Waking Up Every 2 Or So Hours- Super Frustrating!

[Sagitarrius90]

Hello everyone,

I'll dive into the details sparing a long story but sleep has been killing me for the past 3-4 years now.

I wake up almost every 2 -3 hours and even on my best days I wake up twice during the night.

I eat around 2700 calories I weigh 215 pounds I used to weight lift 4-5 times a week but back down to twice a week to maintain since I want to recover my metabolism. I am supplementing t3 (Tyronene) and have progest e on hand.

I have been eating very high carb and moderate protein.

Any idea how to stay asleep throughout the night? I'm just beyond frustrated how it kills my energy the next day. Last night for instance I woke up around 5 times during the night- not to pee- just woke up and just went back to bed but for some reason it's around 2 hours.

If anyone has advice that'd be much appreciated.

thanks guys!

 

[somuch4food]

What have you tried so far? What's your diet? Salt intake? How do you feel during the morning, afternoon and evening?

Calories seem a bit low, especially if your weight is not from fat. Then again, my sleep seems to be more disturbed if I eat too much before bed.

 

[Sagitarrius90]

So I always feel exhausted in the AM - Not totally exhausted but never feel 100%- Reason being is that I have low cortisol levels in the AM and have this tested twice on saliva testing not the DUTCH test- Regardless over the years of trying to cure myself I definitely feel like my cortisol levels have tanked because of over exercise, incorrectly dosing caffeine for years to get into the gym, life stress etc it's taken a toll on me

Salt intake isn't that good - I don't add any salt and to be honest whenever I do add a half teaspoon of salt in warm water before bed my sleep sucks - Calories are lowish because again I don't exercise nearly as much and I don't want to get fat- I actually am starting to add more fat into my diet because I've been eating some junk food here and there now-

Diet includes around 100-150g protein, carbs from fruit, simple sugar, OJ/Juice, starch here and there- I eat my biggest meal around 5 530 and sleep at 730 -

Falling asleep isn't a huge issue but again I think my cortisol levels are messing with my sleep- I think I dip into low cortisol at night and its causing me to wake up - I definitely have improved my thyroid since supplementing with t3 and just resting from the gym and life stressors

I notice if I don't have a good bowel movement that day I have a bad sleep as well.

 

[Ella]

Were you sleeping through when you were lifting weights more often? If you are not getting up to pee, it should rule out salt. Salt is required to produce anti-diuretic hormone ADH. Insufficient salt results in insufficient ADH + increasing nocturnal visits to the loo.
If you are only waking, then perhaps you are not able to store sufficient glycogen and low blood sugar wakes you up. How old are you? Perhaps you are dealing with a fatty liver and no matter how much carbs you eat during the day, only very little is stored in the liver to see you through the night.
Along with carbohydrates, are you eating sufficient good quality protein? An overburden and congested liver requires adequate protein for efficient detoxification. Perhaps the protein you are ingesting is going to maintain your muscles and is not adequate for the liver's detoxification pathways.
Do you supplement glycine or have gelatin broth?
If you are an older male >40 perhaps you are dealing with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance etc.
The fact you are supplementing T3 points to low functioning liver. So focus should be on restoring efficient liver function.

 

[Sagitarrius90]

Thanks for the input @Ella !

So protein wise I am eating egg whites, eggs, chicken breast daily, cottage cheese, cheese etc as my main sources.

I've been curious as well as to the function of my liver and I can tell it's an issue because I always had estrogen related signs as a 28 year old man- fatty breast tissue even though I am lean every where else - I won't go into detail about that but that's always been depressing for me

One thing that I noticed is I think I have great insulin sensitivity - and when one is insulin sensitive it can cause a drop in blood sugar especially at night - You would want to be insulin resistant at night so blood is going to important areas rather than lowering blood sugar (I might have not made complete sense there but I was just watching Dan Pardi sleep expert explain this and it makes so much sense because in the middle of the night the only way I go back to bed is with sugar or feeding)

I've measured my blood sugar fasting numerous times and I am always on the low end . One time I was supposed to fast 12 hours and ate half way in and got measured and STILL measured low blood sugar.

What are some ways to improve liver function? What are signs of insulin sensitivity? Supposedly melaotonin helps lower insulin sensitivity which would help me if my blood sugar drops at night - wouldn't low serotonin cause low melatonin since tryophan creates melatonin?

I think my efforts of driving estrogen low are creating issues? or are these signs pointing to a fatty liver?

THANKS everyone!

 

[somuch4food]

I notice if I don't have a good bowel movement that day I have a bad sleep as well.

That would indicate that maybe endotoxins or another gut trouble could be affecting your sleep.

Diet includes around 100-150g protein, carbs from fruit, simple sugar, OJ/Juice, starch here and there- I eat my biggest meal around 5 530 and sleep at 730 -

Have you tried moving your biggest meal earlier in the day if it's possible?

Calories are lowish because again I don't exercise nearly as much and I don't want to get fat- I actually am starting to add more fat into my diet because I've been eating some junk food here and there now-

Calories don't equal getting fat from my personal experience. Inadequate diet and calorie surplus can make you fat, but a nourishing diet that fits your individual needs might not make you fatter. I would try increasing calories. Starch and fat are the 2 most likely to make you put on weight.

So protein wise I am eating egg whites, eggs, chicken breast daily, cottage cheese, cheese etc as my main sources.

Any reason you seem to avoid iron? It might be vilified, but it still is essential to life. You could very well be deficient. Maybe try adding a big piece of red meat a few times a week.

 

[Sagitarrius90]

@somuch4food Regardless of what peat advocates I believe in calories in vs out - I've been tracking calories for over 15 years and notice if I eat too much then yeah I do gain some fat- I do notice short term feeding is okay but maintaining that type of calorie level does cause weight gain for me.

I have never tried eating a bigger meal during the day only because I constantly wake up regardless if I eat at night vs the day- I will try this though and see if my sleep improves

And I don't have any issue with red meat- I live at home and I typically eat what's bought by my family- over the years I do the same stuff- liver once a week or every 2 weeks I should have mentioned that! previously I had high iron so I've actually tried to limit that

Exercise worsened my sleep btw.

 

[Sagitarrius90]

Insulin Sensitivity and low blood cortisol- cortisol used to raise blood sugar when it's low but in my case with low cortisol its causing adrenaline issues hence the wake up -that's my theory- and I don't know how to treat that!

 

[somuch4food]

I found a list of symptoms linked to low cortisol and it fits with what I experienced over the summer. We might be in the same boat. I have still yet to fully recover:

• Mental and psychological ailments such as depression
• Faintness and dizziness
• Weakness and fatigue
• Heart palpitations
• Emotional hypersensitivity
• Inability to cope with stress
• Social anxiety
• Muscle weakness
• Headache, scalp ache, or general body ache
• Severe or dull lower back pain
• Extremely sensitive skin
• Nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting
• Abdominal pain and hunger pain despite an empty stomach
• Extreme craving for salty foods
• Anxiety and jitters
• Clumsiness and confusion
• Motion sickness
• Insomnia and dark circles under the eyes
• Low bladder capacity and symptoms of IBS
• Irregular or non-existent menstrual period

https://blog.udemy.com/low-cortisol/

Their advice is kinda rubbish though: replacement therapy and stress management.

This video () mentions B5 and C as important.

What helped me somewhat recover is to eat way more, to include more fat, mainly dairy (I was underweight though) and to reduce carotenoids to a minimum. Carotenoids seem to make me balloon like crazy around the waist and flanks and make me more prone to sugar crashes in the afternoon. Since reducing them, I don't gain fat with a bit of calorie surplus.

I'm currently experimenting with butter since I've been drifting in the wrong direction since the holidays. I recently realized that I was eating more butter before. My sleep has been better in the last few days. So, your hunch to increase fats is good I think.

 

[Ella]

I eat my biggest meal around 5 530 and sleep at 730 -

If your biggest meal is 2 hours away from sleep, it does not leave much room for digestion, especially if this meal is high in protein. Remember, protein is insulemic, so if you want to be insulin resistance you want you liver stuffed with triglycerides and glycogen, however I don't think you could over stuff liver with glycogen because it can be used up quickly, especially if you have lots of lean muscle and very little adipose tissue.
I don't want to complicate it, so basically by the time you hit the sack, there has been very little time for the body to pack the glycogen away. there should be a fair distance between a heavy protein laden meal and sleep.
You are trying to sleep when the body is trying to digest. During sleep the body wants to do its housecleaning; get rid of the rubbish left over from digestion and catch up on repair and regeneraation. The liver needs to deal with the backlog which very likely is accumulating because it needs to focus on digestion rather than liver detox pathways.

Have you tried to make the biggest meal at lunch? This is when digestion is primed to be the most efficient. Keep heavy carbs and gelatin broth for evening meals + milk, fruit, sugar close to bedtime. There's reason for calling it comfort food.
I know what low cortisol feels like and I know what high cortisol feels like. Both shitty, but at least with high cortisol, you can jump out of bed rather than feeling half dead and not being able to get out of bed before 9am.
If you are low cortisol then more red meat which provides many nutrients to aid liver detox pathways, plus some shellfish like oysters which are high in zinc, selenium, iodine and other trace minerals required to aid liver detox pathways and ridding the body of estrogen.
If estrogen is building up in breast tissue then it points to liver not able to excrete other waste metabolites also.
I would swap chicken which is higher in PUFAs and eggwhites for beef, lamb and shellfish. This will help with cortisol. You need to increase the protein to suit your current state. I don't think Dr Peat weighs as much as you but he says he feels better with higher protein. Combining the muscle meats with gelatin helps to balance the inflammatory amino acids.
I reduced my intake of red meat, swapping for milk, cheese, gelatin, potato, rice to bring down my cortisol levels. I did lot of things to reduce cortisol. I lost a lot of weight which was good but too scary for my liking. My cortisol took a nosedive. With cortisol, I could run away from that tiger but without cortisol there was no "fight or flight" left in me. I was in a give-up state - dinner for any predator. Lamb, beef and seafood enabled me to spring out of bed at 5am again. I wish I knew back then that I could have reduced my cortisol by simply taking T4.
Males requirement for zinc is higher and it may be that you are not eating adequate zinc rich foods for your needs. The other issue is that you may be eating adequate protein but have a reduced capacity to breakdown the protein due to reduced stomach acid. Adequate zinc is required for optimised stomach acid as is salt.
Zinc is also a very sedating and calming mineral and enhances GABA activity in the brain. The balance between zinc and copper is very important and zinc must always be dominant. Copper is very stimulating which is why it is great for creativity but too much can drive adrenaline and anxiety.

I like to check albumin and globulin to see if a protein deficiency or insufficiency exists. If these are low, then you need to either improve their digestibility or up your protein. T
Have you checked rT3 levels?

 

[redsun]

Insulin Sensitivity and low blood cortisol- cortisol used to raise blood sugar when it's low but in my case with low cortisol its causing adrenaline issues hence the wake up -that's my theory- and I don't know how to treat that!

Hello everyone,

I'll dive into the details sparing a long story but sleep has been killing me for the past 3-4 years now.

I wake up almost every 2 -3 hours and even on my best days I wake up twice during the night.

I eat around 2700 calories I weigh 215 pounds I used to weight lift 4-5 times a week but back down to twice a week to maintain since I want to recover my metabolism. I am supplementing t3 (Tyronene) and have progest e on hand.

I have been eating very high carb and moderate protein.

Any idea how to stay asleep throughout the night? I'm just beyond frustrated how it kills my energy the next day. Last night for instance I woke up around 5 times during the night- not to pee- just woke up and just went back to bed but for some reason it's around 2 hours.

If anyone has advice that'd be much appreciated.

thanks guys!

Consider B12 supplementation. Any version of cobalamin will work and it should be dosed throughout(say each meal) the day. B12 is important for melatonin production. Your main sources of protein are not considered the better sources for B12 when compared to say red meat and are also generally poor in other minerals like zinc. If you have been working out religiously for years, your requirements for iron, zinc, B12 are much higher and need to be met preferably with higher nutrient dense foods(red meat over chicken).

Protein calories such as lean chicken, cheese which is low in nutrients will deplete your own to maintain muscle tissue and not give you back as much. Red meat is and always will be the preferred muscle building protein because of this fact and this also goes for general health as in eating red meat will always give you more nutrients then it takes. And also in this case, the leaner the steak the more nutrients since most all of it is in the flesh not the fat. Consider replacing chicken with beef.

 

[somuch4food]

@Ella What's your take on fats for this issue? Would you advise to add fats to the diet to taste, or keep to bare minimum? Does it matter?

 

[Sagitarrius90]

Everyone thank you for your suggestions..

I want to move toward a higher fat diet to stablize my blood sugar, improve digestion and try and limit food intake alot before bed. Worst case ice cream before bed with some good easy digestBle protein?

Anyone understand why sugar is bad for adrenal fatigue? I see it being demonized and tbh High sugar diet whether from juice or fruit or tabld sugar helps reduce stress but hasnt helped my situation

 

[LUH 3417]

So I always feel exhausted in the AM - Not totally exhausted but never feel 100%- Reason being is that I have low cortisol levels in the AM and have this tested twice on saliva testing not the DUTCH test- Regardless over the years of trying to cure myself I definitely feel like my cortisol levels have tanked because of over exercise, incorrectly dosing caffeine for years to get into the gym, life stress etc it's taken a toll on me

Salt intake isn't that good - I don't add any salt and to be honest whenever I do add a half teaspoon of salt in warm water before bed my sleep sucks - Calories are lowish because again I don't exercise nearly as much and I don't want to get fat- I actually am starting to add more fat into my diet because I've been eating some junk food here and there now-

Diet includes around 100-150g protein, carbs from fruit, simple sugar, OJ/Juice, starch here and there- I eat my biggest meal around 5 530 and sleep at 730 -

Falling asleep isn't a huge issue but again I think my cortisol levels are messing with my sleep- I think I dip into low cortisol at night and its causing me to wake up - I definitely have improved my thyroid since supplementing with t3 and just resting from the gym and life stressors

I notice if I don't have a good bowel movement that day I have a bad sleep as well.

I have the same issue. For me I am almost certain it’s digestive problems. I wake up with pressure on my bladder but I don’t really have to pee. It feels like I am digesting food and that is what is stressing me out and waking me up. Some people on other threads have talked about have a big breakfast and eating lighter throughout the day.

 

[Sagitarrius90]

I feel these are the things I have to implement to at least see if they work

Lower carb diet- My diet previously was around 60% carbs- so around 400-500 grams of carbs- the ups and downs of blood sugar are tapping my already low cortisol so I would rather have a steady level of energy rather than ups and downs- I will experiment with this

Eating a lot more during the day and little at night and if I do eat a night a protein/complex carb meal

Increase calories

Taking digestive enzymes to break down my increased protein intake - I strength train still so I want to bring my protein up to around 150-175g from healthier protein sources

I still believe the night time issues are from low blood sugar and read up that keep levels stable throughout the day will help night time levels as well

lets hope this works! I will probably have an initial bad reaction but I want to stick to it for a couple of days to determine if this works

 

[postman]

That happens to me if I eat vitamin A.

 

[Bart1]

I battle with this as well. Found out I have elevated rT3, so my issue is with too much cortisol.

 

[Sagitarrius90]

What are the signs of rt3?

Wouldn't supplementing t3 and taking progesterone via progest e lower reverse t3?

I never tested for reverse t3 but I stopped caring when I started taking t3 because I read up that lowers rt3. Low cortisol also causes rt3 but I am not sure how I can fix that since it was caused because of years of long term stressors.

I am honestly such a happy go lucky person so having low energy just kills me

 

[Orion]

What are the signs of rt3?

Wouldn't supplementing t3 and taking progesterone via progest e lower reverse t3?

I never tested for reverse t3 but I stopped caring when I started taking t3 because I read up that lowers rt3. Low cortisol also causes rt3 but I am not sure how I can fix that since it was caused because of years of long term stressors.

I am honestly such a happy go lucky person so having low energy just kills me

Tried NDT and t3/t4 combos are t3 by itself, they can backfire and mess sleep up bad. Experimented with all the Peaty things for sleep, no luck, was still waking every 2-3hrs, somethings have got me to 6hr stretches of sleep, but was never sustained.

Doing zero vitamin A is what has helped me the most. It is easy to test, and a lot of people have reported better sleep within 7 to 21 days, my self included, and a large reduction in fatigue. I am post accutane, so its been a long battle.

 

[Bart1]

What are the signs of rt3?

Wouldn't supplementing t3 and taking progesterone via progest e lower reverse t3?

I never tested for reverse t3 but I stopped caring when I started taking t3 because I read up that lowers rt3. Low cortisol also causes rt3 but I am not sure how I can fix that since it was caused because of years of long term stressors.

I am honestly such a happy go lucky person so having low energy just kills me

rT3 is caused by something. Of course T3 could help but you should also find out the cause of rT3, could be inflammation, could be mental stress exhaustion, I don't know. Almost always liver and gut are involved. So I guess working on that would help.