15 Insomnia Remedies for P2 of the Hcg Diet Plan
It’s very common to encounter sleep issues or insomnia during P2 because of the very low calorie diet. This is a common side effect of the HCG diet.
There are a some things you can try to mitigate the insomnia. You may find one or a combo works for you. It’s important to address, as sleep quality affects weight loss. I’ve dealt with disturbed sleep for years, so I’ve done a lot of hunting for ways to make it better.
!. Cup of hot broth before bedtime. A bone broth with sea salt is best. Try having it with one of your fruits. That feeds the adrenals and lessens that 3am adrenal rush wake up. Also gives your liver a bit of glycogen so it doesn’t run out in the middle of the night and wake you up.
2. SleepyTime or chamomile tea before bed, or other herbal remedies like valerian
3. Hot bath with epsom salts (the magnesium can help relax you for sleeping) For best absorption, let the bath water cool to lukewarm before exiting.
4. Theanine, 200 mg. an hour or so before you want to be asleep. It can produce a calming effect.
5. Niacin (B1) –not niacinamide form– can make you sleepy. Try 100mg up to 500mg along with an additional B complex. Most people don’t get the niacin flush until over 1000mg, but if you do, you may sleep through it anyway.
6. Less melatonin, try a .5 mg dose or even less
7. GABA, 250-500mg right before bed. Calms anxious feelings (often caused by dread of insomnia ) Can be combined with 5-HTP.
8. Tryptophan 1000mg before bed can help you stay asleep
9. Measured breathing. Inhale to a slow 4 count, exhale to a slow 8 count
10. Extra progesterone cream. If you are taking 20mg, try 40mg.
11. Lavender essential oil near your pillow. Diffuse or put a couple drops on your pillow tag
12. Reading in bed for a half hour.
13. Gentle stretching done before or even in bed can help relax tension.
14. Good sleep hygiene (darkened room, turn off any electronics lights, run a small fan for ambient background noise)
15. Try inclined bed therapy. It has been shown to help all kinds of sleep issues, and even cut down on nighttime bathroom trips. (This is not just raising the head of your bed–it involves putting the entire bed frame on a 5 degree slant.)
The HCG in my most recent round was compounded with theanine (Diet Doc hCG) I think that made a huge difference. I slept fairly normally for me the whole time. In fact, better than I sleep now.