Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Insomnia And Leg Cramps

o2guy

By o2guy
in Related Issues & Disorders

Recommended Posts

o2guy Rookie
o2guy
Posted

I am still new to gluten free. I have been gluten free, dairy free, and nuts and seeds free for a little over a month now. The problem is I'm having horrible insomnia and also leg cramps nightly. A lot of times at night it just seems that i can't shut my mind off. I also have lost aprox. 40 lbs in the last 40 day's. Is this normal when going gluten free? Am I missing some vital vitiamins or nutrients that could be causing the insomnia and cramps? The weight loss I can handle, I was overweight to begin with but the other is driving me nuts. I do feel better with all my other symptoms, and surprizingly I really dont feel tired even though I am only averageing about 2 hours of sleep a night. Any sugesstions would be great.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Reba32 Rookie
Reba32
Posted

could be electrolyte imbalance. This is common with dietary changes and weight loss. Make sure you are well hydrated, and get enough salt (if you're not eating manufactured foods anymore, that's a big reduction in sodium in the diet!). Potassium and magnesium rich foods can help with the leg cramps. Try half an avocado, a cup of clear chicken broth (gluten free of course!) and a magnesium supplement every day. Pumpkin seeds, almonds, dark chocolate, and spinach are good food sources of magnesium.

sahm-i-am Apprentice
sahm-i-am
Posted

For leg cramps I can recommend magnesium - my mom used to suffer for years and tried every trick in the book. Last year she started adding magnesium powder to her breakfast drink and they have gone away. You have to experiment and find the right dosage for your body, but it could work for you, too!

Bubba's Mom Enthusiast
Bubba's Mom
Posted

I agree about the Magnesium and leg cramps. You may need a calcium supplement too? If you're low on calcium it causes insomnia. Melatonin helps with sleep too.

A combo pill that's calcium, magnesium, and zinc might be good for you? Vitamin D is important too.

With that much of a weight loss I'd venture to say you may not be absorbing nutrients very well?

It's just miserable not being able to sleep!

o2guy Rookie
o2guy
Posted
  • Author

I Agree it is miserable not being able to sleep. Thanks for the advice I will try the magnesium to see if that helps. I know I have a malabsortion problem I have been taking B-12 injections every 2 weeks for over 10 years now so I would imagine that I am not asorbing other vital nutrients as well.

PeachBlossoms Rookie
PeachBlossoms
Posted

I am still new to gluten free. I have been gluten free, dairy free, and nuts and seeds free for a little over a month now. The problem is I'm having horrible insomnia and also leg cramps nightly. A lot of times at night it just seems that i can't shut my mind off. I also have lost aprox. 40 lbs in the last 40 day's. Is this normal when going gluten free? Am I missing some vital vitiamins or nutrients that could be causing the insomnia and cramps? The weight loss I can handle, I was overweight to begin with but the other is driving me nuts. I do feel better with all my other symptoms, and surprizingly I really dont feel tired even though I am only averageing about 2 hours of sleep a night. Any sugesstions would be great.

I would say go off grain and soy. I've known three other Celiacs who had insomia because of corn and soy. I have also known one who has leg cramps anytime the slightest amount of corn, rice or soy is in their diet. Many Celiacs have trouble with ALL grains... but won't have any traditional "gluten-like" symptoms before they remove it from their diet. After they avoid corn and soy and rice for 5 months and then reintroduce those grains back into their diet, they usually have a big gluten-like reaction.

So stop eating corn and soy and see if things improve. Remember, corn is in EVERYTHING. It is under the name glycerin and a thousand other names. Click here for all of corn's names: Open Original Shared Link

Di2011 Enthusiast
Di2011
Posted

Banana has been my medicine of choice for my years of leg cramps.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


RiceGuy Collaborator
RiceGuy
Posted

I also agree with the suggestion of a magnesium supplement. It can help with sleep as well.

The B12 is the other nutrient I was going to suggest, so glad you're taking that. However, is it methylcobalamin, or some other type? Usually the shots are better than the typical supplement, which is cyanocobalamin (contains cyanide). However, I don't know if one shot every two weeks would keep the level up enough to help with sleeping in between. I find that taking a sublingual methyl-B tablet about an hour before going to sleep seems to help fall asleep faster and to sleep more deeply.

Other B vitamins are also involved in healthy sleep-wake cycles, so a good co-enzyme B-complex supplement might also be helpful.

With time, your body should repair itself sufficiently, and sleeping should become easier.

RiceGuy Collaborator
RiceGuy
Posted

Banana has been my medicine of choice for my years of leg cramps.

Bananas are a good source of potassium, so I suppose that's what your body is needing.

Lori2 Contributor
Lori2
Posted

I also agree with the suggestion of a magnesium supplement. It can help with sleep as well.

I definitely agree with the magnesium supplement. However, if diarrhea is a problem, adding more magnesium could cause problems--for example, Milk of Magnesia is used as a laxative. Most magnesium supplements are only about 10% absorbed causing the diarrhea.

I have found a magnesium supplement that is almost 100% absorbable that I can use without a problem and when I take it at bedtime can be cramp free--I think it helps with my sleep also. Check out Angstrom Minerals.

domesticactivist Collaborator
domesticactivist
Posted

Magnesium and calcium deficiency are a common cause of both those problems. Maybe you are not getting enough, or are not absorbing what you do get.

We use concentrace mineral drops and Epsom salt baths/foot soaks for magnesium. If you decide to supplement calcium I believe calcium citrate is more readily absorbed than other forms.

  • 2 weeks later...
EdwardL Newbie
EdwardL
Posted

We use Peter Gillham's CALM magnesium and calcium drink. No problem with leg cramps any more, also helps reduce blood pressure, and is calming to help sleep. Soy caused leg cramps and we avoid soy like the plague for many reasons.

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

I also am a great fan of the calcium, magnesium and zinc combo, along with D. And I found corn to be a great insomnia-inducer :o

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

We use Peter Gillham's CALM magnesium and calcium drink. No problem with leg cramps any more, also helps reduce blood pressure, and is calming to help sleep.

I use this also, and it really does help with my night time leg and foot cramping. It's also relaxing--I make a tea of it (it comes in a powder form) and drink it before going to bed.

Open Original Shared Link

Reba32 Rookie
Reba32
Posted

I had a free sample of that Calm drink mix from the health food store, it was quite nice.

Food trivia: There's more potassium in avocado and cantaloupe than a banana, and less sugar :)

PeachBlossoms Rookie
PeachBlossoms
Posted

But your body should be able to absorb calcium magnesium from whole foods without having to take supplements. It sounds like you still are not absorbing nutrients and like you are overlooking another food intolerance. Find the food intolerance that is preventing your body from absorbing nutrients and you'll fix the cramps.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Kirita
      - Kirita replied to Kirita's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Recovery from gluten challenge

      Thank you so much for your response! I have a follow-up appointment with her pediatrician next week, and also an appointment with her pediatric GI Dr. Your message gives me some ideas for questions to ask the doctors. My daughter went strictly gluten-free in January following her first endoscopy so I’m guessing her diet is pretty solid. She is compliant b...
    2. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Kirita's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Recovery from gluten challenge

      While the positive endoscopy confirms the diagnosis, it's important to be skeptical of the idea that your daughter will simply "bounce back" to a pre-challenge state. The gluten challenge was essentially a controlled, prolonged exposure that likely caused significant inflammation and damage to her system; it's not surprising that recovery is slow and that...
    3. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Colleen H's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      1

      Brain fog

      The most common nutrient deficiencies associated with celiac disease that may lead to testing for the condition include iron, vitamin D, folate (vitamin B9), vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, and magnesium. Unfortunately many doctors, including my own doctor at the time, don't do extensive follow up testing for a broad range of nutrient deficiencies, nor recommend...
    4. trents
      - trents replied to Scatterbrain's topic in Sports and Fitness
      2

      Feel like I’m starting over

      Were you doing any of the new home construction yourself? Drywall compounds and adhesives used in construction have been known to cause problems for some celiacs.
    5. cristiana
      - cristiana replied to Scatterbrain's topic in Sports and Fitness
      2

      Feel like I’m starting over

      Hello @Scatterbrain and welcome to the forum I am sorry to hear you have had a return of your symptoms. My first thoughts were that stress can cause IBS-like symptoms - a friend of mine has been suffering a huge amount of stress and when that happens she gets diarrhea. But you say that you haven't got any bad abdominal issues, so perhaps you...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,284
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Marcia Ryan
    Newest Member
    Marcia Ryan
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Kirita
      Recovery from gluten challenge

      By Kirita · Posted

      Thank you so much for your response! I have a follow-up appointment with her pediatrician next week, and also an appointment with her pediatric GI Dr. Your message gives me some ideas for questions to ask the doctors. My daughter went strictly gluten-free in January following her first endoscopy so I’m guessing her diet is pretty solid. She is compliant but also reliant on others to make her food (at school and home) but she didn’t have this problem prior to the gluten challenge when she went strictly gluten-free. It really makes sense to me that the gluten challenge inflammation hasn’t healed and I will be asking her doctors about nutritional issues. I ask for anecdotal stories because the research surrounding the gluten challenge seems to be inconsistent and inconclusive (at least what I’ve been able to find!). Thank you so much for your response!
    • Scott Adams
      Recovery from gluten challenge

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      While the positive endoscopy confirms the diagnosis, it's important to be skeptical of the idea that your daughter will simply "bounce back" to a pre-challenge state. The gluten challenge was essentially a controlled, prolonged exposure that likely caused significant inflammation and damage to her system; it's not surprising that recovery is slow and that a subsequent exposure hit her so hard. The persistent fatigue is a major red flag that her body is still struggling, potentially indicating that the initial damage hasn't fully healed or that her system is now in a heightened state of reactivity. Rather than seeking anecdotal timelines from others, her experience underscores the critical need for close follow-up with her gastroenterologist to rule out other nutrient deficiencies commonly caused by celiac flare-ups, like iron or B12, and to consult with a dietitian to scrutinize her diet for any hidden sources of cross-contamination that could be perpetuating her symptoms. The most common nutrient deficiencies associated with celiac disease that may lead to testing for the condition include iron, vitamin D, folate (vitamin B9), vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, and magnesium.  Unfortunately many doctors, including my own doctor at the time, don't do extensive follow up testing for a broad range of nutrient deficiencies, nor recommend that those just diagnosed with celiac disease take a broad spectrum vitamin/mineral supplement, which would greatly benefit most, if not all, newly diagnosed celiacs.      
    • Scott Adams
      Brain fog

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      The most common nutrient deficiencies associated with celiac disease that may lead to testing for the condition include iron, vitamin D, folate (vitamin B9), vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, and magnesium.  Unfortunately many doctors, including my own doctor at the time, don't do extensive follow up testing for a broad range of nutrient deficiencies, nor recommend that those just diagnosed with celiac disease take a broad spectrum vitamin/mineral supplement, which would greatly benefit most, if not all, newly diagnosed celiacs. Brain fog, like other celiac disease symptoms, does improve after you to 100% gluten-free, and supplementation will also help.      
    • trents
      Feel like I’m starting over

      By trents · Posted

      Were you doing any of the new home construction yourself? Drywall compounds and adhesives used in construction have been known to cause problems for some celiacs.
    • cristiana
      Feel like I’m starting over

      By cristiana · Posted

      Hello @Scatterbrain and welcome to the forum I am sorry to hear you have had a return of your symptoms.  My first thoughts were that stress can cause IBS-like symptoms - a friend of mine has been suffering a huge amount of stress and when that happens she gets diarrhea.  But you say that you haven't got any bad abdominal issues, so perhaps you could share what other symptoms you are having? Cristiana  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.