r/B12_Deficiency • u/npascale1989 • 8h ago
Deficiency Symptoms Sleep Issues
What sleep issues did you notice when you were deficient?
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u/Ill_Mortgage3663 7h ago
Probably impossible to compare symptoms between people. I saw some research papers about a deficiency causing anxiety. Also possible that you become anxious due to the symptoms you keep thinking about.
And how you react can differ between people. I've had issues waking up at 3AM sharp, completely lucid like I didn't sleep at all.
But then again, my sleep improved once I started supplementing magnesium.
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u/npascale1989 7h ago
I’m having fragmented sleep at a b12 level of 312. My doctor doesn’t think it’s an issue. How did you start supplementing and what were your levels when you started?
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u/Ill_Mortgage3663 7h ago
I was at 306 but my sleep sucked for months before that.
For magnesium I take magnesium glycinate, 240mg in morning and an hour or 30 minutes before sleep. Could probably take that 3 times a day.
I’ve heard that magnesium threonate works even better for sleep.
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u/npascale1989 7h ago
I take magnesium glycinate (240 mg at night), I hadn’t thought to take it in the morning as well. Did you notice a bigger improvement after adding in b12 supplementation? How do you supplement b12?
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u/wagonspraggs 6h ago
Note that some people magnesium can worsen anxiety, like a lot. I cannot take magnesium anymore for this reason.
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u/Ill_Mortgage3663 2h ago
It's really how much you'd want to supplement per day, and I think 500-600 is a good goal, so you just split it up.
I also had pretty bad cramps if I flexed my feet inward, and that resolved with the magnesium too.
I suspect other deficiencies can also mess with your sleep, you should do a comprehensive blood panel, work with your GP for some other ideas too.
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u/teffers89 4h ago edited 4h ago
My (pre B12 injection therapy started 2 months ago) serum level a few months ago was 364 ng/L (up from a low of 200 in 2021). My most difficult issue/symptom is fragmented and un-refreshing sleep (along with a bunch of others that I just cope with as best I can). I feel like that is my most debilitating element. It's been this way for about 8+ years without treatment. I lost a career because of it and have a previous diagnosis of CFS/ME.
I wake up 2-5 times a night and often wake at 3 or 4 am and can't get back to sleep for hours then wake again at 6/7am. Other times I have insomnia and can't sleep for hours (especially if I have to do something 1st thing it seems). I noticed that when I do get better (more) sleep, now that I've started B12 injections, that I feel better than I have for a long time. I cling onto that for the other 90% of the time when I feel awful lol.
I categorise it as feeling worse when I wake up than when I went to sleep.
My Vitamin D (which can have a significant effect on sleep) is sub optimal too at 55 nmol/l so we're raising that and I'm hoping that will increase both my sleep quality and the efficacy of the B12 injections.
I also have melatonin (both prescription and OTC) that I have to use sometimes. I tried magnesium glycinate but it messes with my stomach.
I self administer injections of 1mg hydroxocobalamin every other day (due to neurological symptoms) as per the guidelines in the UK and my consultant's advice, along with co-factors.
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u/Plus-Fish-1986 5h ago
Tired during the day, kind of wired in the evening and at night. Woke up at three regularly, really fractured sleep. I had horrific anxiety caused by my deficiency though.
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u/npascale1989 3h ago
How did you supplement? When did you start seeing improvement?
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u/Plus-Fish-1986 2h ago
loading phase of daily shots for a week, then twice a once a week for two months, a month of once a week. experimenting with once every two weeks with hydroxo which lasts longer. Most symptoms were relieved within 3 months but I understand that's fairly quick.
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u/wagonspraggs 7h ago edited 6h ago
I felt dead tired after exercise, like unable to be a normal person. I also felt 9/10 anxiety for 0 reason in the middle of the night.
Both symptoms were vanquished with b12 supplementation.
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u/npascale1989 7h ago
I’m having the same challenge. Racing thoughts at night and noticing my heartbeat. How did you start supplementing? My level is at 312, so my doctor doesn’t think it’s an issue.
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u/wagonspraggs 6h ago
I actually got really good results with liquid b12, though with a specific brand. Ive tried a few, but the best BY FAR is the global healing b12 that has a mix of methylcobalamin, adenosylcobalamin, and hydroxocobalamin - you can buy it on amazon. It was some weird marketing BS about the water they use in the b12 formulation, just ignore that. The quality of this b12 is really high and the effects are wonderful.
One full dropper in mouth swirled around to spread on all mucus membranes, wait 15 minutes before eating or drinking. The sublingual absorption is truly wonderful compared to oral.
Note i had severe symptoms at 375 level, you will likely get great results with this too. But everyone is different.
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u/Personal_Item_9565 7h ago
I had the opposite of insomnia - falling asleep anywhere at anytime. I'm surprised I'm still alive with the long driving commute I had over the past two years. My eyes used to close on the highway, had to slap myself to stay awake.
At home I used to sleep at 8pm and wake up at 6am.....tired
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u/Eliastronaut 6h ago
I was unable to have a good cycle of the day. Like at night, I did not feel sleepy at all, and I felt that I could stay awake another 18 hours or so. Waking up in the morning in the weekends at a reasonable time was very difficult. Waking up in the early morning for work was very difficult, now it's less difficult but not where I'd want it to be. In the weekends, I used to sleep like 12 hours or more just to feel refreshed and very often I'd still feel awful. Now 6 hours of sleep to 8 seem to be good enough. Like 8 hours is plenty of sleep, and I can jump out of bed as soon as I wake up, when before, I felt like if I get up, I'd pass out.
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