B12 injections affecting sleep?

[Annielecurie]

Morning. I've been injecting most mornings and wondered if B12 affects your sleep. I don't sleep well as it is and am not sure if frequent injecting is also keeping me awake.

[Nackapan]

The only time I was kept wake was when j had my b12 injection in the afternoon. I usually sleep better as less achey after a morning g b12 injection. I'm not injecting daily though.

Are you able to miss one day to see?

Sleep deprivation causes havoc.

[Annielecurie in reply to Nackapan]

Thanks a lot Nackapan, yes I will try alternative days but I inject as part of my work routine, get to my desk in the morning in the front room and inject before I start working. I will reduce to see if it helps with my sleeping. It may also be my age!

[Hidden]

I had my cortisol levels checked as my sleep pattern was terrible and my results showed cortisol levels on the floor, ,asleep at 11 awake at 12 then asleep then awake at 3am then 5am and so on and I was worried I had Addison’s disease.I was advised by an old gp to increase my b12 shots to every other day for a few weeks,I then got myself retested by having an SST test done at the hospital and my levels were fine,we reckon the increased b12 shots were a big help in averting full blown Addison’s.Since ive been injecting b12 every other day for the last year my sleep pattern is so much better I’m asleep around 11.15 then waken at 5.30-5.45 to feed the cats then I can go back to sleep till after 8.I have p.a. I now inject twice weekly,I had a plan that worked for me saying to myself I only have to inject Monday and Thursday as I hate doing them and that has helped me reduce the frequency of shots, ive been doing this a few weeks now but it’s taken 12 months to get here.Try altering when you inject that may help.best of luck

[Annielecurie in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for this Diddlydot, I am going to switch to alternative days and see if it helps. You have my sympathies over your sleep patterns but glad to see you seem to be getting more sleep now.

[Hidden in reply to Annielecurie]

I have had numerous improvements health wise since starting on this journey annie,it’s taken me a long time but I had a lot of support and advice from the members on these forums and just kept plodding away bouncing off my theories and paying private consultants,some good some planks,you learn how to filter them eventually lol.

I’ve found a good neuro now and I’m ready to start treatment via him on nhs hopefully as I’m temporarily skint and in may I see the lupus specialist so I need my cash for him,it’s been a case of keep persisting till you get the results you want.best of luck.

[Annielecurie in reply to Hidden]

It's awful isn't it the problems we have trying to be taken seriously by medics. I wish you the best of luck for your future health Diddlydot. I find the help and support on this forum priceless.

[deniseinmilden]

Before you drop the number of jabs you do try to get your vitamin D levels checked.

If they are less than towards the top end of the range you will feel dreadful but not be able to sleep.

If you need to supplement vitamin D it is good to have a combination of vitamin D3 and K2 to stop it hardening your arteries.

B12 normally helps sleep (gives you the opportunity for cell repair which works best whilst you're asleep) so rarely stops you sleeping. If you can't sleep it's normally because you are short of something else which has become thr "limiting factor" and is stopping the B12 working optimally.

Check potassium, magnesium, iron and Vit D. Magnesium deficiency will also mess up your sleep and may be needed with calcium and vitamin D for bone density.

If they are all fine, you feel 100% and are not sleeping because you are too energetic then decrease your jab frequency but not before.

After 6 years of daily jabs I'm just starting to feel like I don't always need one and might spread them out to 2 in 3 days sometimes - but even if I SI just before bed I still sleep well if nothing else is a problem.

[Hidden in reply to deniseinmilden]

Great advice Denise x

[Annielecurie in reply to deniseinmilden]

Thanks very much Denise, I take vitamin D supplements and zinc daily but will screen shot your reply so that I cover the other deficiencies you mention.

[deniseinmilden in reply to Annielecurie]

Thank you for your reply!Good luck with it. 🍀

[Leils]

Definitely get vit D checked

I take magnesium glycinate as well and that is v good for sleep

Avoid sugar, blue light and caffeine in the evening

Meal with protein and good carbs 3 hours before bed

[Annielecurie in reply to Leils]

Thanks Leils, I am menopausal so only drink decaffeinated coffee as normal coffee has a really big impact on my sleep so I cut it out completely. I've screen shot your response too so I can note what I need to add to the supplements I'm already taking. Appreciate your response.

[Leils in reply to Annielecurie]

Oh, in that case B6 may be another useful one for the sleep and hormones then (as well as magnesium) ... are you taking a B complex?

[Annielecurie in reply to Leils]

Thanks for that Leils, no the only supplements I take are zinc and high dose Vitamin D.

[mm5577]

I have terrible insomnia and average 3 hours of sleep nightly. Its a misserable disease. I was diagnosed 3 years age and I cant find a doctor who will treat me.

[Annielecurie in reply to mm5577]

I feel your pain mm5577, my Mum has had insomnia for over 30 years. Now retired she still suffers with this and I do wonder how much is genetic. It's awful when you can't sleep and trying to function the next day on minimal sleep is a real challenge. I wish you luck in finding a good doctor who can support you.

[Hidden in reply to mm5577]

Have you tried taking an antihistamine for a few nights m5577 just to break that cycle it might work for you.best of luck

[Leils in reply to Hidden]

Yes. I used to take Nytol when I couldn't settle back to sleep.

Good for occasional use

[experimental1 in reply to mm5577]

I'll presume you've had a sleep study. My psychiatrist, who has training in sleep medicine, said most doctors are only looking for apnea, but she told me that there are neurological problems that could be the cause of a sleep disorder. As Winston Churchill said, "Never, never, never give up."

[Hidden]

Someone once advised me to try a protein and carb mix before bed to help with sleep and I did,I tried peanut butter spread on a cracker and a few sips of water and I slept like a baby. So simple but Worth a try.? Best of luck

[Annielecurie in reply to Hidden]

I love peanut butter Diddlydot so that won't be a problem adding that to my routine. To be honest, I try not to eat after my evening meal as I have a tendency to eat unhealthy things at night but I know peanut butter is good for protein. I also have protein shakes so may add this to my nightly routine too. Thanks for your advice.

[Sleepybunny]

Hi,

I was ill for many years with typical B12 deficiency symptoms including insomnia but couldn't get treatment from NHS.

I ended up treating myself and the quality of my sleep improved...no more insomnia...another interesting thing was that I also started to dream more after years of not being aware of any dreams.

It took many weeks even months before I saw any improvements in symptoms which I put down to the length of time I had been left untreated.

I don't know how long you have had B12 deficiency but I wondered if it was a long time perhaps the insomnia was mainly due to the B12 deficiency rather than the treatment and hopefully you'll see gradual improvements over time.

I am still seeing improvements in symptoms years after treatment started.

I found that taking a magnesium supplement before I went to bed helped me to sleep.

If you only recently started B12 injections, has your GP checked your potassium levels?

Some people may experience a drop in potassium levels when they start B12 injections.

Some forum members eat potassium rich foods such as bananas.

My personal opinion (I'm not medically trained) is that people should talk to their GP if they suspect they have low potassium as there can be safety issues in taking potassium supplements.

PAS (Pernicious Anaemia Society)

Based in Wales, UK.

pernicious-anaemia-society....

There is a helpline number that PAS members can ring.

B12 Deficiency Info website

b12deficiency.info/

B12 Awareness (US website)

b12awareness.org/

Stichting B12 Tekort (Dutch website with English articles)

stichtingb12tekort.nl/weten...

I've written some very detailed replies in other threads with more B12 info eg B12 articles, B12 websites, B12 books etc

I'm in UK so some links may have info specific to UK.

healthunlocked.com/pasoc/po...

healthunlocked.com/pasoc/po...

[Annielecurie in reply to Sleepybunny]

Thanks so much for this information Sleepybunny, I've been diagnosed 9 years with PA and B12 deficiency and been treated since then but think I may have had it longer than that.

[Hidden in reply to Sleepybunny]

That’s funny sleepybunny because I often remarked to my hubby that I never dream anymore,I thought it was because I wasn’t asleep long enough lol,turns out since I’ve been injecting b12 I actually have quite vivid dreams now,I’d forgotten about that if I’m honest.I also can’t cry,I feel like I want to if something sad happens but the tears won’t fall,maybe again ive bottled things up too long and I’m not capable but I’d like to think I could have a good cry again at some stage..x take care x

[mcg-woo]

The most frequent that I have ever received or administered injections is weekly, but B12 has always had the opposite effect on me in actually helping to improve sleep. I have injected at different times—morning mid-day and even at night before bedtime and no sleep disturbances, but I imagine everyone is different. Good luck! I hope you get some sleep. I had really bad insomnia before B12 injections.

[experimental1 in reply to mcg-woo]

I don't have PA. I have treatment resistant bipolar. As I was researching B12 for my wife, who has symptoms of dementia, I returned to self-administered B12 injections in an attempt to relieve my long standing bipolar depression, which has been draining the life out of me for several years. 1000 mcg, daily. My brain lit up and I felt alive,again! Lots of energy, too. Sleep improved, but only for a couple of weeks, then back to waking up at 3 or 4 a.m.

I've found taking my jab in the afternoon(2 or 3 pm) seems to keep from falling asleep too early.(melatonin probably peaking a bit later in the evening) I'm thinking of either reducing the dose or frequency of injections, though I'd miss feeling so good everyday. We all have to be our own lab rats.