I've been LCing off and on for many years. I use to always feel better when I was at a VLC level but in the last year that hasn't been the case. If I keep my carbs low enough to go into ketosis I sleep horrible! Night after night, week after week I'm awake from 2 am to 6 am. Nothing I do seems to help me get back to sleep before 6:00. Luckily I have the kind of job that allows me to start my day at 9:00 am but I feel like it's such a waste of time to be sleeping the morning away. And if I get up at 6:00 I'm totally tired the whole day. If I have some carbs in the evening, an apple, grapefruit or a handful of raisins I sleep fine. But I really think the extra carbs are slowing my weight lose. Arg. I'm getting frustrated. I've tried VLC and giving up all caffeine but I still can't sleep. Presently I don't drink coffee but I do drink iced tea with lunch but never after 3:00 pm. Does anyone know a cure for ketogenic insomnia?

I have no idea what age you are, but your symptoms sound like you could be entering perimenopause. On the other hand, if you are in your 20's or early 30's, that probably isn't even a consideration.

Maybe your body doesn't respond well to being in ketosis. If you have done VLC for a while and it isn't working now, maybe you should just go along with what your body is wanting. This is just MHO, but I don't think a small amount of carbs at bedtime is necessarily a bad thing, especially if it helps you sleep well. As for slowing down your weight loss...well, what's the hurry? Slow and steady works just fine...it's just not as exciting as fast & speedy weight loss, LOL.

I think doing low carb just all boils down to quality of life. And sleeping well is definitely a quality of life issue.

The first time I did Atkins I had this issue. I had to be at work at 5 a.m. (I was a waitress) and would regularly wake up at 1 or 2 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep. I was running around all day on my feet with 4 or 5 hours sleep. This time around I haven't had any trouble except the last two nights when I've been waking up at 1 and 2 a.m. (last night was 1:30) and had trouble getting back to sleep. Now I don't leave for work until 5:20 but it still makes for a long day when you only get a few hours sleep!

hmmm, I am zero carb and sleep fine. I always have to pee once or twice at night, but go right back to sleep. I know a lot of vlc people and none of them have sleep issues. Maybe it is sonething else?

You answered your issue in OP.Give yourself a 20gm treat of carbs before bed.I doubt that will cause you to exit ketosis and it is allowing you to sleep.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think Mrs. Skip is right. What's my rush? Maybe if weight loss is slow it will stay gone for good. I guess I'll keep having a fruit snack at night so I can zzzzzz.

Ketosis is not mandatory for fatloss either.

Have you tried magnesium? Most of the time it works for me. Try to avoid the oxide form. I like magnesium malate. I take about 600mg a day. I still occasionally get insomnia but most of the time I sleep much better than I used to. For some people it is a cure.

That's me all over! I have whined about my sleep problems on this board for years. Still struggle, but here are some theories:

Low carbing "off and on." It has been suggested that by slipping in and out of ketosis we don't give ourselves time to completely adapt.

Menopause-related insomnia merely coincidental with beginning low carb. I know in my case, I began gaining weight with perimenopause, which prompted me to begin low carbing. Maybe LC isn't causing the insomnia, it just isn't fixing it.

I have been supplementing magnesium, zinc, and D3, and making a concerted effort to both stay in ketosis and get sun, air, and exercise everyday. I still wake up at 2 or 3 every a.m., but sometimes I go right back to sleep. I am also going to go back to 5-htp in the evenings. At one time it really helped (but seemed to wear off). Maybe it will kick in again.

Hi, I have been lcing since June last year, I find that if I eat off plan and then drop my carbs to near zero I have terrible insomnia, last night was a "long night", it takes my body a good week to get back to "living in ketosis" and being happy about it. Sounds like you have found your solution though, I know when I eat off plan and then lay down I am almost comatose I am so tired, you have found the happy medium, even lower carb count options are melon and berries, you might want to try them. They contain fewer carbs than apples, grapefruit and raisins but may be enough to help you sleep.

Good luck on your journey.

Ketosis affects me this way as well. I definitely would not try to fix this by making my raising my blood sugar! Make that the last resort. Try some other remedies first.

I absolutely agree about the magnesium. It's a natural muscle relaxer; it won't make you sleepy, but it will help you get deeper, high-quality sleep. I love my magnesium supplements!

More recently I've begun using 1.5-3 mg of melatonin at night as well. Now that will help you fall asleep.

Finally, keep your room as dark as possible. Don't even leave the hall light on.

Try each of these things individually for a few days to pinpoint exactly what helps you.

I have had trouble sleeping over the last few years. I've made our bedroom as dark as possible. That really helps. I take Melatonin, and that helps as well. I just started on Magnesium. I also do not watch TV. That helps too!

Not that I would wish it on anyone, but I'm glad to hear I'm not alone in having this issue. I take 400 mg. magnesium every night before bed, both to help with sleep and to keep things "moving along". I've also had a blackout shade since reading "Lights Out" many years ago. I may try Melatonin next. I'll get a small bottle to start to see if it helps.

I cut out dairy this past week. That may have been as much part of my slow weight loss as the extra carbs. I weighed myself this morning and found I'd lost 3.5 pounds this week - practically a record for me.

Well, for the record, melatonin never did diddley squat for me! I have tried everything from .5mg to 10mg. Not the slightest reaction. D3 and 5-htp have helped in the past, but after a few weeks, the insomnia always came back.

VLC causes sleep disruption for me as well. Mg seems to work best with a dark room and a noise machine. I suffer from tinnitus, so the noise machine is for that, but it also distracts me so I fall back to sleep when I wake. Oh, and get one that has noises other than water sounds.... I get up far too often having to pee.

I read in Potatoes Not Prozac that eating a bit of carbs with no fat or protein before bed helps with sleep/mood, etc. She recommends potatoes, but I think it was just because they are easy and common. It has to do with serotonin levels.

I avoid fructose (after reading GCBC), so fruit would be out for me.

Anyone else read the book and can explain the theory behind it?