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KETO sleep quality and insomnia

Ladies and Gentlemen (and @Dominique and @SunsetRunner )-- this is a continuation of a Keto thread in the Eat Well forum.  I've been eating Keto for about 6 months and have found that my sleep patterns have changed, and are consistent with reports of others who eat Keto.  Here's my chronology:

  • 5 years ago - snored frequently and my wife starting sleeping with earplugs.  Sleep quality still pretty good
  • 2 years ago - kept waking up tired, was diagnosed with sleep apnea, started using CPAP machine, sleep quality improved
  • 9 months ago - lost weight (low carb but not Keto), stopped snoring, stopped using CPAP machine, my wife no longer needs earplugs.  Sleep quality good, 8+ hours per night
  • 6 months ago - started Keto, sleep patterns changed
    • When IN ketosis: light sleep, frequent waking, 6 hours required, quickly alert upon rising.
    • When OUT of ketosis: heavy sleep, sleep through night, 8 hours required, groggier upon rising.

(I am strongly in ketosis about 4 days per week)

 

I've seen that many people who eat Keto report experiencing insomnia, and there are a number of articles and YouTube videos on the topic.  I don't experience my light sleep as insomnia; I rather enjoy drifting in and out of sleep knowing I will rise fully energized one hour before the alarm clock.

 

Here is a theory as to why you need less sleep when eating Keto: we need sleep primarily to recharge our brains and neurology (with a sedentary lifestyle, we certainly don't need to recharge our muscles).  When we sleep, 85% of our energy is consumed by our brains, and dreaming is evidence of the processing of short-term memories into long-term (outside the scope of this post). 

 

As anyone who has experienced ketosis can attest, ketosis provides for a higher and more consistent level of fuel and energy to the brain.  Therefore, you arrive at the end of the day less mentally fatigued and during sleep you refuel energy to your brain at a higher rate.  The net result is you need less sleep to recharge.

 

I've never had a problem falling asleep even if I drink coffee in the evening; however, consuming MCT Oil after 6:00 PM makes for a very short night of sleep.  Last time I did it, I got up at 3:00 AM.  This is consistent with the idea that MCT Oil is more readily metabolized as "brain fuel" (outside the scope of this post).

 

Long dissertation of a post -- if you eat KETO, has your sleep been disrupted, and have you found it to be a benefit or drawback?

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@Daves_Not_Here wrote:

 

Here is a theory as to why you need less sleep when eating Keto: we need sleep primarily to recharge our brains and neurology (with a sedentary lifestyle, we certainly don't need to recharge our muscles).  When we sleep, 85% of our energy is consumed by our brains, and dreaming is evidence of the processing of short-term memories into long-term (outside the scope of this post). 

 



Hi @Daves_Not_Here,

 

Source? I'm having trouble believing 85% of energy in the body is in the brain during sleep. Certainly, there are a lot of hormones released during sleep that aren't mentally-oriented. And a lot of muscle building and breakdown happens during this time also IME.

 

 

I'm curious, what are your deep sleep patterns as reported by Fitbit? The up-and-down sleep you are describing sounds consistent with brief periods of deep sleep, which would have their own implications.

Work out...eat... sleep...repeat!
Dave | California

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Thanks @WavyDavey - I can't find a reference on the 85% -- I'm probably way off.  I seem to recall reading that we consume more energy when asleep than when lying awake due to REM and dream activity, and may have drawn an exaggerated conclusion from that.

 

Looking at my sleep patterns, they are pretty consistent -- it seems that my REM, awake, and deep sleep periods are about 1 hour each, light sleep is 4 hours, and I'm waking up 20 to 30 times.  My deep sleep seems to happen in the first half and REM is in the second half.  Does that sound normal or unusual to you?

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It does sound around normal. For me, an hour of deep sleep is still under the benchmark, but that varies by age group. It is pretty typical to see more deep sleep earlier in sleep and more REM later.

 

I don't have much to add about keto, but sleep is an important function. You could say, I'm even addicted to it. 🙂

Work out...eat... sleep...repeat!
Dave | California

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