First fast day ever…insomnia, arghhhh!!

This topic contains 5 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by bigbooty 8 years, 8 months ago.

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Jodiemc

4:51 am
22 Mar 16
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in the past i have dissed all faddy diets, detox plans and extreme eating plans, and just tried to stick to a balanced fairly healthy diet. However having read the book and looked into the research around fasting i decided with such clear health benefits its worth giving it a go. The 5 to 2 plan seemed the most doable option, and indeed although it was tough in the afternoon i got through a 36h “fast day” on just 520 cals. However i suffered at night with terrible insomnia!! I went to bed with only slight hunger and congratulating myself that I had made it through my first fast day, ever. However, I slepted only very lightly for a couple of hours, and eventually gave up trying at 4am! Having looked forward to the day after my fast, i now feel pretty exhausted and worried that any of the health benefits of fasting could be countered by the stress of sleep deprivation on the body???
I will however carry on and hope the fasting days are not always followed by insomnia….did anyone else experience this on the first day? How was it on subsequent fast days?

simcoeluv

6:35 am
22 Mar 16
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Hi Jodie and welcome:

I posted this over a year ago. Don’t worry about it if you want to lose weight on 5:2:

“One common side effect of fasting is insomnia. It does not affect everyone, but certainly quite a few.

In shorthand, one reason is because fasting increases norepinephrine levels in the body and one side effect of heightened norepinephrine levels is insomnia. The hormone also increases alertness (‘my mind just wouldn’t stop working’), speeds up the heart rate, pumps glucose into the bloodstream and is the basis of the ‘fight or flight’ response.

Looking back, this makes sense. If in the olden days a person was unsuccessful in their hunt for food and was hungry, it would make sense for the body to become more alert, get more energy and be better able to find and catch something to eat.

There are various ways to try to mitigate the effects of the hormone that work better or worse for different individuals. The one that seems to work most often is to eat one meal in the evening of your diet day that is high in fat and protein. This seems to provide enough food so that the body does not release a lot of the hormone into the blood stream. Also, some find a snack of some kind before bedtime helps. You have to experiment to see what works for you.”

Here are some tips for newbies: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Good Luck!

SP13

7:13 am
22 Mar 16
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Thanks for that answer. I saw this post after spending last night pretty much awake all night hearing every single little sound in and around the house. It was also the end of a fasting day for me. I had homemade cauliflower soup for dinner and ended up only eating 230 kcals yesterday – so I felt quite hungry going to be.

It’s nice to hear that there is a reason – and a way to try to alleviate the problem. Thanks.

QuietOne

7:46 am
22 Mar 16
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It does become easier over time. Your body gets used to it and you adapt. A month to 6 weeks fasting twice a week. The first while though can be disconcerting, it’s new and strange feelings. So no wonder your senses are on alert status.

You can do this. It is doable. It is sustainable and you will be amazed at yourself in a year.

Jodiemc

8:04 am
22 Mar 16
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Thank you for the responses. Queitone is right, it was a very disconcerting day, my first fast. I was totally preoccupied with how i was feeling and wondering if and when something weird was going to happen to me, it didn’t, apart from the lack of sleep it was ok. I did have my largeste ” meal” in the evening, salmon and veg. But i only managed to hold out until 6pm!! And my 300 cal portion only curbed my hunger for about an hour, so i did go to bed pretty hungry, although not stomach hunger. Next time i will try and fast all day and save my cals for a pre bed snack.
Throughout my fast day i was drinking fasting tea. It is supposed to help with hydration. Could it be that this tea added to the insomnia? Its made with 28% Mate leaves. Does anyone use these fasting teas? And does anyone know if Mate does contain a significant amount of caffeine or other stimulating things?

bigbooty

2:23 pm
22 Mar 16
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Yerba mate tea has a lot of caffeine. Same as a strong coffee. How many did you have? Might explain the insomnia!! Try water with a squeeze of lemon instead. Quite refreshing and seems to curb hunger. Go for a protein type meal rather than carbs at night for your meal. Lots of salad to add bulk to the meal as well.

Good luck with it. It gets easier.