Hey y’all. I found this sub four or five days ago. It quickly convinced me to try IF for myself. This is my 4th 16:8 fast. I’m quite lucky, I’ve fasted for Ramadan for years, so the hunger pangs already don’t bother me, and being able to drink water is the best! I started this to lose weight, but I’ve already gotten a different, life-altering benefit out of it: I can finally sleep!
I’ve suffered from insomnia and sleep issues since I was a child, as long as I can remember. It’s affected my life for a long, long time. But, literally since the first day of fasting, it’s like I’ve been cured. Like, I naturally fall asleep at around 11, and I wake up at 6. Every day, no alarms, no pills, no anxiety attacks, nothing. I don’t even have to think about it. I just think “I’m sleepy, I should sleep” and I go to bed and I just… go to sleep. And then I wake up, and I just have a normal day. I have never, never had a night like this in my life, and now I’ve had three in a row. I keep thinking it’s just a fluke, that surely tonight it’s just going to go back to the way it was. But it hasn’t yet
I’ve spent a lot of time with a lot of different ways of eating. Our diet-obsessed culture and my doctor family have given me a lot of information about how the body works, about what does and doesn’t help in this or that way. But I think I’ve finally found the thing that I’ve been looking for since my family came to the US over 20 years ago. I think I found what my body’s needed all this time. Hopefully I lose weight slowly over time. But even if I don’t lose a pound, I’m so grateful to have found IF
edit: wording
Wow that’s awesome! Good for you. Sounds like you have a healthy attitude. And you’ll lose weight, especially if you restrict calories. Try using an app like LoseIt! to track your calories. Good luck you’ve got this!!!!!
Yay for sleep! I’ve found fasting has helped me with this too. I’ve needed Ambien on and off for the past several years. Sometimes weeks at a time. Other times a few days here, a few days there. But for the past 2+ months, I haven’t needed a single one! Been IFing for about 4 months. So happy! 💤
i wonder if there is something to this. i too have been sleeping much better. i have had issues sleeping most of my life and have prescription medication to help, but i havent even gotten a refill of it since i lost a bunch of weight last year, and forgot about that issue and medication until i read your post.