help! major insomnia

[lydias]

ever since my water fast from 3 weeks ago- I cannot sleep at night at all. I am about to go nuts. My heart beats like crazy and I think I have hot flashes while I'm freezing throughout the day. I thought a fast would normalize things better but instead everything is worse!

Anybody know anything natural to help get some sleep? zzzzzz
I feel like a total zombie!!

I hate to take medications but this is not good.
I tried Chamomile, epsom salt baths, Melatonin- nothing, calcium-magnesium,
product called Calm, and my heart beats like crazy and I have to have the AC on 65 degrees!!

I've had my hormones checked and they are always off somehow but dont really know how to fix them. Also, I think Im slightly hyperthyroid. And my adrenals are shot. I take it the water fast was just too hard on my system.

[kiwiLOVE]

This may sound cliche' - but whenever I can't sleep I breath deeply. Not just 2 or 3 deep breaths, but for 5 or 6 minutes.
It really calms down my body and helps me relax.

[Conscious Midwife]

READ the Bible, works for every Christian I've ever met. THey swear that every tiem the try to read and study at night they fall asleep.

[Veganforlife]

All good advice up above. Another bit of advice. Take a hot water bottle, fill it, lay it one your stomach and feel your breathing.
But you know me and my famous last words:
green smoothies.

[GoingtoRAW]

Lydias,

I suffered terribly from insomina for probably 10 years. It was particularly bad in the fall. For some reason one year during the fall I decided I wanted to start walking for exercise. I was stressed from working full time and attending college courses taking all accelerated classes - generally 2 to 3 at a time. And I was gaining a lot of weight due to my crazy schedule and crazy eating habits from being on the run all the time. That's why I wanted to start walking - to relieve some of the stress from all of this "stuff." Late one night as I was struggling yet again to get to sleep I decided that the next night I was going to take a walk before I went to bed no matter what. I wasn't necessarily relating that if I took a walk, or did any form of exercise for that matter, it would help me sleep at all. The next night being human-I did not want to walk. I wanted to sit like a lump and rest from another stress filled day. My husband had agreed to walk with me and I told him to drag me off of the couch if he had to - which is exactly what he had to do. We almost got into a fight about it. It was a nice fall night. We started walking and after about 1/2 hr. I DID NOT WANT TO STOP! We ended up walking for probably a little over an hour. When I returned home I took a hot relaxing bath and went to bed expecting that I would not be able to fall asleep. My husband swore that within 5 minutes I was dead asleep! I woke up the next morning refreshed and feeling great. Needless to say I kept walking every night and weekends as well. That was probably in 1990 or 1991 and I swear the only time I suffer from insomnia now is when I don't do some regular form of exercise.

I guess all I am trying to say is - maybe give some light exercise before bed and try and see if that helps. It's horrible when you can't sleep.:(

[lydias]

forgot about exercise!
i'm doing some rebounding but need to do more
Thanks!

[Sunshine9]

What are you eating since the fast?

I've had lots of experience with sleep issues.... this connects to the food allergy page, but it sounds like one of your triggers might be wiring you.

[lydias]

well, when I went off the fast, I was real careful
had watermelon first day
fruits, greens for a week or more
I gained all my weight back immediately
but as my appetite kicked back in after that week I started eating everything.
I couldn't sleep while fasting so by this time with no sleep, detox, nothing but water I guess my body was looking for something for energy. I know this totally ruined the fasting benefits!

So I was slowly getting back on track with raw...and feeling so tired

here's the thread on why its been so hard for me
I think I have severe food allergies

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=29671

but for the most part I was drinking tons of green smoothies...
well, I dont think I can tolerate kale and most citrus fruits at all
so it was like killing me
makes no sense

but today I ate my water melon in the morning
apples
no green smoothies until I can figure out what greens I can tolerate
and I feel so much better

I used some herbs to help sleep last night. I have to look up what they are. Although, you can get addicted to herbs just like meds so just for temporary.

[Sunshine9]

Ok ok... so you couldn't sleep while fasting? I don't think that's uncommon.

mono-mealing is probably good

also you might try accupuncture, that can help get you back into balance and might also address the allergies

have you ever done a parasite cleanse? that could be the culprit as well
or have you tried colonics? maybe you started to detox something while fasting, and now your body hasn't been able to expel it.

[lydias]

well, I didnt sleep that well before fasting so I thought it would help.
But its been about 3 weeks ago and I hardly slept since at all. Nothing is normalizing.

I think the monomeal is good.

I have tried colonic, parasite cleanse, candida diet...I have done it all.

I appreciate your support though!