Night Terrors/Sleep Disturbances/Irritability After Eating Starch/other Foods (Ex Carnivore)

[animalcule]

Quick history:
I've had lifelong low energy/depression/anxiety, very low energy, and weight issues (starting at age 8 after big emotional upheaval). In the past decade I have developed joint stiffness (usually in the morning), and headaches bordering on migraines, among other things.

When I was 18, I started experimenting with diet in order to lose weight, but I soon latched onto it as a tool to help me deal with depression/mood and inflammation. I eventually started restricting foods that I knew to be causing problems, either from allergy testing or elimination diet (wheat, soy/beans, dairy, eggs, nightshades). Finally, I ended up doing carnivore, lost a bunch of weight, felt momentarily less depressed/more energized, but then it tanked my digestion (gastroporesis and acid reflux feelings whenever I ate), it was extremely difficult to stick to (tried for over a year with some slip ups), and by the end was constantly nauseous, irritable and low energy. Then I went "all in" for the past 9-10 months, ate almost whatever I want (excluded some major food intolerances/allergies), gained 40 lbs, developed worse joint pain, crippling depression, blah blah blah ... I feel like ***t.

[My diet history goes something like: Low calorie --> paleo low calorie --> low carb ad libitum --> keto ad libidum --> paleo w/more food restrictions --> whatever I could eat that wasn't causing stomach upset --> Carnivore Diet --> "All in" eating --> crash & burn. ]

Title Issue:
I cannot seem to digest starch anymore. Rice causes intense joint stiffness the next day, worse than before I started elimination diets. Corn and potatoes seem to cause daytime irritability and nighttime terrors -- I'll jerk awake in the middle of the night in a panic and cry out, trying to get out of my bed and into my slippers in a panic. This will happen with waning intensity over and over, until I awake for good, exhausted, in the morning. Waves of panic. All sorts of fears bubble up and grip me. Terrible sleep. Terrible mood in the morning. Plus, inflamed finger joints.

With all of my experimentation, I seem to have severely limited what I'm able to digest. Or maybe I've just developed some sort of gut dysbiosis. Or perhaps I had it all along and just exacerbated it with elimination/reintroduction. I don't know. I just know that I can't continue to eat nothing but meat and simple sugars.

I know that these forums are full of people searching for optimal diets, but at this point I just want to be able to eat a freaking potato or a corn chip without it making me gain 10 lbs and causing me to wake up screaming in my sleep.

I've tried 'all in,' and it was fun at first, but never solved the underlying digestive issues, leading to all sorts of mood/energy/sleep/weight/digestive issues. The standard line with the 'all in' eaters is to just keep eating everything ad libitum and everything will even out eventually. Well, it's been 10 months and I can't ignore the side effects anymore.

Has anyone experienced anything similar? Anyone ex carnivores who managed to reintroduce starch without it wrecking them? Any tips on building an iron stomach that isn't irritated by anything I put in it?

Advice very much appreciated.

 

[Hans]

What have you already tried for your gut, e.g. anti-biotics, natural anti-bacterial supplements, carrot salad, activated charcoal, etc?
How much calcium are you consuming daily and how much sun exposure do you get? What is your vitamin D levels?
Do you tolerate dairy?
Do you tolerate fruit?
Do you sleep enough? Are you actively managing your stress?

 

[animalcule]

I have tried carrot salad briefly in the past, it didn't seem to do anything.
I have tried activated charcoal in the past and found it really constipating so I have not tried it again. No other supplements, I try to avoid them if at all possible.

I do not tolerate dairy -- I've experimented with adding in sheep cheese and cow cheese; both led to insomnia, irritability, depression, heightened hearing (basically little noises/vibrations would drive me insane) and weight gain. Sheep butter made me feel like a cold was coming on. I wish I could eat dairy.

I tolerate some fruit, though too much makes me feel bloated or can cause digestive upset, and I sometimes have a greatly increased urge to urinate that I think is linked to some fruit or vegetables irritating me (not due to increased water content from the fruit. I'll feel like peeing 3-4 times an hour).

I used to go to bed before midnight and wake up feeling ok. Now my sleep schedule is all over the place, and my sleep is very fitful. I think this is caused by diet, not poor sleep causing poor digestion, though. I've never struggled with insomnia that much. My household also recently moved the wireless router to a room right beneath my bed, and I wonder if that has contributed at all... But I don't know.

Am I actively managing my stress? Well... I'm trying. I guess I feel like there are states of mind I can get in, when I'm not eating anything that triggers me, when I don't feel as stressed out. And then I upset my stomach and suddenly *everything* is anxiety provoking. I am looking into addressing some emotional issues/trauma with the hope that this will relieve some inner tension and improve all system functioning...

 

[Hans]

What is your general diet like atm?
Have you checked your vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH)?

 

[animalcule]

Diet: Beef chuck roast, other non-ground cuts of beef, onion, garlic, (usually cooked) carrot, olive oil. Maple syrup, cocoa powder. Sometimes white sugar. Strawberries, cherry juice, fruit jam (contains pectin). Some spices like cayenne and cumin, sometimes mustard or hot sauce, olives . Salt to taste. Pretty limited. I add/subtract from this baseline. do Any time I add rice/corn/potato I bloat and get all of the above symptoms. I also feel way too tired to do my daily long walk.

I have not checked my vitamin D and PTH and will probably be unable to in the near future due to health insurance issues. I do however try to take long walks outside every day and I have pale skin so... I try to cover my vitamin D bases that way. Though bc I can't test, I can't know.

 

[Hans]

Your calcium intake looks very low. Skin, joint, sleep, inflammation, energy, etc., issues often correlate with elevated PTH.
Since you can't consume dairy, ground-up eggshells are a good alternative. A few leafy greens are also great sources of calcium, such as collard greens, bok choy, turnip greens, kale and mustard greens.

 

[animalcule]

Thank you for the advice -- I am looking for ways to increase calcium now. I'm egg intolerant, so I am hesitant to use eggshell. Maybe ground oyster.

In the meantime, I dropped the starch. No more night terrors.

I'm contemplating going back to a modified carnivore diet after all of this.

 

[Geronimo]

I have these exact same issues. I found mine started when I was simultaneously using alot of zinc and also baking soda for indigestion a few years ago. Now any sort of starch makes me swell up like a tick on a dog. I get so foggy-headed and lethargic that I can barely function while not even having a job. I've tried almost everything under the sun. The only times I feel good are when I poop like crazy after taking antibacterial non-fiber substances like salt water, lactoferrin, and serrapeptase. You (and I) almost certainly have stubborn bacterial overgrowth. You need non-fermentable carbs and most likely need to kill off bacteria and their subsequent biofilm. I highly recommend taking activated charcoal while killing off large amounts of bacteria. Charcoal does little for overgrowth symptoms, but it will clean up the debris from killing off an overgrowth.

 

[danishispsychic]

take a look at your potassium levels

 

[Kratos]

Cut the spices, garlic and onions.

 

[Dino D]

4 meals
1, 2,4 rth meal ,protein and fat

100 gram of fat, 120-150 gram of protein, 150 gram of carbs (per day)

3. meal 50 -70 gram of super cooked rice, some meat up to 100 gram, butter, and juice to get aditional 100gram of sugar/carbs

dont eat 2-3 hours before sleep, dont wait to long for brekfat

salt

walk

use a little bit of electrolyte mix before bad

you need to calm down... no insulin spikes, not much starch that will make the bacteria worse... protein and fat calms down in your case... maybe a bit adrenaline but lets find balance...

later you reintroduce more juice, less protein and meat, a bit more starch... more calories

i have had the same problem

time is the solution and balance

ground zero with low carb high fat, plus salt, electrolyte, walking

uping carbs over time, never go overboard with starch

cut sups and coffee