gone 100% gluten free 3+ weeks ago (from a year at about 95%) and I've been taking sublingual B12. Waking up 3 or more times a night was normal for me. Now, once I wake up once (which I must because I have to put gel in my eye--another story), I seem to go right back to sleep for the rest of the night. Things got really bad before I went 100% gluten free, many nights of waking up every hour...frustrating Keeping my fingers crossed that this continues.

[sandy-b]

One of my very first symptoms when I started getting sick was insomnia. I just developed terrible insomnia, both being unable to fall asleep and waking up early in the morning. I have been using prescription sleep aids for a few months to help. At the beginning of my sickness I also developed depression and anxiety and I believe those were the underlying problems which were causing my sleep problems. (Well, the gluten intolerance was causing the mood problems which were causing the sleep problems I think.)

Anyway, my mood has improved dramatically since I went gluten-free 2 weeks ago. I haven't been depressed 1 day. I have had a little anxiety but I think it is from the gluten withdrawal. It has been getting better and better. My sleep hasn't really improved yet. Sometimes I don't have trouble falling asleep (with 1/4 ambien, probably just for placebo lol) but I still wake up really early and I have a very difficult time going back to sleep. Often I wake up at 5 and am wide awake. Last night I woke up at 2:45 and could only doze off and on a little, but felt awake the whole time. Does this get better?

It will take a while for the gluten free diet to have full effect. You have to grow a new lining and your body must get used to things. good luck

[lynnistia23]

Its good to read that others are dealing with this too. I am new to this site and so happy to see some others are in the same boat as me. I struggle between the insomnia and the CFS. One minute I am up (like right now - mind is racing, cant concentrate, head is a mess) and the next usually thru most of the morning I am a serious Zombie. I have a problem with the sugar cravings and again related to my sleep issues I am sure. I dont do well with pills infact I am seriously medication intolerant. They usually give me the EXACT opposite effects - ex morphine = stimulant. I have been cheating a bit on my diet due to finances and time (which is the killer) and I am feeling all the symptoms! Anything to help!

Jess

[Mitzi]

One of my very first symptoms when I started getting sick was insomnia. I just developed terrible insomnia, both being unable to fall asleep and waking up early in the morning. I have been using prescription sleep aids for a few months to help. At the beginning of my sickness I also developed depression and anxiety and I believe those were the underlying problems which were causing my sleep problems. (Well, the gluten intolerance was causing the mood problems which were causing the sleep problems I think.)

Anyway, my mood has improved dramatically since I went gluten-free 2 weeks ago. I haven't been depressed 1 day. I have had a little anxiety but I think it is from the gluten withdrawal. It has been getting better and better. My sleep hasn't really improved yet. Sometimes I don't have trouble falling asleep (with 1/4 ambien, probably just for placebo lol) but I still wake up really early and I have a very difficult time going back to sleep. Often I wake up at 5 and am wide awake. Last night I woke up at 2:45 and could only doze off and on a little, but felt awake the whole time. Does this get better?

Have your sleep issues resolved? I am asking because my 15 year old daughter is on week 4 of gluten free eating and having major sleep issues. Because she is 15 the doc won't prescribe a sleep aid, so we're on a 2 week script of a sedative. Doc is hoping this will break the insomnia cycle and then we're on our own. Please share anything that helped.

[Chezrofe]

One of my very first symptoms when I started getting sick was insomnia. I just developed terrible insomnia, both being unable to fall asleep and waking up early in the morning. I have been using prescription sleep aids for a few months to help. At the beginning of my sickness I also developed depression and anxiety and I believe those were the underlying problems which were causing my sleep problems. (Well, the gluten intolerance was causing the mood problems which were causing the sleep problems I think.)

Anyway, my mood has improved dramatically since I went gluten-free 2 weeks ago. I haven't been depressed 1 day. I have had a little anxiety but I think it is from the gluten withdrawal. It has been getting better and better. My sleep hasn't really improved yet. Sometimes I don't have trouble falling asleep (with 1/4 ambien, probably just for placebo lol) but I still wake up really early and I have a very difficult time going back to sleep. Often I wake up at 5 and am wide awake. Last night I woke up at 2:45 and could only doze off and on a little, but felt awake the whole time. Does this get better?

Try using 5-HTP and MELATONIN instead of the prescription sleep aids. The prescription ones can be addictive. Also try using SAMe for any depression or mood disorders.

[ang1e0251]

I would add vitamin C also. I read an article about the relationship between C & depression. I had my son take it as he suffers depression off and on. It seems to help. I would think if your insomnia is related to the depression it could help that also.

[Gfresh404]

While it has yet to be proven, I have read many articles that claim that a vitamin deficiency can cause insomnia.

Here is just one of those: Open Original Shared Link

I have also read that Vitamin D deficiency can cause insomnia as well.

I mean, it makes sense. Most of us have been vitamin deficient for the majority of our lives. Maybe it's just a coincidence but I did not take my multivitamin today or my cal-mag complex and I am currently writing this at 6:25 am and I have not fallen asleep yet.

[darlindeb25]

If gluten free alone doesn't help, you might try eliminating dairy, if you haven't already. I have slept much better since dairy free....and if I indulge and have cheese on pizza, my sleep suffers terribly.

Another just like me!!!

Yes, of course vitamin and mineral deficiencies can cause insomnia, along with many issues. I have been taking Vit D for nearly 1 yr now, I do finally have my levels up to a more doable level, yet, the insomnia didn't go until my dairy was gone. Low levels of iron can cause insomnia too, as can low levels of Vit B12.