8 replies to this topic

[drago]

I've been reading about orexin/hypocretin, which are the peptides that are believed to cause narcolepsy in humans when they are absent or severely deficient. During fasting, orexin-A secretions increases. Hypoglycemia also creates an increase in orexin-A and sometimes orexin-B peptides.

Has anyone else become more wakeful with fasting or with hypoglycemia?

drago

[Ben L]

I've been reading about orexin/hypocretin, which are the peptides that are believed to cause narcolepsy in humans when they are absent or severely deficient. During fasting, orexin-A secretions increases. Hypoglycemia also creates an increase in orexin-A and sometimes orexin-B peptides.

Has anyone else become more wakeful with fasting or with hypoglycemia?

drago

I'm not sure if I'm offering anything valuable here because I'm diabetic, but yes I do benefit from a fast so long as my blood sugar has been stable beforehand. If it has been high and I go low, the stress is counter-productive.

[Linna]

Seems as if it may have some truth.
I know I get very sleepy while eating.
When I am very hungry ,,I seem to have nervous energy. I cant sleep when I am hungry.
That is what pulled me out of bed tonight at 3 am...too hungry to sleep.
I will research the area....very interesting.

[The Dreamer]

I recall reading that its a primal response to be more wakeful when you're hungry. So, I've been known to fast through the day while trying to get everything I want to get done, done. Wonder if the fact that I had my spinal tap on one of those days affected my result. They didn't say I had to eat breakfast before it. Just that it had to be done early in the day, so that they could freeze it in time for the fedex pickup.

So, basically they took it at my peak wakefullness + extra because I was fasting...so it was just above the cut off for low.

Wonder if that screwed up my MSLT too....while they fed me breakfast, it gave me diarrhea....and lunch didn't stick around much either. Think the MSLT was the first time in my life I had ever eaten hospital food.

The Dreamer.

[Cory]

I have been fasting for a large portion of the day lately. I try to only eat within a 8 hour window during the day. This often means that I am only eating one meal a day. I am in my third week of doing this. I find it quite easy to eat in this manner. As for the effect on Narcolepsy, I have noticed a reduced need for napping. There is definitely an improvement.

[Hank]

This is an interesting thread for me. I am now 46 and recently diagnosed. I have had N/C since childhood. I have compensated in so many ways that it has been hard to sort out symptoms. I have never complained of being tired or sleepy (only exhausted) and I move faster than most people- I suspected hyperactivity but never N. I though I was exhausted from go-go-going, not the opposite. I love food and I love to eat but I rarely ate breakfast and generally skipped lunch. My wife often reminds me to eat during the day. Almost all my daily food has been pushed to the end of the day. Essentially, I have been fasting during the day and have learned this benefits me -through a lifetime of trial and error. I never drink cold drinks or use ice- my wife always thought it was a "European thing" with no ice. I just prefer tap water. I have since read that cold beverages push us toward sleep. So at night I will have a tall glass of ice cold water to help me feel sleepy- it actually works for me, especially if my feet are warmed. I read a medical study about N and body temp and effect on sleepiness- it explained a lot. I have noticed I feel warm after a meal and I also feel warm during a sleep attack- like a hot flash (and I am a man). Before Xyrem, I started cooling my feet during sleep attacks and warming them at bed time- it actually helped. I definitely stick to lean protein/ no carbs during the day in small amounts. I am adjusting a lot about eating now that I am on Xyrem, since I do not eat 3 hours before taking. I am eating breakfast daily, with lunch and good snacks during the day and it has been working well. Thank you for this thread.

[N50+]

Interesting. I never thought about it like this. I have for years avoided eating before activities that require me to be alert because eating always makes me sleepy. Never thought about fasting keeping me awake.

[Megssosleepy]

Now this is a very interesting thread... I had never thought about my eating habbits injunction with sleep... I seem to be the oposite then most... I eat to stay awake lol. If I have a lot of homework to do... chips/popcorn/candy in class I always have snacks. Being on xyrem has also made me change my eating habbits, because I also love a snack before bed.

These meds are throwing me off... the stimulants make it hard for me to eat, force feeding is never fun... and not eating before bed I wake with my stomach angry!

I think its all about balance... And I cant seem to find mine!

[Christina G]

Drago: impressively well read!
I have done a 3 day fast experiment for exactly the reasons you stated. There have also been demonstrations showing that women with anorexia have higher circulating levels of orexin, and that intermittent fasting is beneficial for other autoimmune diseases.
For me, in short, 3 day fast = very awake. I only needed to sleep about 5 hours a day to be completely rested with no naps and it really increased my alertness.
I have only done the fasting experiment once, though, and it was hard not to eat! I still chewed gum and drank coffee.

I've been reading about orexin/hypocretin, which are the peptides that are believed to cause narcolepsy in humans when they are absent or severely deficient. During fasting, orexin-A secretions increases. Hypoglycemia also creates an increase in orexin-A and sometimes orexin-B peptides.

Has anyone else become more wakeful with fasting or with hypoglycemia?

drago