The FastDay Forum

Yesterday was my second fast day since I started 5:2 (my first fast day was Sunday), and again, I had trouble sleeping because of a grumbling stomach and kept waking up during the night

Im not sleeping any earlier, but last night I was up at midnight, at 2:30 and then again at 5am. I'm usually a sound sleeper and am struggling to deal with this. I ended up eating a handful of sunflower seeds at 2:30 hoping it would mean I could settle back into sleep

ate two meals yesterday; a light one of 200 calories around 1pm and the second (350) calories around 6:30pm

Does anyone else experience this same symptoms? any suggestions on what I can do? I don't function very well on disturbed sleep and get irritable and out of sorts

Thanks!

Jen

I found this a problem when I first started but it did improve. However I now save some of my calories (88 to be precise) and I have 120g of low fat cottage cheese about half an hour before bed. It's high in tryptophan which is supposed to help with sleep but I think that having some protein stops the tummy rumbles. I now sleep better on fast days than normal days. It might be worth a try although when I first started I wouldn't have had 88 cals left at the end of the day! Good luck.

Poor sleep was one of the reasons I changed over to 16:8. I already have a poor sleep pattern due to having FMS but I found I was really hyped up and agitated after a fast day and the tummy rumbles were also keeping hubby awake. I didn't actually feel hungry but my insides were saying different! I stuck it out for several weeks but it didn't improve for me.

Yup, I'm another who gets a disturbed night after fasting. I'm not hungry but I just don't sleep well. Rumour has it that because we have only eaten a small meal, evolution keeps the body more alert so that we are ready to hunt and eat again quickly.....

At 2.30 in the morning, evolution can take a running jump!!!

[carorees]

Like miffy, I slept v v poorly before starting 5:2. The insomnia on fast days was really bad at first, but it did improve. However, I always sleep worse on fast days. I also changed to 16:8 to see if it would help my sleep but I try to include two lower calorie days (say 800) each week and those days I don't sleep so well.

However, overall my sleep has improved since starting 5:2. I used not to get more than 2 hours sleep at a time, and between each 2 hour bout I'd lie awake for ages. Now I often get 4 hours or more and when I wake I get back to sleep fairly quickly (except on fast days).

I found a magnesium supplement helps (need around 200mg of elemental magnesium) and I'm trialling vitamin D supplementation too.

Many (most) overweight people are deficient in magnesium and vitamin D, so it's worth a try!

I'm feeling very lucky. I tend to crash early and sleep fairly soundly on fast days. Nonfast days are my problem. Too many things can cause a problem: caffeine, alcohol, garlic, anything too close to bedtime...

I found a magnesium supplement helps (need around 200mg of elemental magnesium) and I'm trialling vitamin D supplementation too.

Many (most) overweight people are deficient in magnesium and vitamin D, so it's worth a try!

I was already taking magnesium as I know its one of the things given to people with FMS if they get to attend one of the few specialist centres. I'm gluten intolerant too which can also affect magnesium levels. I started taking a Vit D supplement but have recently changed over to Vit D3 as that seems to be more widely recommended. I do seem to have slept longer since I changed over but I can't say that my sleep is any better quality. I still wake with that typical fibro un-refreshed feeling in the mornings. Not sure the longer sleep is actually doing me any favours either as I seem much stiffer. I know a fellow sufferer who was told by a physio that we actually benefit from waking in the night and having to make a toddle across the landing to the bathroom as it 'unsticks' the adhesions that build up on the muscles during the night.

At least on 16:8 I don't get the mega rumbles so hubby doesn't whinge as much!

Thanks ladies for your comments.

I like the idea of keeping back some calories and having a snack before I sleep.

I'm not taking magnesium supplements so I'll give those a whirl. I have bit D and mg in my daily mufti vitamin but I'm sure it's not high enough a dose

I woke up starving this morning so as a result I've eaten more calories for my breakfast than I usually do - close to 500 compared with the usual 350 (my TDEE is around 1400). I'm worried that this kind of fasting will end up being counterproductive for weigh maintenance but I'm going to keep at it until the new year and re-evaluate

Jen

Your appetite should re-adjust soon with less cravings in the morning.
The lack of sleep has been a problem for me too. But now if its bad enough I just get up and do something quietly (so I don't wake up the rest of the house). I have found that no matter how few hours sleep I actually have post fast, that I'm not excessively tired the next day. What seems to bother me the most is the 'thought' of not sleeping (the tossing and turning, the 'I should be asleep' grumble, grumble, grumble), the lack of sleep doesn't translate physically as a lack.

I tend to do things like read, tidy the lounge, do the weeks meal planner, shopping list or chores list (2 lads at home, being trained, slowly). Hunt up bargains on ebay, especially with Christmas on the way. Etc.

[carorees]

Good point Julie! We are told by the medics that if we don't get 7-8 hours sleep that our bodies will suffer, but if we don't feel tired the next day, is that true? So many things the medics have told us turned out not to be true after all, perhaps as long as we wake feeling refreshed we should not worry about it?

Hi Jen

Your body will start to adapt once it gets used to the huge change you have sprung upon it

I have never gone hungry after the evening meal so not gone to bed feeling empty. However several fasts in the early days, I struggled to sleep. I am a light sleeper and wake several times in the night. I can't remember when they started settle, but they did ! Still wake up several times but thats normal, but quality of sleep is alot better.

Perhaps have a look at your main meal and see if its satisfying enough (filling). There are lots of recipes which involve veg ! Butternut squash & red lentil curry, aubergine curry for examples. These come in around 158-200 cals, add a bit of cauliflower rice and you have quite a bulky meal.

Hopefully you might also gain one side effect which I had from week 2, I couldn't eat as much on feast days if I tried

Stick with it, you have made a start which is fab. Survive the first month, you are well on your way

First few fasts are hard, but the scales/tape measure make it all worth while

Our bodies need time to adjust and sleeping is one of them! Hope its works out for you

Its not just the fast days..
I had 1300 cals today,a feed day,and i cant sleep..
I know its hunger keeping me awake ..i often have disturbed nights and usually food is the last thing on my mind at night..but occasionally since starting 5:2 i find an empty feeling tum means i cant settle
I am going to make a piece of toast and just deduct the cals from tomorrows total.
Hope your system settles down very soon and get used to this new way of eating and allows you to get your rest! X

[Debs]

Hi Jen,
I too have trouble sleeping after a fast day, it does wear off for some people and has just started to wear off for me. My problem is OH who insists on eating a whole curried cauliflower for dinner on a fast day and then wonders why he has to get up in the middle of the night.

Thanks all for sharing your stories and suggestions

My last meal tends to be satisfying, so I'm not going to sleep feeling hungry, it's more I'm woken up by hunger. I'm usually a heavy sleeper - I tell everyone Im a sleep monster, so it's unsettling to wake up. As carorees out it, we're conditioned that 7-8 hours sleep is good

I'm really hoping it will all settle down, this is a big shift to what I'm used to doing so its not surprising my body is taking some time to adjust

I'm encouraged I'm not the "only one" and hope it will ease. If it doesn't, I won't obsesse about it, I'll get myself some late night reading/viewing material and take it in my stride

Thanks again for the comments and encouragements - Im loving the support and feedback

Good night all

Jen