# Can Losing Weight Bring On Insomnia?



## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

Hi All

After hitting more than 19 stone over Christmas and New Year I've been very strict with what I'm eating. It's going well and I've lost just over a stone since 2nd January which is much faster than I expected. I feel great but also since 2nd January I've been having difficulty sleeping. I'm not sure if it's coincidence or not. If anything I'd expect to have less energy when dieting not more energy.

My typical daily intake is 200ml of semi-skimmed milk with 35g of crunchy nut for breakfast at around 0840. I'll have two large instant Kenco coffees with about 25ml of semi skimmed milk in each before 11am. Lunch is about 300ml homemade soup and a wholemeal sandwich with ham or chicken and a very light spread of lurpak lighter spreadable. Evening meal is anything from a M&S Fuller For Longer ready meal to homemade spaghetti bolognase or roast chicken with wholegrain rice and carrot sticks etc. I have plenty water throughout the day. I don't really snack except maybe an apple or low fat yogurt a day if i'm peckish.

I used have easily 1.5l-2.0l of full fat fizzy juice with a few sweets and chocolate bars, scones with jam, etc. Breakfast was a couple of sausage/bacon rolls. Lunch was pizza and chips, evening meal was takeaway i.e. spare ribs, sweet and sour chicken and egg fried rice. Doing the maths I don't think it was unusual for me to exceed 5000 calories a couple of times a week or more. 

When I was eating all that **** I'd be in bed for 2230 and sleep soundly until 0715. Now I tend to find that I might sleep for an hour or so from 2330-1230 then I'm up for 2 hours and waking around 0530. 

It's not really causing me a problem. I don't feel tired. It's just unusual for me and I wondered if anyone else has experienced this sort of thing. The wife thinks I should go to the doctor but I tend to avoid them unless I have a limb hanging off or I'm close to death!


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## sfstu (Aug 3, 2010)

hi, firstly well done for making a start losing weight...:thumb: 
i can't really help you insomnia wise but i'm in a similar position, in that i too am trying to lose weight (similar starting weight to you) and although i haven't had any problems sleeping, i've also found i have a lot more energy even though i'm eating about half the calories i was at the end of last year...! i too expected i'd feel tired/drained of energy but the oposite is true, which is all good...
the only difference between us that i can see would maybe make a difference is i'm lifting weights (not every day though) and also i tend to get up for work about 4.30...:doublesho i certainly don't have any trouble sleeping the day of a workout...
maybe you could include some evening exercise with the combined plus of helping speed up weightloss and making you tired...?
rgds stu


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

I've been doing some exercise and using my gym membership. Depending on time available I'll do 30 mins run (4.0km+) and 30 mins light freeweights with higher reps (don't want to be bulking up - that'll come once I'm below 14st 7lbs). I've been doing some Pilates as well which strengthens my core as I have occasional back pain every few months. 

Last night I was in bed at 2330, disturbed sleep and up at 0530 when the wife got fed up with me fidgeting keeping her awake. 

I'm aiming to get below 17st 7lbs by end of January... considering my target was end of March for 17st 7lbs I'm not complaining. Started of at 19st 2lbs on 2nd Jan (I was hitting 19st 4lbs regularly towards the end of Dec).

At this rate I'll be at 14st 7lbs by early April which was my target for the end of 2013!

My wife and mother reckon it's worth a trip to the doctor abuot the insomnia but I don't want sleeping pills or anything and I'm not sure what they can do about it. Especially if there's no noticeable affect...


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## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

My advice to you is to speak to a proper personal trainer. Not one of the guys who works at te gym. You need some advice on your diet and your workouts. You seem to have the wrong end of the stick with nutrition. You've swallowed the pill the big food companies want you to. Like for breakfast, crunchy nut. That's nothing more than cardboard mush fortified with fake vitamins and artificial sweeteners just to make it palatable. Marks and Spencer's ready meals, probably full of salt and again artificial crap to keep the calorie count down to make you think your eating healthy. All this crap messes with our hormones and natural processed in our body. 

Try doing two weeks of eating like a cave man and see how your body responds. Just remember no processed crap, no diet crap, just plenty of lean protein some complex carbs and fats. You really need to speak to a personal trainer. Trust me, it will help you more than a gym can.


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## Z4-35i (Jun 12, 2012)

^^^

Definitely ensure you have a good nutritional diet to go with your new exercise routine. One thing we are doing this year is more home cooking and not buying any ready meals, it takes a bit more planning, but works out cheaper, tastes nicer (most of the time ;-)) and you know what's going into your food. Snacking is actually okay as long as it's healthy, fresh fruit, plain nuts etc.


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## LukeWS (Sep 9, 2012)

Are you taking any pre workout supplements? Lots contain high amounts of caffeine, when i tried on recently that Semtex rubbish (got sucked in) it kept me up till 3am easily was ridiculous! Dropped it after day 3 lol

If not the doctor would be worth a visit to see if they can help mate


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## Kriminal (Jan 11, 2007)

I'd definitely advise going to your GP and seeking advice about this one.

Just remember though - your body, and mind, are both going through nutritional depletion at the moment, where you're reducing your intake.....it's bound to feel a tad confused, and what you're probably experiencing is a similar effect to jet lag, where we knock our body's clock out of sync.

Another thought - is there anything else on your mind that may be causing you to have disruptive sleeping.....any worries?....are you not switching off your mind early enough before bed?


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## WhenIwake (Nov 10, 2012)

second the thought about any "fat burners" .. Pretty much all of them.contain high amounts of caffeine.

also you could maybe try throwing in a milk protein before bed. Myproteins strawberry cream milk protein is really good , tastes amazing and helps me get a good nights sleep as a glass of milk does for some people (mind you i mix t with milk) and Keeps your metabolism going.


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

I started loosing weight last year and found I slept better but felt awake when I woke. Hope you get it sorted mate.


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

Thanks for all the replies. As I've said it's not really causing me an issue, I was just curious whether it was normal or not.

Also, most of my diet is now home-made apart from the breakfast cereal and the occasional ready meal in the evening which is rare. Whatever it is it's better than the immense amounts of **** I used to eat.

No suppliments other than my multivitamins which I've always taken.

I usually eat about 1800-1730 on weekdays.

When I'm not working breakfast is usually fresh strawberries and blueberries.

I really wish I liked more vegetables but I really struggle with anything but carrots, cucumber, green beans, mange touts, asparagus. I can take a bit of potato or brocolli. I can take most other veg is finely chopped and in soups/sauces but can't stomach mushrooms. Same goes for fish. I wish I liked it but I can't stomach anything other than the occasional Tuna sandwich.



Kriminal said:


> Another thought - is there anything else on your mind that may be causing you to have disruptive sleeping.....any worries?....are you not switching off your mind early enough before bed?


Apart from planning to move house (going for a look at a new development tonight), planning to change job (doing CV & application tonight), planning the holiday of a lifetime (wife currently looking at brochures), family illness (both her grandparents in their 90's are quite ill), becoming debt free other than a mortgage (after 12 years of creditcard/storecard/loans/PCPs) AND the excitement of finally making progress with weight after getting my eating under control... no there's not really anything significant to keep me awake at night :lol:


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

Being debt free should make you sleep better lol. It would me!


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## cleancar (Sep 21, 2006)

I was the same , seem to need less sleep probably because I wasn't humping around the extra weight all day long.


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## Colemane (Jan 21, 2013)

Hi Nanoman,
Healthy weight loss is between 2-4 lbs per week so avoid lose healthy weight loss to avoid any discomfort and deficiency. Make your schedule of going bed and avoid taking anything at least an hour before going to bed. Avoid sleeping in day timings and avoid alcohol, smoking and caffeine.
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## cookie1 (Jan 28, 2013)

I suggest you to reduce your weight picking amount,try to be less tired sometimes when we are really tired when can not sleep much or can not sleep so it is important to not be very tired.
If something is disturbing to mentally try not to bother that and just stay calm don't be stressed much listen to the music and than try to sleep.

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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

A wee update for anyone that's interested...

I've now managed to keep off two stone and I'm steadily losing weight. Also getting much fitter managing 5km in under 27 minutes and just come back from 9.5km in 1:08 along the old railway track.

Sleep issues seem to have gone away.


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