Re: Diet affects lack of sleep

[Guest guest]

> Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 11:18:18 EST

> From: MMacGregor@...

> Subject: Re: Night Wakings - Diet Change - feedback Please

>

> In a message dated 2/15/01 7:13:41 AM Pacific Standard Time,

> whcmccain@... writes:

>

> > My two and half yr old has been waking up everynight for the past

> 3

> > > month from 1 am to 3 am, sometime longer. It is really hard on

> > > everyone. A friend has suggested this diet. Can anyone can

> please

> > > give me feedback /success stories. I would be very thankful for

> any comments.

> >

I think we were getting a grand total of maybe 4 hours sleep a night

before we removed gluten. He was already milk free. In my son's case I

discovered AFTER we removed gluten that one reason he woke up so much in

the night was that after he went gf, he no longer breathed through his

mouth so didn't wake up from a dry mouth probably. He quit snoring too.

It seemed the gluten caused his mucous membranes to swell up so that he

couldn't hear (we originally removed gluten because he'd become deaf and

I felt it was allergy caused), couldn't breathe through his nose, etc.

He began sleeping 5 and eventually 6 hours at a time after being gf. :-)

We later gave him 5HTP and now GABA to help his serotonin levels and he

sleeps like a normal 9 year old now :-) After several years of sleep

deprivation, a full night's sleep is really a joy!

Carol in Oregon

[Guest guest]

In our dd's case, we removed casein in an attempt to help scrambled

language, autistic features, & ADHD behavior.

I had never heard about the gfcf diet's affecting sleep. As soon as we

removed dairy, our 5-1/2 dd slept through the night. Prior to this, 5 or

6 of 7 nights she would awaken with confusional arousal (or night

terrors). They were awful. They obviously disrupted her sleep. They

also, of course, were disruptive for us. We charted them to try to find

a cause.

Meanwhile, we had begun the gfcf diet.

When we suspected the casein/dairy link with her night terrors, we

realized she hadn't had one in 4 straight nights. We purposefully gave

her a dish of ice cream before bedtime. Night terror. We waited about a

week & then let her have a glass of milk. Night terror. Several other

times in a two-month period it happened without fail. So now she doesn't

have casein at night. And she doesn't have night terrors except on rare

occasions (about once every two weeks).

These night terrors were only treatable with Valium, our neurologist

said. And even then, there was no guarantee it would help. She never

mentioned a dietary link. had these night terrors for years.

Suddenly, we markedly decreased the night terrors!

There are many bonuses to a good night's sleep. Some are obvious. Some

were apparent later. We found that It is wonderful, for example, to be

able to stay at Grandma's house without worrying any more about

disrupting Grandma's sleep!

So that's our story--hth--

Cheryl in MO

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