Insomnia From Coconut Oil

[peatyfoody]

I figured out that coconut oil causes me severe insomnia. So bad that I can not even fall asleep and up until morning, or even if I fall asleep I am up at midnight and no matter how much I eat at night, I am too active to go back to sleep again.

I am prone to insomnia anyway and have been trying to fix it for 3 years, but I had almost 1-2 months now, that my nights were almost perfect, I only woke up maybe at 2-3 am but could sleep further. I live in a sunny place and I noticed when I used coconut oil as a sun cream my sleep was always worse. In fact, I tried to rub my face with a mixture of coconut oil and sodium bicarbonate, which made my skin on my face look perfect, but every time I did it even if it was in the morning, I had a "pulling" feeling in my head and could not sleep during the whole night. I figured this out quite quickly after a few days that it does not agree with my face, so stopped to use it.

And now in the last days I increased my CO consumption up to like 3 tbsp, and the insomnia kicked in again, it took me 3 days to figure it out that it was the coconut oil, but now internally... So I guess I raised my metabolism too much, and I assume I would have the same effect from thyroid, as well. Like driving a car without fuel... My diet is rich in fruits, dairy, and I almost only use honey, so not too much empty calories and eat between 2500-3000 kcal. (woman) Should I focus on improving my gut to help digesting foods better or what can one do in this case?

 

[biggirlkisss]

you need to get the insomnia under control so you can heal faster. Eatting before bed can help sleep quality and falling asleep. Red light bright red light will help you stay asleep too. If you wake up at night eat and go back to bed. Also sleeping with the light will help.

 

[peatyfoody]

Thanks, I know all these things, my question is related specifically to coconut oil.. whether others react to is so strong as well. And I wrote that in this case eating did not help.

 

[mmb82]

Some people experience insomnia when they take coconut oil at night because it's a quick burst of energy, but the fact that you put it on your skin in the morning and can't sleep at night is mind boggling to me. I would not say that you raised your metabolism too much, but that you are triggering some sort of hormonal stress response. You might just be allergic to coconut oil (though it doesn't make you break out when you put it on your skin) or you could potentially have some gut dysbiosis that the coconut oil is "killing off" and you are having Herxheimer-like reactions.

Do you notice any other changes like headaches, stomach pain, discomfort, bloating, or changes in bowel movements or is it literally just insomnia?

 

[peatyfoody]

I am constantly bloated, have sibo. But yeah if I eat a tbsp of CO alone, then it is worse. Yes it is probably strong die-off symptom and stress response.

 

[mmb82]

I am constantly bloated, have sibo. But yeah if I eat a tbsp of CO alone, then it is worse. Yes it is probably strong die-off symptom and stress response.

Although it would cost you a bit, I would look into getting a GI pathogen screen. They are available through a company called BioHealth, but I am not sure if you would need some sort of "referral" from a physician. The tests they offer can detect all kinds of bacterial and yeast imbalances and it is helpful to know what you are dealing with. Without knowing the specifics, it may be very hard to get rid of the particular pathogen(s) you have. If you don't have the money to get tested or are not able to without some kind of referral, you can probably search the internet for different cheap protocols to get rid of yeast and/or bacterial infections. Not sure how well they would work. You could also look into doing a 30 day cleanse based on herbs, but a kit like that might cost $100 if it is of any decent quality.

 

[Vinero]

Switch to other saturated fats like butter, cocoa butter, beef or lamb.
Coconut oil is not essential, if you eat other high-quality saturated fats.
I don't eat coconut oil because I sometimes get a weird pressure in my right side of my ribs after eating it.

 

[tara]

I figured out that coconut oil causes me severe insomnia.

are you using refined coconut oil or the more flavoursome kind?
Peat has mentioned that he favours the refined stuff because the unrefined oil can be allergenic for some people.

 

[peatyfoody]

I have both at home and both have this kind of effect. I did not eat it yesterday, only butter, cream, cheese and milk as fat sources, and my night was way better but not the best.. need 1 more day to calm down. @mmb82 thanks, I know! I did already many parasite tests and could not find anything, it is indeed difficult to find them at the right time anyway. I also had a stool composition test and turned out I am low e.g. in Enterococcus and Lactobacillus species, still when I started to add the Enterococcus I had these same reactions, insomnia, etc. I have this from everything that affects my gut, actually. All probiotics, pepsin, enyzmes, herbal antibiotics. But anyway, I will now try a peaty antibiotic, tetracycline. Hope without these massicve die-off symptoms. I was just suprised that not too many people have reported insomnia from the increased CO yet..

 

[EIRE24]

I have both at home and both have this kind of effect. I did not eat it yesterday, only butter, cream, cheese and milk as fat sources, and my night was way better but not the best.. need 1 more day to calm down. @mmb82 thanks, I know! I did already many parasite tests and could not find anything, it is indeed difficult to find them at the right time anyway. I also had a stool composition test and turned out I am low e.g. in Enterococcus and Lactobacillus species, still when I started to add the Enterococcus I had these same reactions, insomnia, etc. I have this from everything that affects my gut, actually. All probiotics, pepsin, enyzmes, herbal antibiotics. But anyway, I will now try a peaty antibiotic, tetracycline. Hope without these massicve die-off symptoms. I was just suprised that not too many people have reported insomnia from the increased CO yet..

Let us know of your results with the antibiotic

 

[DaveFoster]

I figured out that coconut oil causes me severe insomnia. So bad that I can not even fall asleep and up until morning, or even if I fall asleep I am up at midnight and no matter how much I eat at night, I am too active to go back to sleep again.

I am prone to insomnia anyway and have been trying to fix it for 3 years, but I had almost 1-2 months now, that my nights were almost perfect, I only woke up maybe at 2-3 am but could sleep further. I live in a sunny place and I noticed when I used coconut oil as a sun cream my sleep was always worse. In fact, I tried to rub my face with a mixture of coconut oil and sodium bicarbonate, which made my skin on my face look perfect, but every time I did it even if it was in the morning, I had a "pulling" feeling in my head and could not sleep during the whole night. I figured this out quite quickly after a few days that it does not agree with my face, so stopped to use it.

And now in the last days I increased my CO consumption up to like 3 tbsp, and the insomnia kicked in again, it took me 3 days to figure it out that it was the coconut oil, but now internally... So I guess I raised my metabolism too much, and I assume I would have the same effect from thyroid, as well. Like driving a car without fuel... My diet is rich in fruits, dairy, and I almost only use honey, so not too much empty calories and eat between 2500-3000 kcal. (woman) Should I focus on improving my gut to help digesting foods better or what can one do in this case?

It can be due to transient hyperthyroidism (unlikely), a dieoff reaction due to the antibacterial properties of the coconut oil (transient but likely), or an allergy to the unrefined variety (very likely).

 

[Lurker]

3 tablespoonfuls is a lot of coconut oil to jump into. Many people would get “disaster pants” at that quantity. Maybe try backing off to one teaspoon in the morning and see how it goes. I believe this amount is in line with Peat’s recommendations anyway.

Any change in dietary habits can change the microbiome and that especially true for coconut oil. Take it slow. No sleep is no good.

 

[HEW75]

My dad and I have the same issue. Any form of coconut at any time of day results in heart pounding, wired-brain feelings, and severe insomnia. I so wish I could eat it since I can't do dairy. There needs to be a support group for this. :)

From BodyBuiliding.com: "Medium-chain fatty acids like those found in virgin coconut oil are not used by the body like fats, but rather like carbohydrates. This means that medium-chain fatty acids do not circulate freely in the blood or get stored away to add to bodyweight. Instead, they are sent to the liver, where they are immediately converted to energy."

"The primary medium-chain fat in virgin coconut oil is lauric acid, a saturated fatty acid made of 12 carbons."

 

[Yonebayashian]

I think I just gave myself insomnia this way. Beware lol.