Evening Meal and Poor Sleep

[Machair]

What do you all eat for dinner and what sort of time? I ask as I have noticed that in order to have any kind of restful sleep I have to limit food intake after 5pm. My gut is very slow and if I eat late at night it causes a very poor sleep with worse OI in the morning. Being vegetarian my diet is often full of fruit and veg which I find hard to digest in a pots flare especially if eaten late.

[MomtoGiuliana]

I am vegetarian as well.

In a flare I eat small more frequent meals.  I don't change my diet generally, except I do try to get more protein.  I eat eggs--which not all vegetarians do.  But I will eat hard boiled egg for example, once a day.  I also add whey or pea protein to healthy smoothies.

[MikeO]

I do the one hard boiled egg a few times a week. Usually make a hard boiled spread out of it and then just eat a half of sandwich (smaller portions). I also limit my food intake after 4PM as like you i have had more orthostatic events after eating or snacking late in the evening . I also am very orthostatic in the waking AM during a flare and when i am having GI issues. 

Not sure what the root is or fix but i have noticed making changes in my routine (by trial and error) has helped. 

 

[Jyoti]

Another vegetarian, and I love to eat a big salad or pile of veggies for dinner. But I have found that I do so much better if I don't eat big meals, and if my last real meal is about 2:30 or 3:00pm.  I first dialed dinner back to 5pm, then 4 and now even earlier.  I tend to go to bed at 7:30 and sleep at 9;30 or so, for context.  Oftentimes I will have something substantive at 3pm and then a tiny snack--a piece of fruit or a couple of crackers with cheese at 5 or 5:30 if I am hungry then.  

Like you, @Machair, I can't sleep if I eat later and I also find that my digestion in general is worse if my body is trying to do it while I sleep.

[Sushi]

I had to make a change in meal types and scheduling due to a cardiac medication I need to take. I take it every 12 hours and it has to be taken with a meal that includes fat and protein. I experimented for a while with poor results and then decided to eat breakfast at night, which consists of steel cut oats with added butter and a hard boiled egg. Because of the 12 hour scheduling, this makes my last meal quite late but to my surprise, I am sleeping better and have better digestion when I go to bed. Before I was eating vegetables and protein for my evening meal and nighttime digestion was a problem.

[Jyoti]

That is really interesting @Sushi

[MikeO]

1 hour ago, Sushi said:

I had to make a change in meal types and scheduling due to a cardiac medication I need to take. I take it every 12 hours and it has to be taken with a meal that includes fat and protein. I experimented for a while with poor results and then decided to eat breakfast at night, which consists of steel cut oats with added butter and a hard boiled egg. Because of the 12 hour scheduling, this makes my last meal quite late but to my surprise, I am sleeping better and have better digestion when I go to bed. Before I was eating vegetables and protein for my evening meal and nighttime digestion was a problem.

I am on a 12 hr schedule with meds as well. I agree that when you take meds does make a diff. For me too late at night and i am orthostatic getting out of bed. Eating a 6pm meal then meds at 7pm has it's consequences as well. I prefer the early meal but that is just me.. Do i get a free shot at STEEL CUT OATS

 

[Sushi]

33 minutes ago, MikeO said:

. Do i get a free shot at STEEL CUT OATS

InstantPot—5 minutes, 3 times water to oats! 👍

[Pistol]

@Machair  I have found that protein is what helps me the most. Carbs, raw Veggies and greasy foods make me feel tired/ give me indigestion/ worsen exercise intolerance. Frequet small snacks that are protein rich seem to do the trick for me - I have less brain fog, less digestive issues and my BP is more stable. But that is just my own case.