Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Sudden Insomnia After Going Gluten Free


soulcurrent

Recommended Posts

Booghead Contributor

I didn't sleep well after going gluten free either. I've been gluten free for 3 weeks almost. For the last 2 of those I have had a bugger of a cold so I've been taking Nyquil pretty much every night. I'm begininng to think I might be abusing it for sleeping because I couldn't sleep after going gluten free. The last 3 days that I have taken Nyquil it has been because the cold is at its peak and I can't breathe if I don't take it. Last night I took 2 like usual and I didn't sleep at all. Then I crashed at 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. and felt sicker then before. B) I hate colds.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



pricklypear1971 Community Regular

I didn't sleep well after going gluten free either. I've been gluten free for 3 weeks almost. For the last 2 of those I have had a bugger of a cold so I've been taking Nyquil pretty much every night. I'm begininng to think I might be abusing it for sleeping because I couldn't sleep after going gluten free. The last 3 days that I have taken Nyquil it has been because the cold is at its peak and I can't breathe if I don't take it. Last night I took 2 like usual and I didn't sleep at all. Then I crashed at 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. and felt sicker then before. B) I hate colds.

Two words.

Neti Pot.

KaraBoga Newbie

Yeah since I went gluten free I wake up very early in the morning, 3-4AM and cannot go back to sleep. Snacking before bed seems to help a little, but I am not able to sleep longer than 5-6 hours at the most and a lot of times it is less than that. I ordered B12 sub-lingual supplements, will give them a try, but I am wondering how you all have been coping with this.

One more thing, my blood pressure is lower than what it used to be. My normal blood pressure was around 120/80 to 130/85, now it is about 105/70 :huh:

AVR1962 Collaborator

I hope this helps some of you. If you are in the detox these tips may not work but this is what I have tried and it does help.

Make sure your vit levels are where they need to be. If your body is not receiving enough nutrients sleep will be difficult.

Exercise of some sort during the day but not close to bedtime.

Do not take vits before bedtime.

Drink a soothing hot tea like camamille or sleeping time.

No dairy or sugar before bed.

A good sleep aide is Meletonex which is B3 and magnesium.

Marilyn R Community Regular

Even before going gluten-free Nyquil used to hurt me. I'd break out in hives and feel like I was ready to crawl walls (forget about sleeping). That could just be me.

  • 1 month later...
RockChalkChic Newbie

I'm two weeks gluten-free and am having some trouble sleeping, too - lots of tossing and turning and strangely I seem more restless/anxious on my back and left side (usually my go to side) ... ?

  • 2 weeks later...
rarmama Apprentice

2 Weeks gluten free, and terrible insomnia. I trend to go through phases of insomnia anyways, but its been really bad the past week or so. Think I'll have to pick up some melatonin.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



jeanzdyn Apprentice

I have been working toward gluten-free and I am already experiencing sleep changes. I am not tired at my usual bedtime and stay up for another hour or later. Then I wake up at 4:30am and don't get back to sleep, despite trying to clear my mind and sleep more. On the positive side I do not feel as tired as I did when I was eating gluten at every meal.

I still nap on the weekend, but do not sleep nearly as much then either.

It is the waking up at 4:30am that bothers me, as I have always slept like a rock until at least 6:00am.

I used to average 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, and now I am lucky if I sleep for 5 hours.

The plus is not feeling tired and fatigued all the time, but I wonder if this will have a negative effect if it continues.

mushroom Proficient
Even before going gluten-free Nyquil used to hurt me. I'd break out in hives and feel like I was ready to crawl walls (forget about sleeping). That could just be me.

Well, it's just me, too!! The main ingredient is a decongestant which hypes you up. Then they put the other stuff in to calm you down. Most people it calms way down to sleep. I don't take much hyping up, but a take a LOT of calming down. No sleep for me with Nyquil. :rolleyes:

I am in the wake up at 4:30 a.m. group, stil!!!! But at least I do usually get back to sleep some time later and often sleep till 8 or 9.

  • 2 years later...
AlexDAK Newbie

Hi. I have the same problem now. After 2 weeks on gluten free diet, I have terrible insomnia. I am trying GFD for the second time, but in first time I had no such problem. Also I began to loose weight quickly and became very skinny.  

cyclinglady Grand Master

You may be experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Continue the gluten-free diet and check every single ingredient for gluten. Be sure to eat lots of healthy whole foods to avoid weight loss.

Take care!

  • 3 months later...
CK1901 Explorer

I've had on-off insomnia for most of my life. I've found that keeping the bedroom cold temperature-wise helps me fall asleep. Weird maybe, but it helps me. 

  • 1 year later...
Rower0 Newbie

Hi all.

Im returning to this topic to hear how all of you are doing?

Last january me and my wife went to gluten-free for the whole month. At the same time my wife started waking up 3am every night. We returned back to normal diet in february but the insomnia continued, and continued and continues. Now after 12 months she has been running thru doctors who in the start of the year just wrote her Mirtazapin and melatonin for "stress related sleeping problems". Well the spring went by, and in summer she tried one month without the medication, stressfree relaxing time in Greece where the sleep shouldnt be a problem. Nothing. this autumn she has been going thru insomnia tests, sleepapnea etc. Nothing.

In some point i was thinking about the gluten-free january that we have, but didint google anything. Now i found out that many of people are having the same kind of problems.

SO. How many of you have been suffering from insomnia after your posts. Have you gotten any help? Are you still on gluten-free? And please, no Vitamin, magnesium etc tips. Tried them all. tried high protein evening snacks, you name it. What im looking for is real advices for real troubles. 

THANK YOU!

Iiro

  • 5 weeks later...
canadianjem Rookie

I went through a bout last year of the worst insomnia I have ever had.

For two months I would fall asleep around 3 am to wake up at 4:30 or would not fall asleep at all.  I was a walking zombie and terrified!!

People would tell me to exercise more and eat healthy.  I eliminated coffee, did a spin class, plus 2 hours of weight lifting, plus walk the dog DAILY.

People said have a bedtime routine, bath, read a book, camomile tea...I did that too. Nothing worked.

I now have to take 10mg of Elavil on a nightly basis.  Its a drug used for depression but in small doses works to make you drowsy.  Its not something that I wake up groggy and am fully rested and alert.

I am not saying that this is a route for everyone to take but Its my route and saved me :)

  • 4 years later...
gudwin Newbie

I tried  fasting for 2 days and on the third day I could not sleep at all. This went away after a couple of days and my sleep was normal. Anyway, I tried the gluten free and dairy free diet at the same time two weeks later and after the third day I got a bad gut in the middle of the night and it kept me up the rest of the night and one week later I have been getting only 3-4 hours sleep a night. I could not seem to stay a sleep for long. I have gave up the gluten and dairy free diet when I got the bad gut. So i began to drink milk and eat gluten products but still no change in sleep. I tried everything to get over it and nothing worked so I decided to just accept that I have insomnia and get on with my life as if nothing important happened. I went about my normal day and did the same things I would do before I had insomnia, not caring if I slept or not. I just lay in bed closed my eyes for 7 hours and rested. Anyway after 2 weeks my sleep pattern came back and I no longer have insomnia. My point is some times the harder you try to make something happen the harder it is to make it happen. All the supplements therapies exercise, bedtime routines just tells your brain how important you think sleep is and this puts the brain on high alert 24/7 about sleeping making it impossible for you to relax and sleep. Try accepting that you have insomnia and it's not the end of the world and won't change your life in any significant way. It worked for me and might for you.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - cristiana replied to tiffanygosci's topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      2

      Celiac support is hard to find

    2. - cristiana replied to Dizzyma's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      4

      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

    3. - tiffanygosci replied to tiffanygosci's topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      2

      Celiac support is hard to find

    4. - trents replied to mamaof7's topic in Parents, Friends and Loved Ones of Celiacs
      1

      Help understand results

    5. - mamaof7 posted a topic in Parents, Friends and Loved Ones of Celiacs
      1

      Help understand results

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,958
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    DLA
    Newest Member
    DLA
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • cristiana
      Hi @tiffanygosci Well done for reaching out,  fantastic you have found this forum. It sounds like you are managing the diet well, it can be overwhelming at first, but it will get easier.     I wonder if you have seen the short film 'Glutened'? - someone shared it on this forum a few months ago and it reminded me of how isolating it can be, particularly at first, when you don't know anyone with celiac disease.  *see link for film below. I realise now how blessed I was that when I was diagnosed two friends were also diagnosed around the same time, as we shared a lot of tips and recipes at the start.   Since then the number of people I know diagnosed with coeliac disease has grown and grown, there seems to be a much greater awareness of it among healthcare professionals and the public, at least this side of the Atlantic (I'm British).  I think in time you may find this, too. That said, those two coeliac buddies were 'straightforward' cases who seemed to recover very quickly when on a gluten-free diet - I struggled for some time.  So I found that I spent much more time discussing things with this online coeliac family. If you have any more questions, we're here for you.  I hope your event on 15th goes well.  Sounds like a good start!  I like you am not keen on Facebook, but perhaps setting up an account short-term might help? * https://vimeo.com/486284734 Cristiana     
    • cristiana
      You are very welcome @Dizzyma. Gastroenterologists are now following this rule in the UK more and more with children, so I am not surprised your daughter is not having an endoscopy.   Switching to a gluten free diet should begin to help, but also, even if you have to have testing done privately, it would be very helpful for you to find out if your daughter has vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which is highly likely,    In the UK tests are generally offered on the NHS for B12 and ferritin, and sometimes vitamin D.  Shortages in these can really cause any anxiety or depression or ramp it up. If you do end up supplementing, make sure your GP is aware as levels do need to be monitored, for example,  too much ferritin can cause huge health issues. Re: anxiety, definitely speak to a GP or another health care professional about this if it is an issue. Hopefully the Coeliac Society of Ireland will also be able to help. Cristiana  
    • tiffanygosci
      EDIT: I did find a monthly Zoom meeting for Celiacs through the Celiac Disease Foundation, so I'll be able to talk with some other people on January 15. And I also found a Celiac Living podcast on Spotify made by a celiac. I feel a little bit better now and I am still hoping I will find some more personal connections in my area.
    • trents
      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @mamaof7! It means for the one celiac disease antibody test that was ordered, she tested negative. However, other tests should have been ordered, especially for someone so young who would have an immature immune system where there would be a high probability of being IGA deficient.  The one test that was ordered was an IGA-based antibody test. It is not the only IGA antibody test for celiac disease that can be run. The most common one ordered by physicians is the TTG-IGA. Whenever IGA antibody tests are ordered, a "total IGA" test should be included to check for IGA deficiency. In the case of IGA deficiency, all other IGA tests results will be inaccurate. There is another category of celiac disease antibody tests that can be used in the case of IGA deficiency. They are known as IGG tests. I will attach an article that gives an overview of celiac disease antibody tests. All this to say, I would not trust the results of the testing you have had done and I would not rule out your daughter having celiac disease. I would seek further testing at some point but it would require your daughter to have been eating normal amounts of gluten for weeks/months in order for the testing to be valid. It is also possible she does not have celiac disease (aka, "gluten intolerance") but that she has NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, or just "gluten sensitivity" for short) which is more common. The difference is that celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that damages the lining of the small bowel whereas NCGS does not autoimmune in nature and does not damage the lining of the small bowel, though the two conditions share many of the same symptoms. We have testing to diagnose celiac disease but there are no tests for NCGS. To arrive at a diagnosis of NCGS, celiac disease must first be ruled out. A gluten free diet is the solution to both maladies.   
    • mamaof7
      For reference, daughter is 18 mths old. Was having painful severe constipation with pale stool and blood also bloating (tight extended belly.) Liver and gallbladder are normal. Ultrasound was normal. Dr ordered celiac blood test. We took her off gluten after blood draw. She is sleeping better, no longer bloated and stools are still off color but not painful.    "GLIADIN (DEAMID) AB, IGA FLU Value  0.84 Reference Range: 0.00-4.99 No further celiac disease serology testing to be performed. INTERPRETIVE INFORMATION: Deamidated Gliadin Peptide (DGP) Ab, IgA A positive deamidated gliadin (DGP) IgA antibody result is associated with celiac disease but is not to be used as an initial screening test due to its low specificity and only occasional positivity in celiac disease patients who are negative for tissue transglutaminase (tTG) IgA antibody."   Anyone know what in the world this means. She isn't scheduled to see GI until late April. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.