Eating late and not being able to slee... - British Liver Trust

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Eating late and not being able to sleep...liver connection?

lifebegins53 profile image
15 Replies

My partner says everytime he eats late, he can't get much sleep is this something to do with his liver. He has cirrhosis.

Thanks

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lifebegins53 profile image
lifebegins53
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15 Replies
AyrshireK profile image
AyrshireK

Sleep disturbance and difficulty sleeping can certainly be associated with cirrhosis, whether or not the eating late is part of the problem I doubt seeing as it is recommended that people with cirrhosis do have a high carb snack before bed to tide them over and avoiding long fasting periods. I guess it may depend on what he is eating so late, is it causing him indigestion or other issues?

Katie

Fibro2021 profile image
Fibro2021

Sleep disturbance in cirrhosis may be one of the early symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy (HE). There may be other symptoms such as chronic fatigue, hepatic laziness, daytime sleepiness, irritability, sometimes aggressiveness, inattention and forgetfulness, anger and resentment, cognitive impairment and mood swings . You may have noticed some of these symptoms in your partner. Is your partner taking treatment for hepatic encephalopathy? It's important to diagnose and treat hepatic encephalopathy as early as possible to prevent further brain damage.

Millie09 profile image
Millie09 in reply toFibro2021

May I ask what's hepatic laziness ? Never heard of this before.. thank you 😊

Fibro2021 profile image
Fibro2021 in reply toMillie09

Nothing complicated. It's just a constant laziness to do anything. I think this phrase should be put in quotation marks.

Millie09 profile image
Millie09 in reply toFibro2021

Yes , I can relate to that actually ..I have many days like this .Thank you for your reply

lifebegins53 profile image
lifebegins53 in reply toFibro2021

Hi millie

Thankyou for responding, we don't live together at present. So i dont get the full picture.He is tired a lot, and his job is mentally demanding which dosent help. But I will somehow try to talk to him about how he feels etc

Thanks Claire x

Chick_atee profile image
Chick_atee

Possibly. I have decompensated cirrhosis and eat late as advised by my dietitian to keep the liver going overnight. Of course it’s hard to sleep on a full stomach anyway but my sleep has pretty much reversed which I believe is a symptom in some patients with cirrhosis. Fatigued all day and have to go for naps to try and sleep then. I don’t have HE, hepatic encephalitis yet & hope not to get it. Sleep deprivation is awful. Permanent state of exhaustion. Is very debilitating. I haven’t heard of anything to help it yet! Here’s hoping.

Wishing you both the best. It’s a difficult journey.

Oldbits profile image
Oldbits

Hi, has he got anxiety because of his illness? My husband did and that kept him awake. Sleep paterns change with cirrhosis and he tried many things but in the end he took medication for anxiety , and that knocked him out. He now no longer takes it but he does get up in the middle of night and have a glass of milk and some biscuits or cereals then hes out for the count for another 4 hours. He prefers to do that instead of eating before bed. Maybe change what he eats, a bowl of cereal has the protein and carbs to help the liver through the night. Theres nothing worse than lying awake and the more you worry about it the harder it is to drop off. Xxx

Readlots profile image
Readlots

I’m the same. If I eat between 5 and 6 I’m fine. Might have a snack before bed and be OK. But if I eat my main meal at 7 my stomach is uncomfortable, I’ll get heartburn and be tossing and turning all night.

lifebegins53 profile image
lifebegins53 in reply toReadlots

Thankyou for your reply it is much appreciated

Harting profile image
Harting

With a liver problem such as cirrhosis it is often recommended to take a 50g carb intake before sleep - one bottle of Forijuce provides about 65g of carbs so they might be worth looking into.

lifebegins53 profile image
lifebegins53 in reply toHarting

Thankyou I will tell him that, see if it helps.

CuriousFish profile image
CuriousFish

Maybe it depends more on what he's eating than when he's eating?

I've been keeping a protein shake bedside. I take a good sip right before bed & then a little sip if I wake at all. That has helped. The kind I use has 30 grams of protein, no salt, no sugar. Good luck!

lifebegins53 profile image
lifebegins53 in reply toCuriousFish

Thankyou for replying, he dosent eat past 7pm and only eats breakfast and has a high protein meal around 5pm x

AyrshireK profile image
AyrshireK in reply tolifebegins53

When you say he only eats breakfast and a high protein meal around 5pm - is he not eating during the rest of the day? He should be eating little and often, protein and carbs or else he's running on empty and his liver will start to burn his muscles for fuel leading to all manner of other issues.

I've sent you a PM which may be of use.

Katie

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