Improve Sleep On Keto

How I Fixed The Biggest Ketosis Mistakes

The ketogenic diet isn’t always as easy as it seems. I tried for a long time, but not until I dove deep into the research and found out how to fix all of the common mistakes was I able to enjoy the full state of ketosis. This article is to help you avoid those same mistakes. Why Try the Ketogenic Diet First, why would you want to even try ketosis? I truly enjoy trying diets and eating methodologies to research what I like and what works for me. I’ve experimented with low-carb diets, high-carb diets, and everything in between, but I’ve never cut them out to the point to achieve ketosis. What’s most exciting about the ketogenic diet to me is that, yes, it’s amazing for weight loss, but it’s not just a “diet.” Ketosis is literally a state of metabolism. You are either in or you’re out. I wanted to see and feel for myself the benefits everyone is talking about from going full Keto. My Keto Coach has a great line that goes like this: I was sold and needed to try this and commit. If you are new to researching ketosis, a quick review of the popular benefits: Mental Clarity [2] Fat Loss [2][3][4] Feeling Full [1][2] Better Sleep [1] Better Mood [1] Better Skin [4] The list goes on and on, including disease and inflammation reduction, better cholesterol, etc. For my purposes I didn’t care about weight loss or fat loss, I just cared about doing the diet the best I could, and to do that, I needed to prepare accordingly. Preparation Stage – Learning the Keto Basics Here is what I did to educate myself and prepare for six weeks of the Ketogenic Diet. I picked a start date and spent $30 at In-N-Out burger on a massive send-off to carbohydrates. A whole other post could be dedicated to the mistakes I made at In-N-Out. After this epic meal, it was officially time Continue reading >>

7 Things Everyone Should Know About Low-carb Diets

Last week, my staff nutritionist Laura Schoenfeld wrote a guest post for my blog called “Is a Low-Carb Diet Ruining Your Health”. Perhaps not surprisingly, it has caused quite a stir. For reasons I don’t fully understand, some people identify so strongly with how many carbohydrates they eat that they take offense when a suggestion is made that low-carb diets may not be appropriate for everyone, in all circumstances. In these circles low-carb diets have become dogma (i.e. a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true). Followers of this strange religious sect insist that everyone should be on low-carb or even ketogenic diets; that all carbohydrates, regardless of their source, are “toxic”; that most traditional hunter-gatherer (e.g. Paleolithic) societies followed a low-carb diet; and, similarly, that nutritional ketosis—which is only achievable with a very high-fat, low-carb, and low-protein diet—is our default and optimal physiological state. Cut through the confusion and hype and learn what research can tell us about low-carb diets. On the other hand, I’ve also observed somewhat of a backlash against low-carb diets occurring in the blogosphere of late. While I agree with many of the potential issues that have been raised about low-carb diets, and think it’s important to discuss them, I also feel it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that low-carb diets can be very effective therapeutic tools for certain conditions and in certain situations. With this in mind, here are 7 things I think everyone should know about low-carb diets. #1: Paleo does not equal low-carb, and very low-carb/ketogenic diets are not our “default” nutritional state, as some have claimed. Some low-carb advocates have claimed that mo Continue reading >>

Video: Insomnia On Keto

Insomnia is the worst. And, when you’ve gone keto and start to feel better overall but your sleep quality starts to suck, it’s an even worse place to be in. You feel great on low-carb keto, but when you eat low-carb keto, your sleep suffers. Perhaps you know that eating carbohydrates fixes your sleep quality problem. Maybe when you ‘fall off the wagon’ and eat all of the carbohydrates, you have the best sleep that night but wake up feeling less than awesome because carbohydrates don’t feel good in your body. Girl, I’ve been there. And it SUCKED. No amount of extra magnesium, or melatonin sprays, liquids or capsules fixed the problem. If you’re experiencing insonia on low-carb/keto diet and you’re looking for solutions that allow you to feel good on your ketogenic diet while also getting the best sleep of your life, you need to watch today’s keto video. For video transcript PDF, scroll down. Your Mini Guide & Transcript A 5-10 page PDF with the transcript for this keto video, resources, and exclusive steps to taking your keto fat burning to the next level. Download to your device and access anytime. Simply click the button above, enter your details, and the guide will be delivered to your inbox! Get the keto mini guide & transcript now. Highlights… Signs that keto is affecting sleep Steps to end insomnia on keto The ultimate reason why you’re experiencing insomnia on keto Resources… Supplement: magnesium glycinate Does your sleep suck since going low-carb, keto? Which of the steps that I shared are you going to try first? My team and I work on finding the best products that not only have quality ingredients, but care about their customers. It has taken us years to find products with ingredients and integrity that I can stand behind. These brands w Continue reading >>

End Fatigue Naturally With Ketosis

Needing less sleep, having a clearer mind and being in a better mood have one thing in common: these are benefits of ketosis – and they happen fast. How ketosis energizes When keto clears the brain fog Why good moods happen on keto A main benefit of ketosis is lower insulin levels. Tiredness disappears and energy increases. Is Food Making You Tired? Low carb diets end fatigue simply because they are low in sugar. It’s that easy. Toss the sugar / starch, and toss the naps. Traditional diets are centered around sugary, starchy carbs. These carbs increase and spike insulin levels, resulting in high blood sugar. A rapid rise in insulin causes sluggishness and increases lethargy. The rise in insulin is why we feel tired after a carb-filled meal or have ‘afternoon slumps.’ By the end of the first week of your new diet plan, you should start to reap the rewards of low carb eating. Many people begin to experience increased energy, better mental concentration, less compulsive eating and few or no carb cravings. Of course, everyone’s experience is variable, and it takes longer with some than others. Goodbye Brain Fog Many people begin to experience better mental concentration, less compulsive eating, and few or no carb cravings. Some experience it as a “fog lifting” that they didn’t even know was there. Low carb dieters often report elevated moods, heightened feelings of alertness and less of a need for sleep. Believe it or not, glucose (found in carbs) is not the preferred fuel source for the brain and body. The body and brain run most efficiently on fat. After a few days of severely decreasing or banishing carbohydrates from the diet, most ketogenic eaters report improved moods and a sudden increase in energy to the point where they are bouncing off the walls. H Continue reading >>

Sleep Nutrition

Carbohydrates and Sleep Growth hormone and insulin have antagonistic effects: Elevated growth hormone levels will reduce insulin’s effectiveness, and high insulin levels will suppress the secretion of growth hormone. Therefore, repeatedly eating carbohydrate-rich food immediately before going to sleep may impair growth hormone secretion during your deep-sleep phase. Additionally, your body is more resistant to the effects of insulin at night, meaning that you must produce more insulin to move a given amount of glucose to your body tissues. This may lead to even further suppression of growth hormone secretion. Growth hormone secretion is an important part of the process of SWS, therefore going to bed with elevated or rising insulin will reduce the effectiveness of SWS that night. It is important to go to bed with low blood sugar so that you can maximize your growth hormone secretion potential and Slow Wave Sleep quality. Originally, there was a number of papers showing insulin increasing deep sleep, for example here and here. The obvious statement, then, is that if carbohydrates increase insulin then naturally carbohydrates increase deep sleep. This is a prime example of an ‘affirming the consequent propositional fallacy’. While healthy metabolism will raise insulin in response to an increase in carbohydrates, a healthy metabolism will not raise carbohydrates in response to an increase in insulin (glucagon does that). It therefore stands that carbohydrates do not necessarily increase deep sleep, and in fact insulin will lower blood-glucose causing hypoglycaemia when increased alone… A simple increase in ketosis, or food restriction replicates this increase in SWS without decreasing Growth Hormone secretion. In fact both low carb, ketosis and food restriction incr Continue reading >>

So, Apparently I Don't Sleep Anymore ...

I am in Ketosis (checked with Ketostix). For the past two and a half weeks, I haven't really been sleeping. I probably REM cycle a whopping 5 hours every night, sometimes 4, and occasionally 6-7. When I wake up I still feel a bit tired, but I'm 'awake' if that makes sense ... I have read that people on Ketosis sleep less but I'm a bit apprehensive about this dramatic change (I usually/use to sleep 8-9 hours a night). Other info: Not hungry. I don't eat nearly as much. For instance, yesterday I ate 2 eggs, 1/2 cup ground beef, 2 small round steaks (the thin tenderized kind, probably about .4 lb total ... maybe less), and 1/8 of an avocado. 20 pounds to lose? Don't have a scale ... haven't checked in a year ... I lift weights, moderately, 3-4 times a week. I run-walk every other day. (Note: I am not giving up running. I do not care if cardio isn't all that great. I love to run. I will continue to do so.) I drink Kombucha everyday (home brew). Vitamin D supplement Natural Calm supplement 2 weeks sober from coffee ... :p My job requires me to stand most of the day (M-F) and go up and down scaffolds, thus, quite active. That's all I can think of to add ... So, my question: What the heck is going on? Should I be concerned with this lack of sleep (darn you Lights Out for raising my cortisol!)? What should I do differently, if anything? EDIT: The cortisol I mentioned in respect to Lights Out was a joke ... as in ... reading it raised my cortisol levels because I'm not sleeping and that is a detriment according to the book ... just a clarification (I'm unsure if it's been taken the wrong way, if so, my bad.) Get FREE instant access to our Paleo For Beginners Guide & 15 FREE Recipes! Continue reading >>

10 Critical Ketogenic Diet Tips

10 Critical Ketogenic Diet Tips A ketogenic diet is a very low carbohydrate, moderate protein and high fat based nutrition plan. A ketogenic diet trains the individual’s metabolism to run off of fatty acids or ketone bodies. This is called fat adapted, when the body has adapted to run off of fatty acids/ketones at rest. This nutrition plan has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation. This leads to reduced risk of chronic disease as well as improved muscle development and fat metabolism (1, 2). I personally recommend a cyclic ketogenic diet for most of my clients where you go low-carb for 3 days and then have a slightly higher carbohydrate day, followed by 3 lower carb days. This cycles the body in and out of a state of ketosis and is beneficial for hormone balance while keeping inflammatory levels very low. The biggest challenge with this nutrition plan is to get into and maintain the state of fat adaption. Here are several advanced tips to get into and maintain ketosis. 1. Stay Hydrated: This is considered a no-brainer, but is not easy to follow. We often get so busy in our day-day lives that we forget to hydrate effectively. I recommend super hydrating your system by drinking 32 oz of filtered water within the first hour of waking and another 32-48 oz of water before noon. I have most of my clients do a water fast or eat light in the morning doing smoothies or keto coffee or tea. So hydration around these dishes should be well tolerated by the digestive system. In general, aiming to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water and closer to your full body weight in ounces of water daily will help you immensely. I weigh 160 lbs and easily drink 140-180 ounces of water each day. Sometimes more in the summer time. As you begin super Continue reading >>

Getting Better Sleep — Cool, Dark, And Lots Of B6, Carbs, Calories, And Fat

recently posted some sleeping tips. A lot of other great bloggers write about sleep too, like Mark Sisson, Robb Wolf, and Stephan Guyenet. I think sleep is really important, and I’ve had a lot of sleeping problems in the past, some of which I still occasionally struggle with, so I’m going to follow suit and post the things that have helped me most. Over a number of years, I’ve found that many things impact my ability to sleep, but from among these I can distill a handful of things I’ve found most critical: A cool, dark room. Light and phsyical activity upon waking. Lots of carbs, calories, and fat. Sufficient B6-rich foods. I need to have close to total darkness in the room when I fall asleep, and a sleep mask helps to prevent any residual light from reaching my eyes. A sleep mask does almost nothing if there’s lots of light in the room, as light on the skin seems to have a lesser effect than light on the eyes, but a nevertheless very meaningful impact. As my sleep has improved over the last two years, I’ve become less sensitive to light, perhaps because better sleep itself has begun normalizing my metabolic disturbances. But by “less sensitive” I mean that I can tolerate residual light sneaking in around the edges of curtains. I don’t mean I can tolerate no curtains or a light being on in the hallway, either of which would keep me up all night. I hope in the future my light tolerance continues to improve, as it makes no sense to me that humans are not designed to be able to tolerate at least the equivalent of moonlight and starlight. In addition to being dark, the room also has to be cool. I need a fan if the temperature gets much higher than 65F, and below 60F is ideal. I have also found that waking up at a regular time and immediately exposing mysel Continue reading >>

The Ketogenic Diet And Insomnia

Ketogenic diets like the popular Atkins diet cause rapid weight loss by sending the body into a condition known as ketosis. Unfortunately, they may also lead to health problems, including insomnia or poor quality sleep. The relationship between ketosis and insomnia is not fully understood, since much of the evidence for the link is anecdotal, but a better understanding of ketogenic diets and healthy sleep may help you make the right decisions about your weight-loss plan. Speak with your doctor if your insomnia is chronic, and before starting any weight-loss regimen. Video of the Day A ketogenic diet is high in fat and low in carbohydrates and protein. A healthy body burns carbohydrates for energy, so if no dietary carbohydrates are present, it turns to the energy stores glycogen and fat, leading to rapid weight loss. When fat tissues break down, carbon fragments called ketones are released into the blood, causing ketosis. Weight loss can be rapid in the beginning, which may cause the often-reported sense of euphoria and unusually high energy. This may contribute to sleep problems. Insomnia is a difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, or a pattern of chronically poor sleep. The condition can be caused by mental states like anxiety or depression, substance abuse, hormonal or lifestyle changes and some medications or illnesses. Dietary factors like caffeine or other stimulants, or changes in diet, can also play a part. Insomnia can often be treated with lifestyle changes like stress reduction, exercise, and quitting caffeine, tobacco and alcohol consumption. Alternative treatments like acupuncture and massage may be helpful. If you suffer from insomnia, see your doctor to rule out any underlying issues. Carbohydrates, Ketosis and Sleep Carbohydrates are often known as Continue reading >>