Averaging 6 hours of sleep...and feeling GREAT

[KILL KILL]

For the last 2 years I've been working on and critiquing a low carb diet that would suit me best. This is my fourth go at it. The first 2 times I went completely paleo (no grains, processed foods etc) for several months and seemed to fail because I was prepping for a bjj tournament and couldn't seem to get the right amount of fat. The 3rd time I was a little more lenient and allowed dairy and a much higher fat intake, but ultimately fell off the wagon around Thanksgiving. About a week and a half ago, I decided it was time to get back on said diet, the only change was that I am now eating more greens (especially broccoli) than I ever have before. With the addition of the greater amount of greens and dairy, I can tell my body is not in ketosis (which is good). But something odd is happening. Since starting the diet I cannot fall asleep at night. I even got up at 4am and took the dog for a walk lastnight out of boredom. I am only sleeping 6 hours at the longest but am completely energized when I get up. it's the oddest thing. I haven't slept so little since I was a Marine but even then I would feel like shit and my body would eventually crash. But i feel great! as anyone else encountered this or even know what the heck is going on?



Cliff Notes:
-back on low carb diet
-Not in ketosis
-more greens and dairy than typical
-Sleeping 6 hours at the MOST and feeling better than ever

 

[Oblivian]

I'm pretty much running the exact opposite of you. Sleeping 9-10 hours a day on average, eating high carb, strength gains have been great, but generally feel tired all of the time when I'm not lifting. While a lot of sleep can be great for recovery, it sometimes makes you feel like shit in day to day life. It's almost as if you feel you need that sleep to function.

 

[XTrainer]

For me, sleep (and, presumably, physical fatigue) seems to matter a whole lot less than stress/focus/mental fatigue. Of course, the two often go hand-in-hand, but not always. I've found that during times when I'm generally feeling good (relaxed, focused, etc.), the amount of sleep I get doesn't seem terribly detrimental to my performance.

I have a long standing average of about 6 hours of sleep per night, 5 is not uncommon, more than 8 is exceptionally rare.

 

[KILL KILL]

I must also add that i've tapered back my training also. no more LSD workouts, just strictly sprints. I even cut back on the over all volume of my workouts. I perform soo much better with a "less is more" kind of mentality when it comes to working out. So maybe that is a factor also.

 

[Gary Peters]

Curious.. do you have regular caffeine intake?

Ex: 1-2 Cups of coffee per day.

 

[Fedorbator420]

Why do you "not" want to be in ketosis? Do you have a low body fat % already?

Approx how many grams of carbs, protein and fat do you consume in a day?

 

[KILL KILL]

Curious.. do you have regular caffeine intake?

Ex: 1-2 Cups of coffee per day.

Nope. I do not drink coffee or soda of any kind. On special occassions I'll order a redbull and vodka at the bar when out with friends. Never did as a kid either so you can imagine how caffeine effects me. One cup of coffee gives me the shakes.

 

[Fedorbator420]

I'Sleeping 9-10 hours a day on average, eating high carb, strength gains have been great, but generally feel tired all of the time when I'm not lifting.

What is your build? Ht? Wt?

 

[KILL KILL]

6'1 225ish. I compete in jiu jitsu and work out regularly. The original paleo diet cannot keep up with such a high activity level and I cannot consume the amount of fat that is required. thus the reason Loren Cordain wrote The Paleo Diet for Athletes. The Paleo Diet for Athletes is basically the original diet plan with added energy gels and other such performance supplements (kind of a lame diet). I feel as if you're relying on supplements, than that diet is not for you. So I added dairy to help meet fat requirements and upped my veggies dramatically and lowered the amount of meat I was eating. This also helped remedy the problem with getting enough fiber to to be able to pass the insane amount of meat that a guy my size requires in a paleo diet just to function. As of right now my body is not in ketosis. I will slowly and gradually drop into ketosis instead of going in cold turkey. But as of right now I feel great just from dropping grains and upping my greens. It makes me wonder if I even need to drop into ketosis.

EDIT: This rant was to answer Fedorbator420's question about why I do not wish to be keto

 

[Madmick]

We tend to come out of our deeper sleep cycles on even hours: 2-4-6-8. A friend of mine told me this in college, so I tried it. When I was gonna short myself sleep, I'd for for 4 hours rather than 5, or 6 hours rather than 7.

I have to say: it worked amazingly. Stick to even hours, and you won't be nearly as groggy.

 

[Madmick]

6'1 225ish. I compete in jiu jitsu and work out regularly. The original paleo diet cannot keep up with such a high activity level and I cannot consume the amount of fat that is required. thus the reason Loren Cordain wrote The Paleo Diet for Athletes. The Paleo Diet for Athletes is basically the original diet plan with added energy gels and other such performance supplements (kind of a lame diet). I feel as if you're relying on supplements, than that diet is not for you. So I added dairy to help meet fat requirements and upped my veggies dramatically and lowered the amount of meat I was eating. This also helped remedy the problem with getting enough fiber to to be able to pass the insane amount of meat that a guy my size requires in a paleo diet just to function. As of right now my body is not in ketosis. I will slowly and gradually drop into ketosis instead of going in cold turkey. But as of right now I feel great just from dropping grains and upping my greens. It makes me wonder if I even need to drop into ketosis.

EDIT: This rant was to answer Fedorbator420's question about why I do not wish to be keto

And you'd be right. Not a Paleo fan. There's a reason the overwhelming majority of our Olympians eat 40%+ carbs.

 

[XTrainer]

And you'd be right. Not a Paleo fan. There's a reason the overwhelming majority of our Olympians eat 40%+ carbs.

In the words of Robb Wolf, Paleo is "carb agnostic." Paleo does not necessarily imply low carb, especially for athletes.

 

[Henry Swanson]

I've been using transdermal magnesium gel lately and HOLY SHIT have I been sleeping well.

BTW, I totally agree that 3 hour increments lead to the most restful sleep. Circadian rhythms FTW!

 

[Oblivian]

What is your build? Ht? Wt?

I'm 5'9", 190 lbs, 9". U?

 

[immovablestone]

9"

Pics or GTFO.

 

[Fedorbator420]

I'm 5'9", 190 lbs, 9". U?

I'm 6' 190lbs. I carry most of my weight in my legs (natural definition, lean) and in my shoulders (not much definition, just solid). My problem area is my gut which I'm workin on. I've been focusing on getting into ketosis and cycling every other week. I eat close to 200g of protein and fat and <30g carbs (as low as 10) during the week. I cycle 200g of carbs every other weekend (just 1 day). It's been workin great for me.

I do usually notice a significant amount of energy loss for the first 2 days or so (and an upset stomach) but generally have plenty after I get into ketosis for a couple days. I've burned off a few inches off my waist and have gained mass in my legs and shoulders just from the diet. My conditioning is average to slightly above average (usually can grapple on and off with some training partners for 2 or 3 hours, not 100%) but getting better each session.

I'm asking questions to learn more about others nutritional experiences and possibly to tweak my own diet in the future. Still new to proper nutrition and I know I can't stay on a high protein high fat diet for very long.

EDIT: Should note that I do supplement fiber since I stay away from grains and some veggies too. Any pointers would be appreciated.

 

[KILL KILL]

In the words of Robb Wolf, Paleo is "carb agnostic." Paleo does not necessarily imply low carb, especially for athletes.

I think Mark Sisson said something similar.

 

[Oblivian]

I'm asking questions to learn more about others nutritional experiences and possibly to tweak my own diet in the future. Still new to proper nutrition and I know I can't stay on a high protein high fat diet for very long.

I went from 190 lbs to 155 lbs in 3 months for a bet. My advice - Don't make diet more complicated than it needs to be. If what you are eating right now keeps your weight maintained at 190 lbs, eat more if you want to gain and eat less if you want to lose. Use some common sense with it and cut out the unnecessary non-nutrient dense items. People make it way harder than it needs to be.

 

[Oblivian]

Pics or GTFO.

*slowly exits thread...

 

[Nick Kilian]

I think its time to try low carb diet.

I am so tired all the time I never understand why. It physically hurts I am so tired. Even worse to drag myself to workout 6 days a week. I get 6-7 hours a sleep a night. I was thinking of going to the doc to test my blood but I will try this first and see how it goes.