We already know there's a link between body weight and insomnia; now we're finding yet another potential link between your diet and the quality of your sleep. The culprit this time is the Atkins diet.
The Atkins diet (officially called the Atkins Nutritional Approach) is a low-carbohydrate diet and this reduced carbohydrate intake is a potential insomnia cause.
Although refined carbohydrates reduce the body's supply of vitamin B (used to produce serotonin) and are therefore best avoided, the Atkins diet drastically cuts your intake of all carbohydrates.
Unrefined carbohydrates, such as pasta, porridge, brown rice, brown bread and sweet potatoes can actually help stimulate the body's production of serotonin - so by following this diet you're eliminating a major source of tryptophan and serotonin, which are the building blocks of sleep.
Therefore if you're an insomniac currently on the Atkins diet, you may want to reassess your dieting options.
Source: Mirror
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Last updated: October 6, 2011
I can sleep once I loose all of this fat. Until then, I guess I’ll be awake. I’m sure that the ketosis is causing the insomnia from the Adkins diet, but also it means I’m burning fat for energy and losing weight. I’ve lost 17 lbs in 11 days.