What Happens To Your Sleep When You Follow The Carnivore Diet

Followers of the carnivore diet tout its benefits such as lower blood pressure and dramatic weight loss. After all, those refined carbohydrates can spike your blood sugar and lead to type 2 diabetes and obesity. Paul Saladino, M.D., who is also known as Dr. Carnivore, believed in the carnivore diet so much that he developed a podcast and wrote two books about it.

Now Saladino has revised his stance. In an interview on the Thomas DeLauer Podcast, he said he started noticing sleep disturbances several months after following the diet. Bulletproof founder David Asprey also experimented with the carnivore diet and woke up tired every morning. His sleep monitor showed he was waking up 10 to 12 times every night, and he also experienced brain fog and inflammation.

While some people might say that the carnivore diet helped them sleep better, there hasn't been scientific evidence to support this claim. However, some people experience sleep disturbances while following the keto diet. Although the carnivore diet eliminates carbohydrates in favor of eating only meat, the keto diet allows for low-carb veggies such as leafy greens, tomatoes, and peppers. This suggests that certain nutrients in your diet might play a role in healthy sleep.

Carbs are often blamed for obesity and other chronic conditions, but healthy carbs from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains provide energy for your cells. However, the relationship between carbs and sleep is complex, according to a 2020 review in Mediators of Inflammation. Eating a high-glycemic meal four hours before sleep can help you get to sleep faster, but eating a diet that's heavy in high-GI foods can lead to insomnia. Some who reduce their intake of carbs have problems sleeping, but high-fiber foods can help you sleep better.

The carnivore diet's emphasis on meat could have you losing sleep if you choose meat that's high in saturated fat. Saturated fat can interfere with your sleep quality by reducing time in deep sleep and causing more sleep disruptions. On the other hand, omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish and some plants can help you sleep longer.

Proteins are made of amino acids, and some amino acids can help you sleep better. It's well-known that tryptophan can improve sleep (e.g. that turkey-induced coma after Thanksgiving), but the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) found in tea and fermented foods can also help your body relax before going to sleep.

Because the carnivore diet has many vitamin deficiencies, many dietitians advise against it. "It just omits too many important food groups," registered dietitian Andy De Santis told U.S. News and World Report. "Keto is one thing — but the carnivore diet is so, so limiting, I don't see its long-term viability for practical purposes or for health purposes." Many of the health claims of the carnivore diet are based on personal testimonies rather than clinical research (Read how the carnivore diet can wreak havoc on your digestive system).

Even though Saladino said eliminating vegetables got rid of his eczema, he began getting muscle cramps, heart palpitations, and plummeting testosterone levels. He originally believed insulin spikes were bad, so that's why he wanted to keep his insulin levels low. Now he says the body needs that insulin signaling to tell the body to absorb key minerals. He added honey back into his diet, and his body began to adjust. Now, Saladino eats between 3 and 5 tablespoons of honey and seven servings of fruit for a total of 255 grams of carbohydrates a day.