Can'T Sleep, Nervous, Anxious And Paranoid

[kaki-clam]

I seem to go in spurts of not sleeping and this last one has been a long one....I am on day 4 with only about 6 hours of sleep. I am starting to feel dizzy. I am having anxiety attacks for no reason and I am feeling paranoid. In the past, prior to the Celiac diagnosis, my doctor had me on antianxiety meds as well as sleeping pills, and although they helped with those problems, they created a HUGE number of other issues and those issues didn't out weigh the benefits of the meds so I stopped taking them (this was about 3 years ago.)

I am scared to go back to the doctor. I talked to my therapist about it and he suggest that I go back on some meds, but I don't want to do that.

I am gluten free and finally starting to feel better in that part of my life and now this has come up. I do suppose that some gluten could be sneaking in my food. I eat very few processed foods..I mainly do all my own cooking and am a huge fan of Bob's RedMill for my pizza crust and bread..all gluten free.

Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Any thoughts, comments, suggestions....I don't want to believe that I am crazy...but I am starting to think if the shoe fits........

[Jestgar]

Could it be some other food? I discovered that soy really affected my sleep.

[Diva1]

I seem to go in spurts of not sleeping and this last one has been a long one....I am on day 4 with only about 6 hours of sleep. I am starting to feel dizzy. I am having anxiety attacks for no reason and I am feeling paranoid. In the past, prior to the Celiac diagnosis, my doctor had me on antianxiety meds as well as sleeping pills, and although they helped with those problems, they created a HUGE number of other issues and those issues didn't out weigh the benefits of the meds so I stopped taking them (this was about 3 years ago.)

I am scared to go back to the doctor. I talked to my therapist about it and he suggest that I go back on some meds, but I don't want to do that.

I am gluten free and finally starting to feel better in that part of my life and now this has come up. I do suppose that some gluten could be sneaking in my food. I eat very few processed foods..I mainly do all my own cooking and am a huge fan of Bob's RedMill for my pizza crust and bread..all gluten free.

Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Any thoughts, comments, suggestions....I don't want to believe that I am crazy...but I am starting to think if the shoe fits........

[RiceGuy]

Even after having been gluten-free for awhile, I was experiencing increasing symptoms like the ones you describe. Turns out it was due to nutrient deficiencies. The things which I found the most helpful are B vitamins - especially B12, and certain minerals such as magnesium. All of these are known to be involved in maintaining neurological function. Vitamin B12 is essential for the production of melatonin and serotonin, which greatly influence sleep cycles, energy, mood, etc, etc. Other B vitamins and magnesium are also greatly involved.

So, I'd suggest a good, strong co-enzyme form of B complex, a separate methylcobalamin sublingual tablet form of B12, some magnesium, and a decent multivitamin.

[YoloGx]

Even after having been gluten-free for awhile, I was experiencing increasing symptoms like the ones you describe. Turns out it was due to nutrient deficiencies. The things which I found the most helpful are B vitamins - especially B12, and certain minerals such as magnesium. All of these are known to be involved in maintaining neurological function. Vitamin B12 is essential for the production of melatonin and serotonin, which greatly influence sleep cycles, energy, mood, etc, etc. Other B vitamins and magnesium are also greatly involved.

So, I'd suggest a good, strong co-enzyme form of B complex, a separate methylcobalamin sublingual tablet form of B12, some magnesium, and a decent multivitamin.

I ditto that. I have a B-1 deficiency and find the co-enzyme b complex from country life to be a godsend. My feet, calves and arms used to burn and tingle at night as well as flail around plus I was subject to unwarranted anxiety attacks. Further taking the co-enzyme b's stopped my heart from rattling around--whihc it seems was contributing to the anxiety attacks. I take the co-enzyme complex on an empty stomach since it works better and goes directly into the blood stream that way.

Vitamin D and more calcium may also be necessary. I find cod liver oil to be the most effective way to get the vitamin D. The omega 3's in it and vit. A also helps. I have to take e-zorb since other types of calcium don't work very well for me. Lots of people like bone-up. The magnesium citrate is for me essential. Mineral absorption is often very degraded for those of us who have damaged villi. I thus also take liquid trace sea minerals.

Recently I added msm and biosil to increase strength to my otherwise fragile tendons--and it is in addition to everything else finally really helping. I strained my elbows just before the 1st and already now they are fine. In the past it could easily take 6 months or more to heal.

I also find walking almost daily and doing yoga and/or stretching very helpful since my nerves in my hips and legs as well as my back and neck need stretching and use to be normal. Find out if you are out of joint too--that can be a factor. I saw a chiro for years but now have a variety of devices I use in addition to the yoga to put myself back into alignment (sacro wedgy, spine-worx, neck traction device). When able I do strengthening exercises plus use my (malibu) pilates chair.

Further, self hypnosis (auto suggestion) can do wonders, and/or go find a good hypnotist to help out... All those years of interrupted sleep can take their psychological toll and I found I had adapted to it and it has been hard to change. There are many good books out there on the subject. Have myself just started to take a class and already my sleeping routine is improving.

Bea

[Diva1]

I know when glutened...my brains knows it before my bowels do...I go to bed then the anxiety and nervous etc...all starts.. so gluten BIG CULPRIT....for me anyway..

hope you feel better

Diva

[judyg]

I seem to go in spurts of not sleeping and this last one has been a long one....I am on day 4 with only about 6 hours of sleep. I am starting to feel dizzy. I am having anxiety attacks for no reason and I am feeling paranoid. In the past, prior to the Celiac diagnosis, my doctor had me on antianxiety meds as well as sleeping pills, and although they helped with those problems, they created a HUGE number of other issues and those issues didn't out weigh the benefits of the meds so I stopped taking them (this was about 3 years ago.)

I am scared to go back to the doctor. I talked to my therapist about it and he suggest that I go back on some meds, but I don't want to do that.

I am gluten free and finally starting to feel better in that part of my life and now this has come up. I do suppose that some gluten could be sneaking in my food. I eat very few processed foods..I mainly do all my own cooking and am a huge fan of Bob's RedMill for my pizza crust and bread..all gluten free.

Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Any thoughts, comments, suggestions....I don't want to believe that I am crazy...but I am starting to think if the shoe fits........

[judyg]

I am definitely experiencing the sleeping issues you have. I can't sleep and when I do I wake up feeling sore and sad. They have changed my meds 5 times in the last 6 months since being diagnosed. I am seeing my Psychiatrist again this Friday and hope they can find a medicine that works. Elavil does help my sleep the best. They put me on Vitamin D, but I did not notice anything. The anxiety and emotional stress is the worst and I have joined celiac.com in hopes of finding some support emotionally in dealing with Celiac Disease and it's affect on my life. Most doctors I have met don't even get it. I am going to Standford to a special Celiac Sprue Clinic in hopes I will finally get the medical support I need to deal with Celiac.

I did go off my Gluten free diet for a few weeks in December and noticed a big difference, I felt awful. I am back on track Gluten free now, but it is such an isolating feeling, since my family does not eat Gluten free and I still have to feed them regular food.

[Gemini]

I seem to go in spurts of not sleeping and this last one has been a long one....I am on day 4 with only about 6 hours of sleep. I am starting to feel dizzy. I am having anxiety attacks for no reason and I am feeling paranoid. In the past, prior to the Celiac diagnosis, my doctor had me on antianxiety meds as well as sleeping pills, and although they helped with those problems, they created a HUGE number of other issues and those issues didn't out weigh the benefits of the meds so I stopped taking them (this was about 3 years ago.)

I am scared to go back to the doctor. I talked to my therapist about it and he suggest that I go back on some meds, but I don't want to do that.

I am gluten free and finally starting to feel better in that part of my life and now this has come up. I do suppose that some gluten could be sneaking in my food. I eat very few processed foods..I mainly do all my own cooking and am a huge fan of Bob's RedMill for my pizza crust and bread..all gluten free.

Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Any thoughts, comments, suggestions....I don't want to believe that I am crazy...but I am starting to think if the shoe fits........

All of your symptoms are indicative of a possible hyper-active thyroid problem so I would advise you to go and get tested for that, with a FULL thyroid panel done. I went seriously hyper last spring because I have healed so well on the gluten-free diet and started to absorb my nutrients again so the dose I had been taking for years was suddenly too much. For a person like myself, who has NEVER taken any meds of that nature and wouldn't anyway, to experience not sleeping and anxiety, was not pleasant. You need to sleep so I would highly suggest getting tested.

Most doctors medicate the hell out of people today and that won't solve your problems, it only masks them. If you know you are eating a totally gluten-free diet, then I wouldn't search too hard in that direction. Get your thyroid tested and post the numbers because doctors are also notorious for under-medicating people

with thyroid problems, resulting in the symptoms you have. Good luck!

[YoloGx]

I am definitely experiencing the sleeping issues you have. I can't sleep and when I do I wake up feeling sore and sad. They have changed my meds 5 times in the last 6 months since being diagnosed. I am seeing my Psychiatrist again this Friday and hope they can find a medicine that works. Elavil does help my sleep the best. They put me on Vitamin D, but I did not notice anything. The anxiety and emotional stress is the worst and I have joined celiac.com in hopes of finding some support emotionally in dealing with Celiac Disease and it's affect on my life. Most doctors I have met don't even get it. I am going to Standford to a special Celiac Sprue Clinic in hopes I will finally get the medical support I need to deal with Celiac.

I did go off my Gluten free diet for a few weeks in December and noticed a big difference, I felt awful. I am back on track Gluten free now, but it is such an isolating feeling, since my family does not eat Gluten free and I still have to feed them regular food.

You could easily be getting cross contamination of gluten from preparing your family's food etc. I continued having anxiety attacks and not sleeping as long as I was getting cross contamination just from very small things like shampoos, soaps, lipstick, or making food at my mother's using her glutenous kitchen or feeding her animals their gluteneous food--or getting licked by them or being around gluten flour dust. Somehow inevitably in an environment like that some of the gluten would get inside my mouth or nose eventually.

I also got glutened kissing an old boyfriend who drank distilled whiskey. It was supposed to be safe, but it sure wasn't for me. I had no idea at first what was going on but finally figured it out.

As said before, the vitamins and supplements have also been key for me. First to make sure none of them had gluten! And then to take the things I need due to poor absorption of basic nutrients. My nervous system was degraded after all as well as bones and connective tissue etc. Thus the co-enzyme B's and easily absorbed calcium and mag. citrate plus sea minerals etc. as well as things that help me produce better connective tissue have been essential. The good news is that it really makes a huge difference for the better!

And yes, being off all sugars and anything that can convert to sugar quickly esp. bleached ground up fours of any kind, and being on a low carb diet overall has also been essential for me. It seems with this gluten intolerance I also have developed a tendency to have candida overgrowth which can also contribute to anxiety and not sleeping etc.. I often go off all grains for a while if I start having problems again...and eat some squash instead for my carbs. I also now take as well as olive leaf extract against microbes, fungi, viruses and fibro like symptoms etc. It really seems to help against the candida though of course nothing replaces dietary changes.

I don't mean to overwhelm, but for me I'd rather go this route than take mind altering medications. I tend to be very sensitive to any drugs and feel awful after taking sleep medications.

[momxyz]

I am going to be the devil's advocate here and say that it is possible that diet and B12 supplementation may not be enough to provide total relief of your problems, and that some medication may still be required.

This is true for a family member and a friend of mine.

That being said, I do believe that remaining gluten-free and vitamin supplementation are very important for them. My family member is on a very lo dose of medicine for their anxiety issues.. probably much lower than what it would have taken if they had not gone gluten free.

[rueyn]

I seem to go in spurts of not sleeping and this last one has been a long one....I am on day 4 with only about 6 hours of sleep. I am starting to feel dizzy. I am having anxiety attacks for no reason and I am feeling paranoid. In the past, prior to the Celiac diagnosis, my doctor had me on antianxiety meds as well as sleeping pills, and although they helped with those problems, they created a HUGE number of other issues and those issues didn't out weigh the benefits of the meds so I stopped taking them (this was about 3 years ago.)

I am scared to go back to the doctor. I talked to my therapist about it and he suggest that I go back on some meds, but I don't want to do that.

I am gluten free and finally starting to feel better in that part of my life and now this has come up. I do suppose that some gluten could be sneaking in my food. I eat very few processed foods..I mainly do all my own cooking and am a huge fan of Bob's RedMill for my pizza crust and bread..all gluten free.

Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Any thoughts, comments, suggestions....I don't want to believe that I am crazy...but I am starting to think if the shoe fits........

One more idea for you. After going gluten-free I found out that cheese...yes, CHEESE...gives me insomnia. I have no idea why, and I can't find any literature on it, but if I eat cheese I don't sleep.

Best of luck figuring your stuff out. You're getting lots of good ideas here!