Started waking up every night feeling cold

[Ben]

This started to happen gradually. It happened only once at first, then sometimes, now everyday. I go to sleep at a room temperature that feels too warm due to a lack of air conditioning. Then I wake up in the middle of the night, feeling cold as if the room is quite cold. I usually try to avoid the cold by hugging the mattress, because I have morning fatigue. I fall asleep and wake up the final time, then I put on some sweat-pants and a sweat-shirt. It takes a while for me to warm up. Then when I eat breakfast, the temperature is again too warm for me.

I don't know what I could attribute this to. Am I burning calories too quickly, and the result is not having enough sugar to make it through the night, and "feeling cold" because of a higher temperature set-point? A couple of supplements I've been experimenting with are progest-E and vitamin B6. It could also have to do with seasonal changes. I don't know what to do about this either, when I go to bed the temperature is too high, then when I wake up the temperature is too low. I do eat a little ice cream before bed like RP recommends, but just a little since I get diarrhea when I eat too much lactose. I have avoided protein before bed for a while because it can cause hypoglycemia during the night.

 

[Blossom]

This started to happen gradually. It happened only once at first, then sometimes, now everyday. I go to sleep at a room temperature that feels too warm due to a lack of air conditioning. Then I wake up in the middle of the night, feeling cold as if the room is quite cold. I usually try to avoid the cold by hugging the mattress, because I have morning fatigue. I fall asleep and wake up the final time, then I put on some sweat-pants and a sweat-shirt. It takes a while for me to warm up. Then when I eat breakfast, the temperature is again too warm for me.

I don't know what I could attribute this to. Am I burning calories too quickly, and the result is not having enough sugar to make it through the night, and "feeling cold" because of a higher temperature set-point? A couple of supplements I've been experimenting with are progest-E and vitamin B6. It could also have to do with seasonal changes. I don't know what to do about this either, when I go to bed the temperature is too high, then when I wake up the temperature is too low. I do eat a little ice cream before bed like RP recommends, but just a little since I get diarrhea when I eat too much lactose. I have avoided protein before bed for a while because it can cause hypoglycemia during the night.

I find I must have a bedtime snack to get a good night's sleep. Maybe a piece of cheese with some OJ would work for you? With that you would get some carbs, protein and fat and avoid lactose since it is minimal to none in most cheeses. I no longer underestimate the value of the bedtime snack!

 

[Ben]

I do keep some OJ beside me for the night, in case of emergencies. Trouble is, I'm extremely lethargic when I'm sleeping, to the point where I hold my pee in the morning so I don't have to get up. I wonder if this would be a valid symptom for low testosterone levels if cortisol and thyroid levels are good. I'm seeing an endo soon in an attempt to get prescribed testosterone. I should tell the endo that I get cold and should eat or need to pee during sleep, but the fatigue is too severe for me to solve these problems. Hopefully they won't send me on my way and say they aren't related. It may be hard to convince them considering I'm younger than 30. Normally testosterone is prescribed to older men.

 

[Blossom]

I do keep some OJ beside me for the night, in case of emergencies. Trouble is, I'm extremely lethargic when I'm sleeping, to the point where I hold my pee in the morning so I don't have to get up. I wonder if this would be a valid symptom for low testosterone levels if cortisol and thyroid levels are good. I'm seeing an endo soon in an attempt to get prescribed testosterone. I should tell the endo that I get cold and should eat or need to pee during sleep, but the fatigue is too severe for me to solve these problems. Hopefully they won't send me on my way and say they aren't related. It may be hard to convince them considering I'm younger than 30. Normally testosterone is prescribed to older men.

Several years ago my husband was prescribed testosterone while he was in his mid thirties. The endocrinologists in my area seem to pretty much go off lab results. It might not matter that much what you say but I would still report all of your concerns since you will be there and paying for the service.

 

[Ben]

It makes sense that they would go very much off of lab tests, since low testosterone symptoms are usually pretty non-specific, and after all, in the end lab tests prove whether testosterone is too low. Do you know whether endos do "trials" of testosterone for the patient to report whether he feels better? If they do not prescribe me testosterone despite bad lab results for whatever reason, maybe I can convince them to let me try testosterone.

 

[HDD]

This started to happen gradually. It happened only once at first, then sometimes, now everyday. I go to sleep at a room temperature that feels too warm due to a lack of air conditioning. Then I wake up in the middle of the night, feeling cold as if the room is quite cold. I usually try to avoid the cold by hugging the mattress, because I have morning fatigue. I fall asleep and wake up the final time, then I put on some sweat-pants and a sweat-shirt. It takes a while for me to warm up. Then when I eat breakfast, the temperature is again too warm for me.

I don't know what I could attribute this to. Am I burning calories too quickly, and the result is not having enough sugar to make it through the night, and "feeling cold" because of a higher temperature set-point? A couple of supplements I've been experimenting with are progest-E and vitamin B6. It could also have to do with seasonal changes. I don't know what to do about this either, when I go to bed the temperature is too high, then when I wake up the temperature is too low. I do eat a little ice cream before bed like RP recommends, but just a little since I get diarrhea when I eat too much lactose. I have avoided protein before bed for a while because it can cause hypoglycemia during the night.

I had a similar situation several months ago. I had gone to a party and because the main dish was pork and all the sides had pufa, I barely ate anything. Later when I got home I ate some cheese and drank oj. When I went to bed, I was freezing. I could not get to sleep because of how cold I was. It was 77 degrees in my house. Do you get enough calories during the day? I think I crashed my metabolism from undereating. Tara has a great thread about this. Intolerance to heat and cold are both hypo symptoms. :2cents

 

[Blossom]

It makes sense that they would go very much off of lab tests, since low testosterone symptoms are usually pretty non-specific, and after all, in the end lab tests prove whether testosterone is too low. Do you know whether endos do "trials" of testosterone for the patient to report whether he feels better? If they do not prescribe me testosterone despite bad lab results for whatever reason, maybe I can convince them to let me try testosterone.

I suppose some doctors might be willing to do that. It would probably honestly depend on the individual physician. My husband ended up getting off the testosterone because he started having problems walking after using it for several months. He improved gradually after discontinuing the testosterone. He doesn't know for certain it was the testosterone but he wasn't taking anything else at the time. I'm not saying either way because it's a personal choice and not my place to comment on male hormones I know little about! I just wanted to share what happened to him so you can be on the look out for any side effects if you do decide to take testosterone. HDD makes a really great suggestion about tara's post! I have seen a resolution to numerous small lingering issues after increasing my calories. For me it has been the last piece of the puzzle I was missing. Thanks HDD and Tara!

 

[j.]

Excess testosterone I think can be converted to estrogen.

 

[j.]

Micronized DHEA drops seem like an interesting thing to test. I haven't used much DHEA. The substance that I used which had the most pro-testosterone effect, by far, is Thorne K2.

 

[Ben]

Excess testosterone I think can be converted to estrogen.

That can be prevented, not that I would have an excess anyway.

Micronized DHEA drops seem like an interesting thing to test. I haven't used much DHEA. The substance that I used which had the most pro-testosterone effect, by far, is Thorne K2.

I'm aware that there's a study that shows vitamin K increases testosterone. Why did you think it was so effective for you though? Sex drive? Blood test? I wonder about the mechanism how it could increase testosterone. All of the fat-soluble vitamins appear to have anti-estrogenic activity, but apparently vitamin K boosts testosterone production through another method.

It makes sense that they would go very much off of lab tests, since low testosterone symptoms are usually pretty non-specific, and after all, in the end lab tests prove whether testosterone is too low. Do you know whether endos do "trials" of testosterone for the patient to report whether he feels better? If they do not prescribe me testosterone despite bad lab results for whatever reason, maybe I can convince them to let me try testosterone.

I suppose some doctors might be willing to do that. It would probably honestly depend on the individual physician. My husband ended up getting off the testosterone because he started having problems walking after using it for several months. He improved gradually after discontinuing the testosterone. He doesn't know for certain it was the testosterone but he wasn't taking anything else at the time. I'm not saying either way because it's a personal choice and not my place to comment on male hormones I know little about! I just wanted to share what happened to him so you can be on the look out for any side effects if you do decide to take testosterone. HDD makes a really great suggestion about tara's post! I have seen a resolution to numerous small lingering issues after increasing my calories. For me it has been the last piece of the puzzle I was missing. Thanks HDD and Tara!

I read that at least some of the injectable prescription testosterone contains sesame oil as a carrier liquid. Maybe if they injected it into his glute or leg muscle, that could have been the cause of his ambulatory difficulties.

That's also something I'm worried about. That if I refuse testosterone injections that contain PUFAs, they will not give me another option.

This started to happen gradually. It happened only once at first, then sometimes, now everyday. I go to sleep at a room temperature that feels too warm due to a lack of air conditioning. Then I wake up in the middle of the night, feeling cold as if the room is quite cold. I usually try to avoid the cold by hugging the mattress, because I have morning fatigue. I fall asleep and wake up the final time, then I put on some sweat-pants and a sweat-shirt. It takes a while for me to warm up. Then when I eat breakfast, the temperature is again too warm for me.

I don't know what I could attribute this to. Am I burning calories too quickly, and the result is not having enough sugar to make it through the night, and "feeling cold" because of a higher temperature set-point? A couple of supplements I've been experimenting with are progest-E and vitamin B6. It could also have to do with seasonal changes. I don't know what to do about this either, when I go to bed the temperature is too high, then when I wake up the temperature is too low. I do eat a little ice cream before bed like RP recommends, but just a little since I get diarrhea when I eat too much lactose. I have avoided protein before bed for a while because it can cause hypoglycemia during the night.

I had a similar situation several months ago. I had gone to a party and because the main dish was pork and all the sides had pufa, I barely ate anything. Later when I got home I ate some cheese and drank oj. When I went to bed, I was freezing. I could not get to sleep because of how cold I was. It was 77 degrees in my house. Do you get enough calories during the day? I think I crashed my metabolism from undereating. Tara has a great thread about this. Intolerance to heat and cold are both hypo symptoms. :2cents

Maybe I'll try eating more around bedtime. Thanks.

 

[Blossom]

FYI-the testosterone my husband used was androgel topical. I'm not sure what ingredients are in it though. Honestly he does consume an abundance of PUFA and phytoestrogens as well just in his normal diet and lifestyle.

 

[natedawggh]

Ben,

What you are experiencing is a drop in CO2 concentration during the night, which in turn reduces the oxygenation of your tissues. Whether this is caused by a shortage of calories, low thyroid, or night-time breathing problems that vent too much CO2 would be hard to discern here. Do you have sleep apnea? Do you wake up feeling breathless or panicked? Do you live near sea level?

An impairment of cellular metabolism is definitely the general cause and doing anything you can to improve your CO2 production/retention will help improve your problem. I suffer from sleep apnea (waking with a breathless sensation), and depressed temperatures and lethargy. I found great relief taking low dose acetazolamide (more than my thyroid), especially since My condition gets no help by being at sea level. I stopped waking suddenly, have warmer hands and feet and wake with a higher temp and after a few weeks had MUCH higher energy levels. A note for acetazolamide: it can easily deplete potassium, a side effect that gave me heart palpitations, so take a supplement with it.