Insomnia Report for March 6, 2014

INSOMNIA #140306

Thursday, March 6, 2014:  I had terrible insomnia last night.  I was very agitated and could not sleep and did not in fact have a single wink of sleep until after 4:30 AM and then had less than 4 hours.  I am very tired.  In examining factors, I am looking for things that are different from days when I slept better, and here are some possibilities:

·         Lack of Exercise:  I did not get my normal amount of exercise yesterday, as I was working on a story for my class and didn’t have time to walk.  Nor did I do my other exercises.

·         Potato chips:  If I remember right, I’ve suspected potato chips before.  They have a very high glycemic index, and sugar seems to affect my ability to sleep.  Potato chips taste so good to me.  L

·         Blueberries:  I ate more than the normal amount of blue berries at lunch yesterday.

·         Raspberry vinegar:  I put in the spring rolls I made for lunch.  I was in a hurry and not as careful as usual tipping it in.  (Got lots).  I think it may be high in sugar.

·         Excitement:  reading my story in class was exciting and somewhat stressful.  I often do not sleep well after ANY evening event, such as the opera.

·         Stress:  That business last night with Graham and the car was extremely stressful and I lay awake worrying about it when I did try to sleep again.  However, I was already having insomnia, which how I even knew he took the car—otherwise, he might have taken it without my knowledge.

What I ate yesterday:  vegetarian omelet, non-vegetarian spring rolls with carrots, cabbage, turkey, spinach, raspberry blush vinegar, a hamburger and stir fry for dinner, with scallops.  And my bran mix with Psyllium at every meal, which was oat-free and wheat free.

What I would like to do is NOT EAT potato chips for a while, and see if I sleep better, and same with blueberries and raspberry blush vinegar.  (This will not be easy or fun.)  YES, I am aware that it could be a chemical imbalance in my body that has nothing to do with food, but I have to check this out.  I should do it systematically, but that is not so easy to do with food.  I guess the thing to do would be eliminate all of the suspected foods and then, assuming I sleep better, reintroduce them one at a time.