I find it really hard to get to sleep at night, then I often wake throughout the night and can't get back to sleep for hours. I am taking herbal sleeping pills and they help me a little bit. Anyway..
Recently I have often been waking in the night feeling absolutely ravenous. Last night I layed awake for over two hours feeling rediculously hungry, But I'm reluctant to get up and eat anything because I think it's a bad habit to get into, and also I'd then have to wait half an hour and brush my teeth again.. etc etc etc.
If I wake up and I'm not hungry, I usually end up feeling hungry eventually because I'm awake literally for hours, and during the day I'm used to eating every 3 hours or so.
Basically, I don't know what is causing this or what to do!! I'm starting to dred going to bed every night because I don't want to lay in the dark with my tummy growling for hours. I eat enough throughout the day and have a good protein/carb/fat ratio.. Does anyone else get this or have any suggestions?
Reason: Moved from Young Calorie Counters to Health and Support.
You're very likely to not be eating enough during the day, or your body wouldn't be keeping you awake asking for food.
Try drinking green, white or hoodia tea before bed? All three work well as appetite suppressants. And make sure you get enough to eat during the day.
When is the last time you eat before bed? Try a bedtime snack (an hour or so before bed). This helps me a lot because I can't fall asleep on an empty stomach.
Original Post by hannahboots:
Try drinking green, white or hoodia tea before bed? All three work well as appetite suppressants. And make sure you get enough to eat during the day.
Green and white tea (don't know about hoodia) are naturally caffeinated, so make sure you look for decaf if you take this advice.
The same thing happens to me and it's so annoying! One thing i can say, whatever happens, do NOT eat in the middle of the night. I got into a bad habit which I am now breaking. I try to drink tea, however, making myself distracted works the best. If i go somewhere or work on a project to distract my mind. I walk otside, or do some work online when I'm awake. sometimes, I do need to eat something like an apple, or other frit/veggie to stop the pangs. Good lck!
Maybe your going to bed right after eating? If your eating half an hour before going to bed then maybe that's whats keeping you up.
For one, most foods are stimulant so they give you energy which is not used up by bed time. Also, i noticed that if i go to sleep right after eating i wake up STARVING, but if i go to sleep two hours after my last snack i wake up content. Actually, i even use an hour for exercise before breakfast.
One thing my freind pointed out to me was that even if you don't sleep at night, you'll still function normally during the day. Don't take sleeping pills because they leave you with a "sleeping pill hangover" which make your nights andd your days miserable.
If you can't fall asleep, then get up and do something beneficial. Sometimes I'm awake until the next day and end up going to school without any sleep, but i still feel like i can function normally. Of course, by the time i get home i fall on the bad like an old rag but at least i get my sleep eventually. Try it and see how you feel.
I had that problem, and one of the things that helped was not eating dinner TOO early - some experts say that you sleep better if you have your last meal or snack at least 2 hours before sleeping If your body is busy digesting food, then it is usually harder for most people to sleep - unless they are really tired and fall asleep easily any way. Don’t eat your last meal TOO early though - when I ate dinner at 5.30pm I was starving by the time I went to bed, at 9 - 10 pm! So I now eat dinner about 6.30 ANOTHER THING - if you eat very regularly through out the day, then your body is familiar with it, so once you STOP eating for the night, and go hours without food, your body may still crave the regular meals! I eat EVERY 2 - 3 hours WITHOUT FAIL every day! So at night, it can SOMETIMES feel funny because my body is used to regular food! This could be psychological, and not a physical response though! The only way you will solve your problem is trial and error! You will only know what works if you try different things out, so try eating dinner 2 hours before bed for at least 4 nights to give it a chance to work, if it does not work, then try other methods Make SURE you get enough carbohydrates/protein/fat and calories during the day though, so you KNOW that lack of any of these things is not the reason you feel hungry.
Original Post by batwit2010:
Don't take sleeping pills because they leave you with a "sleeping pill hangover" which make your nights andd your days miserable.
I don't find this to be true- in fact, I am much more alert and productive after taking a sleeping pill. You should only be getting hangovers if you're not sleeping at least 7 hours after taking one. Maybe your dose is too high?
I take two Tylonol PM's and i usually sleep 8 hours or more. Maybe it has that effect on some people. I thought it was only me until some of my friends said the same thing. Also, keep in mind that i don't have insomnia and that i don't take them that often so my body is probably not used to functioning with them in my system.
Original Post by batwit2010:
I take two Tylonol PM's and i usually sleep 8 hours or more. Maybe it has that effect on some people. I thought it was only me until some of my friends said the same thing. Also, keep in mind that i don't have insomnia and that i don't take them that often so my body is probably not used to functioning with them in my system.
Hm, I wouldn't really consider Tylenol PM a sleeping pill...it's meant to be a nighttime pain reliever. I was referring to Ambien and other prescription sleeping pills. It's weird that you're having that reaction to it, though.
I usually eat a bowl of porridge at about 9pm and go to bed at 10pm. for the last few nights ive been going to bed at 11pm though trying to make myself more tired to sleep. i haven't woken up at all the past couple of nights and not ravenous in the morning either so im taking this as a good sign?
i've put a pack of 30 calorie rice crackers in my room for if i wake up feeling really hungry again but i haven't had to eat any yet ! i dont think i'll get any nasty night time eating habits from rice crackers since they just taste of nothingness?
thanks for the replies x
