Anyone else feel like they can't go to sleep unless they load up on sugar?

[Maraya1969]

I swear I lay in bed and toss and turn and then go to the quicki mart and get cake of something and eat it and feel sleepy and comfortable and go to sleep.

I KNOW I have to get over this when I start on my new weight watchers. I think I'm going to talk to the doctor about it also. I wander if it is some sort of deficiency.........like sugar.

[Connonym]

1. sometimes I wake up in the middle of sleep with a hypoglycemic episode

which is really weird because you feel all light headed and sweaty and just totally out of it. My kids know to bring me sugary crap when that happens. I've actually woken up to find candy under my pillow. Maybe you are having low blood sugar before bed and should have a light snack before sleeping.

[Maraya1969]

2. I was dx'd with low blood sugar once. But this is going to be hard if

I am going to try and lose weight.

Oh, after the chocolate care...............nite nite

[Duer 157099]

3. I just read something recently that might be interesting

It was about eating honey before bedtime.

Here's the relevent excerpt (quoted from here

The liver can only store 75 grams of glycogen at once. Glycogen is critical for brain function; the brain uses it at a rate of 10 grams per hour. So from one meal to the next, you have 7.5 hours of brain glycogen stores. If you ate dinner at, say, 7 p.m. and indulged in nothing else before bedtime, your brain runs out of glycogen at around 2:30 a.m. You wake up because your brain begins releasing the stress hormones adrenalin and cortisol to begin converting your muscle proteins into glucose. You don’t sleep so well for the rest of the night.

This seems to present a conundrum, especially if you are disciplined about watching your weight and your food consumption. But wait, read on.

Excess cortisol has been linked to increased vulnerability to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, osteoporosis, some cancers and neuro-degenerative diseases. So how can honey help?

One to two tablespoons of honey eaten before bed provides your body with the ideal ratio of fructose to glucose (1:1) to maximally fuel your liver with that 75 grams of glycogen that you need for a good 7.5 hours of sleep. Fessenden explains it like this: honey spikes your insulin production, which produces tryptophan in your brain, which yields serotonin. In the dark, serotonin produces melatonin, and that produces “restorative sleep.”

[elleng]

4. TABLESPOONS?

Really?

[Maraya1969]

5. According to my new handy dandy weight watchers food list 1 Tablespoon

of honey is just 1 point which is really low.

[hvn_nbr_2]

6. Tryptophan, serotonin, carbohydrates, and amino acids

Tryptophan is an amino acid that your brain uses to produce serotonin. When blood levels of amino acids are high and blood levels of carbohydrates are low, tryptophan doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier very well in competition with the other amino acids. When you eat anything that raises your blood sugar (e.g., sugar), it makes it easier for tryptophan to get into your brain.

That's not the only answer though. There could be lots of other reasons. You should bring it up with your doctor, as you suggested.

[CatholicEdHead]

7. I am just opposite

Keep sugar away from me before bed or I will never sleep.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

8. You need to be full before you go to bed.

I have low blood sugar and have to eat frequently.

However, I make sure I have some protein before I go to bed (cheese or milk) and some carbs and a bit of sugar. The sugar by itself will not fill me up. The protein takes much longer to digest, and will keep me from being hungry longer.

That said, when I get up in the morning I always have to eat. If I go too long without eating, I will get violent barfing spells of dry heaves from an empty stomach. In that case, I head for the glucose tablets (you can buy a jar of them at the drugstore) and chew up and eat one of those with some water.

[grasswire]

9. I wonder if protein might not work better for you?

Like maybe some cheese and a cracker? Or a glass of milk? Or a peanut butter sandwich? Or a smoothie made with unsweetened yogurt, some protein powder, some frozen unsweetened fruit and a packet of non-sugar sweetener?

I urge you to look into the concept of "sugar sensitivity" as researched by Dr. Kathleen DeMaisons. It could change your life. Here's her quiz to see if you might have such a problem:

See Which Apply to YOU


I really like sweet foods

I eat a lot of sweets

I am very fond of bread, cereal, popcorn or pasta

I have problem with alcohol or drugs

I am in recovery from alcohol or drug addiction

One or both of my parents are alcoholic

One or both of my parents are/were especially fond of sugar

I am overweight and don't seem to be able to easily lose the extra pounds

I continue to be depressed no matter what I do

I often find myself overreacting to stress

I have a temper or short fuse


Five or more yeses indicate concern.

http://www.radiantrecovery.com/addicted.htm

[Manifestor_of_Light]

10. That's what I was talking about.

Also this person needs to have their thyroid checked to see if they have hypothyroidism. This is quite common in women starting pre-puberty and also increasing at menopause.

Hypothyroidism can be related to low blood sugar. I am on Armour natural Thyroid extract by prescription, and have been for many decades.

check this out:
www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

[BreweryYardRat]

11. Sometimes.

I started purchasing sleeping pills so I wouldn't have to down a pint of Ben and Jerry's or half a box of Pop-Tarts if I wanted to go to sleep at a reasonable hour.

Occasionally even the sleeping pills don't work and I have to get some sugar, but it's much rarer now.

I may try that honey suggestion someone mentioned.