Insomnia

[Louisa]

I'm new here, been having thyroid probs (hypo) since 2008. I am now on the right dose of t4 (since 5 weeks ago) but it's taking a while for me to feel better.

I've not slept properly for about 4 years, tried Valerian. Doc gave me Zopiclone and I have had those for 3 weeks now and I've only taken 3 in total as it's not proper sleep, not natural sleep.

I've done all the usual stuff, relaxation, meditation, warm bath, soft music etc etc etc. Do any of you have any ideas?

Thanks
Louisa

 

[tara]

Welcome Louisa.

I've done all the usual stuff, relaxation, meditation, warm bath, soft music etc etc etc. Do any of you have any ideas?

Hopefully our thyroid supp will help with sleep.

There are several threads with ideas if you use the search function.

Different things are key for different people. Some possibilities include:
Sweetened milk and/or gelatine before bed.
Adequate salt.
Eating enough overall (this one is key for me). If you increase your metabolism with supplemental thyroid, that likely increases needs for several nutrients (including calories). Under-nutrition can be a cause of low metabolism.
Simple easy carby snack by bedside in case of waking.
Generous magnesium intake.
If there are indications of estrogen dominance, progesterone supplementation (eg progest-e)
Shutting the mouth and calming breathing/putting a cloth over the head to restore CO2 levels.
Getting regular sunlight on the skin.
Making sure feet are warm.
Satisfying and connected life. :)

There are drugs that can have an effect (eg small amounts of cyproheptadine), but it's probably good to try the more natural methods first.

Do you want to tell what and how much you are eating?

 

[Louisa]

Welcome Louisa.


Hopefully our thyroid supp will help with sleep.

There are several threads with ideas if you use the search function.

Different things are key for different people. Some possibilities include:
Sweetened milk and/or gelatine before bed.
Adequate salt.
Eating enough overall (this one is key for me). If you increase your metabolism with supplemental thyroid, that likely increases needs for several nutrients (including calories). Under-nutrition can be a cause of low metabolism.
Simple easy carby snack by bedside in case of waking.


Generous magnesium intake.
If there are indications of estrogen dominance, progesterone supplementation (eg progest-e)
Shutting the mouth and calming breathing/putting a cloth over the head to restore CO2 levels.
Getting regular sunlight on the skin.
Making sure feet are warm.
Satisfying and connected life. :)

There are drugs that can have an effect (eg small amounts of cyproheptadine), but it's probably good to try the more natural methods first.

Do you want to tell what and how much you are eating?

I'm eating home cooked food, nutritious stuff, nothing microwaved (we don't even own a microwave), no ready meals or fast food.

Breakfast - toast, egg/bacon
Lunch - tuna and salad
Evening meal - eg, hearty beef stews, with lots of veg. Roast chicken. Steak and oven chips (chips have to win sometimes) Casseroles, curries, as I say filling home cooked meals.

I am allergic to dairy., I have a snack before bed. Sunlight - here in the UK, it's practically not existent at the min ! I am menopausal but cannot get anything from the doc. I don't drink alcohol. I drink Redbush tea which is caffeine and tannin free. I eat blueberries and pears. I have multi vitamins. I don't drink coffee either.

 

[tara]

Your dinners sound delicious. :)
Any idea of overall calories and carbs? You could plug those foods into cronometer or similar if you want to get an idea of what your food offers you in macro and micronutrients? I wonder if you are getting much in the way of calcium? I've had trouble with dairy too. Since reading Peat I've strted to supplement a little oyster shell. Peat favours clean eggshell calcium for those who need to supplement.

Personally, I wouldn't get far on tuna and salad for lunch, unless that is a high carb salad.

Peat is not particularly keen on tuna (I think maybe because it is high enough up the food chain to accumulate a bit of mercury?). Also not particularly keen on wheat. These may or may not be key factors for you. I'd look at macronutrients first.

If you are making those oven chips with coconut oil, yum - I do this to. I guess you've come across Peat's idea of minimising polyunsaturated fats, which undermine metabolism in several ways. Coconut oil is one of the most saturated edible fats available. Butter and ruminant fats are not bad.

We need some red light (orange through near infrared) regularly to restore the cytochrome oxidase enzyme, which runs down in darkness. It is key to efficient mitochondrial energy production, which has a lot to do with how strong metabolism can be.
Some people use supplemental lighting to get this when sunlight is in short supply. There are threads. Peat has recommended strong incandescents as a good source.

Adequate energy is needed to sleep well. That includes thyroid function and adequate sugar levels. Some of us have got run down to where our livers are a not great at storing lots of glycogen. More fruit or juice through the day may help with this - I think it does for me.

Some people have managed to come their intolerances to milk, but I don't seem to have yet. Some people find coffee really helpful, but so far I'm not one of them, either. Skipping the alcohol seems wise to me.

If you haven't already started reading/listening to Peat's articles and interviews, I'd recommend them.

 

[marikay]

I'm new here, been having thyroid probs (hypo) since 2008. I am now on the right dose of t4 (since 5 weeks ago) but it's taking a while for me to feel better.

I've not slept properly for about 4 years, tried Valerian. Doc gave me Zopiclone and I have had those for 3 weeks now and I've only taken 3 in total as it's not proper sleep, not natural sleep.

I've done all the usual stuff, relaxation, meditation, warm bath, soft music etc etc etc. Do any of you have any ideas?

Thanks
Louisa

Hi Louisa. Are you on t4 only? If so, that might explain the insomnia. T3 added to your daily routine throughout the day and a little before sleep will help a lot.

 

[Louisa]

I am wheat intolerant but have wheat free bread etc, and I love coconut oil. I also have goats cheese and goats milk. Tuna and salad is not every day, that's just an example, we will probably make a large casserole the night before and have some for out evening meal and save some for lunch the following day etc. Do you have a link to Peats advice etc or tell me where can I find this.

Marikay. I am only taking T4, I see the doc on Monday 21st about this so will be asking about T3. I used to be on T3 and my results came back last year saying I didn't need T3 anymore etc etc etc .
5 weeks ago my levels were
TSH = 6.3 (0.4- 4.5)
T3 = 4.3 (3-6.5)
T4 = 16 (11-23)

 

[tara]

Do you have a link to Peats advice etc or tell me where can I find this.

Ray Peat's website has a number of articles on key topics:
www.raypeat.com

There's a lot of material from him on the forum here:
Ray Peat Resources & Quotes | Ray Peat Forum

If you are looking for something specific, Dan Wich has a nice search page here:
PeatSearch: a Ray Peat-specific search engine - Toxinless