LONGECITY

I have suffered from very severe chronic insomnia for more than a decade but I reached the boiling point last summer when I was on a lowish carb diet (autoimmune paleo specifically) and after about 2 weeks stopped sleeping completely.

It's somewhat detailed in this thread: Link

What I attributed coming out of it was much more carbs (learning about their role in serotonin production) and/or MCT oil. Since then I have had good nights and bad nights, but have been optimistic because I've had success eating a lot of protein earlier in the day, or sometimes in the evening, and then eating something sweet about an hour later for an insulin response and to shuttle the competing amino acids into the muscles and get the tryptophan in the brain. I've always viewed this a short-term strategy and want to try ketosis badly for my metabolic issues.

I got the flu last week and the same exact type of insomnia started up: zero sleep and zero sleep pressure, meaning I have no tiredness or desire to lay down. I took some magnesium and theanine on the 3rd or 4th night and stretched to lower substance P and then took Doxylamine Succinate 25 mg. I slept 4 hours then woke up and slept another few hours broken. The next night I slept again, similar pattern. The following night, it started up again, like a car that won't start (no sleep pressure) and I have not slept the last 2 nights.

I know my brain is messed up, to the say the least, I'm just wondering why the flu sent me back to hell. Any suggestions or feedback would be very much welcomed.

In general, I would counsel against extreme regimens, like paleo or low carb diets.  Also, ketosis is not good for you.  I can only speculate that the acidity in your body got too high due to the flu.  

In general, your body is trying to tell you something.  

Yeah, I have been on a regular healthy moderate carb diet the last 6-7 months.

I'm currently going through my 3rd straight night unable to sleep. Tonight I am slightly tired and tried very hard to lull myself to sleep but just as im about to nod off, there is a strong adrenaline rush and I am wide awake, heart racing a little bit, head sweating. Sounds like a major malfunction of the norepinephrine system but I dont know.

Bump. So I'm currenty going through my 5th night with no sleep. Looks like this might be worst case scenario. I'm not tired but feeling a bit weak.

Sorry you're going through that.  It's hard to comment without knowing a lot more.  To the person who voted down my post, anonymously, this is the kind of thing that's killing this site.

Well, Im starting to suspect the gut brain axis. I've had stomach problems my whole life and chronic constipation the last 2 years. I'm guessing when I got sick it caused neuroinflammation from a leaky gut and that has sent me into this strange state where I don't need sleep. The only question is, is this temporary or not. My appetite has come back a little but not fully.

I just read an article that the flu and inflammation caused from it can cause increase in SERT and that increase can remove serotonin from brain synapses at an enhanced rate

I will look into the cannabidiol. Thank you.

Although, I'm really finding it hard to see how this is not Sporadic Fatal Familial Insomnia.

Because I can't get over 2 things: 1 my inability to fall asleep despite circumstances (multiple days without sleep and 7/10 days overall) and no sleep pressure.

and 2) increased metabolic function. I feel like I could run and run and run. I see this is also common in this disease.

Although patients with FFI share many features with those who are sleep deprived, certain differences are apparent:

Experimental subjects experience constant sleep pressure and immediately lapse into sleep if permitted. The FFI patient cannot fall asleep.

Indeed, energy expenditure of FFI patients is very much higher than that of normal controls, which suggests severe metabolic exhaustion as a consequence