I think there has already been a post about this. But I have been having some severe insomnia. I am excited naturally to start raw again, but I think there is something else going on. Is this one posible detox symptom?

I don't know, but if a person has used stimulants, those probably stored somewhere in the body. Getting rid of them would likely give insomnia.

I have it a lot too.

Do you get much exercize? During the first few days after I switched to 100% raw, my energy sky rocketed. I had so much energy that I'd pace around the house, unsure of what to do with myself. I felt VERY restless. If I take a long bike ride or go jogging, though, I'm able to come back home and relax.

I imagine that having a lot of extra energy might make it hard to sleep. Maybe it's not the case here, maybe it is just an idea.

I aslo found that I had a lot of energy and I didn't know how to get rid of it at first. I found that I was waking up earlier than normal, 2 to 3 hours early.

Finally my neighbor gave away her exercising machine to me and that has been the best thing to do when I can't seem to sit down. Exercise really does help me sleep better and soundfully.

I do a hill walk everyday for about 20min-30min. Usually its a drag, but since eating almost entirely fresh raw fruit, it was just so easy I couldn't believe 20min had already past. The same hill, I gather leaves to use around my property which is largely wild woods, I put in a few native berries in addition. I plan on doing as little soil disturbance as possible for gardening, which will be mostly removing pesky invasive species, and thats about it.

I once had quite a coffee and chocolate habit, and I had some o.d. on caffeine pills someone gave me. I switched to tea about 10 years ago, but now I don't want to use that, it doesn't taste so good. I guess that will explain that. And of course I want to not add to the stimulation.

My housemate is 'concerned' and keeps trying to get me to take meletonin for sleep. I don't think thats a good idea. A lot of people think thats natural, but its in a pill, so wouldn't that be a clue? I have been drinking chamomile tea, on one night, but I wonder if I should be even drinking that.

I assured him that I will reach a new equilibrium naturally if given a chance

Is your sleep restless or are you just needing less sleep? Do you wish during the day that you had slept better? I ask b/c some raw food eaters just find that they need less sleep. Since going raw, I only need about 4 or 5 hours most nights. Everyone is different : )
good luck

Hi Mislu

I have experienced insomnia on a totally raw diet, lots of energy, yet mentally exhausted.
It usually settles down within two weeks.

If you are eating onions, garlic, chilli, ginger, pepper etc it may well be worth removing them from your diet. See if it makes any difference.
Also think about increasing the amount of exercise you do, perhaps 3 or 4 times a day. These simple steps helped me.

Mislu,

If you are only eating fresh raw fruits and vegetables (not including the medicinal foods like garlic, onions, strong herbs, etc), it could be that your body is detoxing old stuff, and these toxins are stimulating you. Unfortunately, if this is the case, you just have to be patient until your body finishes cleansing.

But if you are still eating things that are not fresh fruits or fresh vegetables, these can also be the culprit. Things like spice, condiments, vinegar, garlic, onions, etc).

Per venusian; insomnia is being unable to obtain sufficient sleep in order to feel rested despite attempting to do so (as in, lying awake at night feeling tired but being unable to sleep, and then feeling tired during the day). Do you feel like you're not getting enough sleep despite efforts? If not, then you don't have insomnia.

No garlic, hot peppers, spices, onions. Mostly fresh fruit which tastes great. A few soaked nuts and seeds, but just a small handful. I do toss and turn alot trying to sleep, but not a whole lot. I kind of alternate between feeling ok, and feeling tired. I feel a bit of mental fog, but it feels like its starting to lift a bit this morning. I am starting to get some flushing and low grade fever, but I am not too concerned. I just hope that this phase moves on.

Oh yeah. I forgot just out of habit I take 2 spirulina tablets in the morning, and 2 fish oils. And billberry caps. Its such a habit that I didn't even think of them. Can these be the cause? I never thought of those things as being toxic, but they could. They have been so hyped up. When the bilberry is used up I will just eat blueberries. I will try going without the fish oil. My partner and I have been having some interesting discussions about food. He says that I am really really scaring him. I say thats good, and that he should question realities that he has. I don't know what I believe anymore.

I do feel a bit tired, and focusing on tasks is a bit of a problem sometimes.

about 1.5 years ago i thikn is when i was doing my heaviest detoxing .. and i found i was having insomnia at night and tired during the day .. fortunately i was able to do most of my office work at home at the time so when i couldnt sleep i just did a bit of work untill i was tired again then slept ..id say my sleep paterns were screwed up like this for about 4-5 months roughly but it finally stabilized most nights if i couldnt sleep maybe an hour or two of work and id be back in bed and during the day id have 2-3 naps at times but eventually it did stabilize out .. now i sleep a good 7-9 hours strait and fairly alert most of the day .. occaisionally i still need a nap

if you cant sleep find something productive to do , do yoga , clean the house, take a walk around the block in the cold fresh air..fighting it all the time is just gonna wear you down emotionally and mentally

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Thanks everyone. I opened the window to my room last night, and kept it open all night long, that helped so much. I am resting, and I am not sure, I think I am sleeping, but somehow there is a different type of consciousness about it. I am feeling better, fresher.