Can’t fall asleep. At least not naturally. I have to take massive amount of meds after days of night sleeping. When I say massive I mean massive. Some nights they work and I get maybe 7 hours, though a normal person would be knocked out for at least a day. Sometimes I wake up after a few hours and can’t fall back asleep. And sometimes they don’t work at all. Neurologist says there just aren’t many as many GABA receptors and the ones that are there aren’t regenerating properly
But natural sleep has become nearly impossible. After a few days I sometimes lie there and wake-dream,meaning I am half awake and aware of my body but watching my dreams. There’s a medical name for it but I forget what it is. It’s bizarre.
Probably gonna run out of sleeping pills soon so no sleep this week. Maybe some wake-dreaming. Just hell.
I’ve tried and do take things some days. Ambien, Valium, Lyrica, Baclofen, Indica THC. Sometimes all at the same time. And sometimes even that doesn’t work. Just not enough GABA receptors to receive it. Only thing left to try and get is Xyrem. Have a meeting with another sleep doctor who prescribes Xyrem. We’ll see.
Natural sleep is near impossible. I tried to give it time but it wasn’t happening. Just occasional stage 1 wake-dreaming.
I’ll check it. I tried everything, like all supplements, but was forced to the strong meds. And even they don’t work many nights. So hard to skip nights being awake with no emotions but have no choice. But it’s getting so I’m lucky to get any sleep a couple nights a week. Nothing natural of course.
How does your neurologist know the quantity and quality of your gaba receptor?
I also do the wake-dream thing for about 1.5 years now. It’s the only way I sleep, never normal or deep.
Just saying that’s the likely culprit with the way the way the meds that hit the GABA-A receptor stop working so quickly. And the fact that some of the amounts I took could knock a rhino out and I just lie there awake sometimes. Also the fact that I never get tired. Same way she’s quite sure dopamine receptors aren’t working (no emotions or reward system) and because I have no response to meds that increase dopamine. Same with other neurotransmitters (dry mouth, foggy memory is acetylcholine for example).
Like how guys with this condition have normal blood testosterone or some take testosterone and it has no effect. It’s likely a receptor issue. Or the gene that controls these receptors. In addition to likely other things going on as well.
I’m creepy. I can’t sleep satisfactorily after getting pfs and I have meaningless dreams every day
I also have no emotions and think our dopamine receptors are fucked. I took mucuna pruriens but there was no effect for me.
Sure. It’s based on this article:
https://www.jacobsladdercenter.com/doc/research/other/How-to-Increase-GABA-and-Balance-Glutamate.pdf
Here’s my condensate on this:
Take and do:
• Animal protein and fat
• Ketogenic diet favor GABA and GAD
• Mackerel has high GABA
• Eating Organic
• Taurine increase GAD and binds to GABA Rec.
• Magnesium (Also activates GABA Rec.)
• Zinc (no more than 40 mg)
• Probiotics
• Vitamin D (Easy on it)
• Vitamin K (leafy greens have huge amounts of it)
• Vitamin B6
• Lithium (I take only 2 mcg a day)
• Iodine
• Boron
• Chlorella Blue-Green Algae to detoxify
• 5-HTP or Trytophan (these would help with depression and fear of crowds. They give confidence)
• Keeping blood sugar leveled
• Adequate Sleep
Don’t Take, Don’t do:
• Glycine
• Glutamate
• Glutamine
• Cysteine
• Theanine
• Casein (Cheese)
• Aspartame (sweetener)
• MSG
• Calcium (be careful)
• Glutathione (be careful)
• Beware of Candida guts and mouth infection (use mouth wash and take probiotics.)
• Sugar, whole grain, Starch
• Caffeine, Chocolate
• Food that spikes Insulin
• Artificial flavor, color, sweeteners, additives.
• Pesticide, Herbicide, Heavy Metals , perfume, dish soap, laundry soap
• Benzodiazepine
• Hydrolyzed food, creamers, Yeast, Collagen, Carragenine, Guar Gum or any Gum, chia seeds, Malt, Soy.
• Whey protein, Sport Protein Shake, Branch Chain Amino Acids.
• Processed Meat
• Tomato Juice
As weird as it may seem, I confirm that tomato juice (and tomatoes) make my sleep worst.
Thanks @ozeph this is great, you’re very well read. Do you think fasting can help our GABA receptors? I’ve started doing 24 hour fasts. Dr Patrick has some good interviews on fasting https://www.youtube.com/user/FoundMyFitness/videos
Yes, according to what I’ve read it does. It also lowers cortisol and glutamate, both of which are excitatory.
I read it increases growth hormones, stem cells production (if I remember correctly and it was a surprise to me), creates new brain cell around the hyppocampus, crank up autophagy by 300-400%, which cleans up damaged cells, puts you in ketosis which creates beta hydroxybutyrate out of your fat and may reverse some type of epigenetic damage and finally increases the length of your cromosome’s telemeres, effectvely reversing some of the effects of aging.
Fasting is really good. Search some of Thomas Delauer’s videos on youtube. He’s all about ketogenetic and fasting and explains the science behind it.
Don’t forget CBD, has helped me sleep and helps anxiety
You might want to try restrictive dieting. After a pfs crash, we may become more sensitive to inflamation and this may cause auto immune responses, one of which can be attacking gaba receptors.
Restrictive diet can be tricky as you have to find by trial anb error what creates inflamation. One way to do it is eat only meat, then introducing one item at a time and see if you react to it.
Meat usually does not create inflamation (well, seafood might). But you also get the benefits of ketosis.
You can start by adding white rice if you don’t want to cut carbs, but this will spike your cortisol and may cause anxiety, if it’s one of your symptom.
It’s just a suggestion.
You mean cbd oil from hemp ?
You get good results ?
I will try that if it helps with insomnia.
Full spectrum CBD hemp oil. There’s also CBD isolate but it’s not as helpful because it doesn’t have the entourage effect of the full spectrum.
It worked so well one time that when I was walking around outside I became sleepy and had to head home. This was probably the only time I’ve “felt sleepy” other than when I took Klonopin last year.
Confirmed: https://news.usc.edu/63669/fasting-triggers-stem-cell-regeneration-of-damaged-old-immune-system/
This professor is a big believer in fasting to reduce ageing and does OMAD.
Nice. I do it once a week, with a longer fast once a month. Not sure I could do it everyday (I mean one meal a day) but if I could I believe it would be beneficial.
I read nutritionists saying it’s not balance, it does not follow the government food chart etc… These people are so out there, orbiting reality from a distance. Check this out: quote “fasting MAY induce weight loss”. What are the other options ? Fasting may induce weight gain ? Or you may keep the same weight while fasting ? That’s from a nutrionist…
My sleep has generally improved after getting almost nothing at the start.
Recently it’s been the best it’s been. Perhaps coincidentally I have been exercising. I don’t know if it’s worth trying or not but if you haven’t, it might be worth it.
I am not very fit and do not do anything intense, which is the normal advice here. I walk at around 4.5mph for 20 minutes (on a treadmill with an incline that is set to increase and decrease every 2 minutes). I cycle for 20 minutes, again with an interval set and I row for 5 minutes. I walk half an hour to and from the gym and also do some weights. The whole circuit takes me around an hour, plus the hour of walking to and from.
I am normally covered in sweat by the end of it, but it’s more a cardio workout than a strength one.
Just a suggestion.
Would BHB help with emotional blunting?
In your opinion what would help with that side effect?