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Nutrition "Vegetarian month" and trouble falling asleep at night

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Pantrolyx

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For quite some time, I have reflected on the ethical and enviromental imlications of modern agriculture. Finally, I decided to try a month without meat consumption, which happens to be this month.

Not eating meat is not really challing thus "far". I have, however, had increasing difficulties falling asleep at night for the last ten days or so. And sleep deprivation is obviously not ok .Of course, there may not really be a causation here, but then again, I may have overlooked or underestimated some nutritional details.

Has anyone had similar experiences? Or does anyone have some plausible, physiological explanations to why skipping meat could cause such problems?
 
I have not experienced this. You might try some bedtime fruit (banana or dated work great).
 
I was a vegan for a few years and didnt have this issue. Iirc it should be the other way around, since sleep hormones depend on carbs or something like that. Are you eating fruit?
 
I was a vegan for a few years and didnt have this issue. Iirc it should be the other way around, since sleep hormones depend on carbs or something like that. Are you eating fruit?

Yeah, I eat/drink fruit and berries every day, as well as a lot of lentils and vegetables.
 
Didn't have that when I went vegetarian. And now when I'm eating 90% vegan-food I sleep a little better.
Have you replaced the meat with a lot of cheese? Fatty cheese like halloumi, cheddar or feta might affect digestion.

If I had to guess I'd say it's just stress, maybe because summer almost over? Don't think going back to eating lots of meat makes you sleep better.

Have you tried chamomile-tea before bed? Helps me sleep easier with about 3%, probably 2% of those is placebo... but still. :cool:
 
Tryptophan.... a precursor to melatonin.....maybe? Maybe being very much the emphasis here.
Quite possibly a biological reductionist view.....tryptophan to serotonin to melatonin. Perhaps, if you are nor getting sufficient essential amino acids....tryptophan being one.
What's changed other than less meat? Eating times, did you eat before bed and not now? Or the opposite?
Are you getting enough protein generally?
I eat a lot less meat, veggie/vegan daughters and the end of the world issue. Can't say I notice any sleep problems but I eat more protein snacks than perhaps I used to.
If anything I probably sleep better.
But that maybe has nothing to do with diet......it's difficult to tease apart all the factors.
Caffeine? Alcohol?
I've mostly sacked both of them. Good zzzzzzzzs.
Camomile tea convert here too!
 
Hello,

I do not know in English, but in French, we make a difference between "vegetarian" (basically no meat but egg, fish, honey) which can also be called (still in French) "flexitarian" and "vegan" (no animal consumption).

Therefore, do you eat fishes (or eggs, shellfishes, etc...) ?

There are plenty of factors which can interfere with sleep:
- light (so melatonin, serotonin), from both screens and light bulbs
- stress
- types of carbs you eat before going to bed
- level of physical activity
- number of meals and their timing
etc...

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Didn't have that when I went vegetarian. And now when I'm eating 90% vegan-food I sleep a little better.
Have you replaced the meat with a lot of cheese? Fatty cheese like halloumi, cheddar or feta might affect digestion.

If I had to guess I'd say it's just stress, maybe because summer almost over? Don't think going back to eating lots of meat makes you sleep better.

Have you tried chamomile-tea before bed? Helps me sleep easier with about 3%, probably 2% of those is placebo... but still. :cool:

I may be guilty on adding some cheese, yes. Like, name one pasta dish whose taste can't be markeldy improved by adding cheddar og parmesan? :)
Yes, I have tried chamomile-tea, will try it tonight again.
 
Tryptophan.... a precursor to melatonin.....maybe? Maybe being very much the emphasis here.
Quite possibly a biological reductionist view.....tryptophan to serotonin to melatonin. Perhaps, if you are nor getting sufficient essential amino acids....tryptophan being one.
What's changed other than less meat? Eating times, did you eat before bed and not now? Or the opposite?
Are you getting enough protein generally?
I eat a lot less meat, veggie/vegan daughters and the end of the world issue. Can't say I notice any sleep problems but I eat more protein snacks than perhaps I used to.
If anything I probably sleep better.
But that maybe has nothing to do with diet......it's difficult to tease apart all the factors.
Caffeine? Alcohol?
I've mostly sacked both of them. Good zzzzzzzzs.
Camomile tea convert here too!

Yeah, I a up early, travel a significant distance to work and back, and drink far too much coffee. All those things are constant, though, and has not changed the last couple of weeks.
When it comes to alcohol, I don't drinkt too often, nor do I binge drink when I actually enjoy a beer or two. Working as a bouncer contributed to label me as "old and boring" when I was in my mid-twenties, haha!
 
Tryptophan.... a precursor to melatonin.....maybe? Maybe being very much the emphasis here.
Quite possibly a biological reductionist view.....tryptophan to serotonin to melatonin. Perhaps, if you are nor getting sufficient essential amino acids....tryptophan being one.
What's changed other than less meat? Eating times, did you eat before bed and not now? Or the opposite?
Are you getting enough protein generally?
I eat a lot less meat, veggie/vegan daughters and the end of the world issue. Can't say I notice any sleep problems but I eat more protein snacks than perhaps I used to.
If anything I probably sleep better.
But that maybe has nothing to do with diet......it's difficult to tease apart all the factors.
Caffeine? Alcohol?
I've mostly sacked both of them. Good zzzzzzzzs.
Camomile tea convert here too!

Yeah, we have the same distinctions in Norwegian. :)
I have not turned vegan, but I do stay away from fish as well this month. As for getting enough protein, I haven't made any conclusions, but I guess that my intake is a bit too inconsistent from day to day.
 
From personal experience, and witnessing others do the same, new vegetarians end up consuming a lot more carbs and fats, and perhaps sugars as well (fruits, fruit juice etc.) If the body is not accustomed to this sudden change, it can interfere with sleep. This is typically because they are under prepared in finding suitable replacements for their regular diet and fill up on cheeses, pastas, etc.

My advice would be to try and eat cleanly as possible by following something like Dr. Geiger's daily dozen checklist.
 
... name one pasta dish whose taste can't be markedly improved by adding cheddar og parmesan? :)
As time goes on, vegan cheese substitutes become better and better tasting. You might try someplace that carries a lot of these things and do some experimenting.

-S-
 
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