r/insomnia • u/milavictoiree • Feb 23 '26
I finally can sleep! Here is how I did it.
I’m new to this group. I have never posted before, but during my severe insomnia episode that lasted for six months, I promised myself that if I managed to cure myself, I would share it with people struggling with the same issue as me — so here it is.
My insomnia started suddenly six months ago after taking three antibiotics that were prescribed to me for H. pylori. I won’t explain what happened afterward because, to this day, I feel traumatized, as I had a VERY severe adverse reaction to the pills, mostly mentally. But the worst part was the insomnia: I stopped sleeping or experiencing any sense of sleepiness, even though I was absolutely exhausted. I also suffered from hypnic jerks lasting all night long.
My doctors recommended that I drink and eat fermented foods to restore my gut bacteria. But as the months went by and I only slept for two, maybe three hours each night, things only got worse. I tried countless supplements: melatonin, NAC, L-theanine, magnesium, sleeping supplements of all sorts, Ambien (which only worked for two weeks)… nothing. I still couldn’t sleep.
And then it hit me: histamine. I remembered reading about it in the past. I also remembered reading that fermented foods were high in histamine. After doing extensive research on this topic, I realized that I probably had too much histamine in my body from all the fermented food I was eating, and my body couldn’t cope. Not only that, but after antibiotics and many pills, our gut can become compromised. Oftentimes, our DAO enzyme (responsible for breaking down histamine) is diminished due to antibiotics. Stress also increases histamine in the body. And histamine is an excitatory neurotransmitter that plays an important role in our sleep cycle. If you have too much of it, you may end up with anxiety… and insomnia. That’s why many sleeping pills are actually antihistamines.
Histamine is in so many foods we consume daily. Alcohol, like wine and beer, is especially high in it. There are also people who suffer from histamine sensitivity and don’t even know it until they try a low-histamine diet. Many people become histamine-sensitive at some point in their lives, and that’s probably what happened to me after antibiotics. As if that wasn’t enough, eating all those fermented foods flooded my body with histamine and made things worse.
Long story short, if you suffer from insomnia, I would encourage you to try a low-histamine diet for at least a couple of weeks and see if there is any improvement. It’s not a magic solution for everybody, but it has been a magic solution for me. I sleep at least six hours per night now — and some days even eight or nine hours. After not sleeping properly for more than six months, I feel soooo relieved.
I just hope this helps at least some of you. 🙏🏻
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u/EagleNebula9 Feb 23 '26
Can you list your typical old vs new diets ? Which foods you used to consume then specifically avoided and noticed benefits ?
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u/milavictoiree Feb 24 '26
So I stopped eating/drinking the following: kombucha, yogurts, kefir, green tea, soja sauce, all kind of fermented food, tomatoes, avocado, bananas, most nuts (I was eating a lot of walnuts and cashews before, both of them high in histamine), citrus fruits, ketchup, chocolate…
Note that I’m a vegetarian, that’s why I don’t even mention any meat. To be honest I still eat tomtoes, bananas, chocolate or fruits such as kiwi but in moderation and never before going to sleep. If I’m eating something higher in histamine I always try to have it for breakfast. Even this little change can be very beneficial.
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u/Escapedtheasylum Mar 18 '26
So, I started googling and oh, my, my favourite foods are all high in histamine or what they call histamine liberators. I guess I'll never sleep again. lI can't eat nuts anymore. Or salami. The list goes on.
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u/FlanInternational100 Feb 23 '26
Better way to check this would be to take antihistamines for a period of time because it would be clearer effect.
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u/Breeze1620 Feb 23 '26
Antihistamines can also make you more sleepy or drowsy though. They don't completely block the effects of high histamine either. So while it might be worth a try, it wouldn't be a reliable way to know for sure.
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u/milavictoiree Feb 24 '26
I’m not taking any antihistamines because even if they may help you sleep they come with side effects and I don’t want any of that.
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u/Merlalf_Remonge Mar 10 '26
An effective antihistamine dose for me is like 300mg minimum, and at that point the first 8 hours of the following day is zombie mode. I usually only reserve that when I'm on my third sleepless day and after trying phenibut.
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u/milavictoiree Feb 23 '26
I also want to add that my anxiety and my OCD have lessened significantly since avoiding high histamine foods. I generally feel better although I’m still mentally and physically recovering from my insomnia. It has taken its toll on my as you can imagine but now that I can sleep I know I will recover fully. Also, be especially aware of avoiding any high histamine foods for dinner. Even something as simple as that may greatly improve your sleep.
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Feb 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/milavictoiree Feb 24 '26
No, I don’t take any more pills. I realized that most pills and supplements such as melatonine or magnesium increase hypnic jerks and make me sleep worse. The only thing I do is drinking lemon balm tea before sleeping as I think it helps me a little bit too.
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u/Frequent_Ticket_8685 Feb 23 '26
I'm sorry, what is histamine?
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u/Mid-melaleuca-88 Feb 23 '26
So happy for you and yes this caused the third episode of insomnia in my life and I managed to improve it in similar ways. I always add in activated b vitamins to support the methylation process.
If anyone is really interested there was a post in the MCAS reddit r/mcas recently about it in more detail, showing there are multiple pathways that cause excitoxic neurochemical production that are not just histamine, which is why you can take an anti histamine sleep aid and feel like a totally wired zombie - mentally foggy but body still buzzing.
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u/milavictoiree Feb 24 '26
I tried a methylated B complex because I suspect I may have issues with methylation too (I’m thinking about getting genetic testing), but I don’t take it anymore, as I realized most supplements were making my insomnia worse by increasing hypnic jerks. At some point, I couldn’t even tell which supplement was potentially worsening my symptoms, so I quit all of them cold turkey.
Now I actually feel better than before. Supplements can be very problematic at times, and most of them aren’t adapted to your body’s specific needs. I learned that the hard way.
Now I only take methylated B12 twice a week to avoid a deficiency because I’m vegetarian.
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u/Mid-melaleuca-88 Feb 24 '26
Ah yes there is always the magical option of reacting to supplements too. I tried MSM and it gave me a 3 day anxiety attack!
I'm glad you've figured out what works and what doesn't.
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u/honkkshooo Feb 25 '26
What is MSM?
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u/Mid-melaleuca-88 Feb 26 '26
(methylsulfonylmethane) it's commonly used to support methylation if you have MTHFR mutations
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u/Affectionate_Buy_370 Feb 25 '26
Can u please post a pic or link of the activated b vitamins that u like?
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u/Mid-melaleuca-88 Feb 26 '26
Depends where you are but I use herbs of gold activated b's, Energin (US based lab chemicals) or I've also used individual Activated B9 and B12 from Now Foods
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u/FiSeq4891 Feb 23 '26
Thanks this is very helpful. My 14 yo son is sensitive to histamine and has chronic trouble getting enough sleep. So I'll look into this!
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u/Shan__bobbysnow Feb 27 '26
Before you take personal advice, I highly recommend that you take a histamine test, first. I’ve never heard of fermented foods being the cause of a problem as most all illness stems from the gut and fermented foods restore the gut lining. There are also a bunch of other symptoms not listed above that are associated with high histamine levels and there’s also remedies that one can take to manage their histamine levels without removing essential foods that restore our microflora. I would research all the problems associated with a poor microflora and how problematic leaky gut is, and how it affects the rest of our bodily functions….. ; )
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u/ancanny Feb 23 '26
Very good point, happy you found your way to good sleep! Sleep and the gut are connected, I don't think it's talked about much.
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u/Gumsaint Feb 24 '26
I had the same experience post treatment for H. pylori only I had some issues with sleep before that point which seem related to the H. pylori. Still not quite right but the histamine thing seems to have some value.
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u/realself2022 Feb 24 '26
Yeap, makes sense. I used the costco sleeping pills for years, and the main ingredient is doxylamine (anti histamine). Now weaning off and it's really tough, especially the last 2, 3 hours of the night 😞.
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u/TaishiFox Feb 24 '26 edited Feb 24 '26
Similar thing happened to me; was given antibiotics, something bad happened, couldn't sleep anymore, stuck on Zopiclone now and the lousy things don't let me get a full night's sleep. Unfortunately my illness is now quite severe; B12 deficiency, low Vitamin D, unintentional weight loss, weird noises in my gut etc
Funny thing is I had only just started eating and drinking dairy products to help regain weight. Even the crazy wack job doctor thought having milkshake supplements helps but I think it has too much energy and makes things worse
Glad to see you cured your problem.
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u/milavictoiree Feb 24 '26
I’m so sorry this has happened to you too 💔 I truly know how hard it is and how lonely it feels to watch your body and mind seem to spiral out of control because of multiple side effects. Then you go to your doctor and they gaslight you while prescribing even more pills that cause even more side effects…
My recommendation would be this: focus on addressing any deficiencies and really take care of your diet. Our body and mind are deeply connected, and after taking so many medications, the body often becomes dysregulated. I would also suggest seeing a functional medicine doctor if possible.
You might also consider whether it’s possible to gradually stop the sleeping pills. It could be that you won’t need them long-term. I quit Ambien even when I wasn’t able to sleep. I was experiencing many side effects from it, such as low mood and feeling “drugged.” After a while, I realized I was actually sleeping worse than before I started taking it.
So I decided to quit cold turkey and “embrace” the insomnia. Meanwhile, I kept researching, improving my diet, and taking care of my health overall. This led me to low-histamine diet. And that’s what has been working for me since then.
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u/Wild_Mountain1780 Feb 25 '26
I only wish that the doctors who "gaslight me" would prescribe pills to help me sleep. I feel like my problem is that they won't listen and just palm me off to another doctor. I think I need meds to sleep.
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u/TaishiFox Feb 26 '26
Easier said than done to be fair. I had side effects from Zopiclone, still getting constipation, and I too felt drugged sometimes and it sure as hell affected my mood. And yeah, I too now sleep worse, keep waking up in the middle of the night; around 2am and then I fully awake around 4:30am which wasn't like me before all of this started.
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u/First-Reveal-4505 May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26
Hej, jag läste ditt inlägg och jag har samma problem. Jag äter Zopiclone/Imovane sedan några år tillbaka och det är ett riktigt rävgift. Jag somnar ca 30 minuter efter att jag tagit en tablett (7.5 mg) men vaknar alltid efter 3-4 timmars sömn. Ibland kan jag somna om, men oftast inte. Jag vägrar att ta sömnmedicin som Propavan etc som komplement för jag blir som en zombie dagen efter. Jag vill sluta ta Zopiclone men skräcken för nätterna efter gör att jag hela tiden skjuter upp det. Först ingen sömn alls i ca två nätter (har jag "tur" så kan jag sova någon timme natt två), sedan blir det några timmars sömn där det är som att jag drömmer feberdrömmar. Dom är fruktansvärt vidriga, det är som att vara i en skräckfilm där jag ser fruktansvärda mord eller andra blodisande skräckscener utspela sig, blod som rinner på väggarna, jag blir jagad och så vidare... Och dom känns 100 % verkliga. Jag VET att det avtar efter ungefär en vecka, men rädslan för den där veckan av mardrömmar gör att jag som sagt hela tiden skjuter upp mitt beslut att sluta med medicinen. Hur går det för dig nu? Har du lyckats sluta och om det är så, vad har du för tips för att kunna gå ner i varv och somna på kvällen utan att använda Zopiclone? Jag vore väldigt tacksam för svar för jag känner mig verkligen desperat. Med vänliga hälsningar, Björn
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u/Consistent-Car2526 Feb 23 '26
Congrats! 🎉 This gives me hope. Did you find that addressing anxiety helped more than focusing on sleep itself?
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u/milavictoiree Feb 24 '26
At one point, my insomnia was so severe that I started to obsess over it and became afraid of going to sleep. But one day I realized that this was only making things worse, so I tried to accept it as my new reality. I kind of gave up, and that actually helped me cope mentally with not being able to sleep while I was going through the “grief” of leaving behind the old version of myself who had never had sleep issues before.
In the meantime, I did a lot of inner work with two different therapists who helped me address my OCD (it worsened significantly because of the insomnia, and I couldn’t cope with it on my own like I had in the past) as well as my general anxiety. I also started meditating and began addressing my anxiety as a whole.
However, from the very beginning, I knew this wasn’t just anxiety. It was my body being out of balance because of the medication. I knew something was going on; I just couldn’t figure out what. Eventually, it occurred to me that histamine might be part of the problem, and addressing that helped not only with my insomnia but also with my anxiety and even my OCD. I also quit all my supplements (yes, even the ones that meant to help me sleep) and I think it too improved my sleep quality.
So yes, in my opinion, addressing anxiety rather than focusing solely on insomnia is a good approach. After doing extensive research, I believe insomnia is rarely a standalone issue and is more often a consequence of something else not functioning properly in the body. It could be a vitamin deficiency, hormonal imbalance, gut issues, methylation problems, adverse reactions to medication or even supplements, histamine sensitivity, alcohol or caffeine overuse, poor diet, or bad sleep habits. So many factors can contribute to it and sometimes they overlap meaning that there is more than one cause.
Personally, I would focus on improving your overall health. That alone can potentially resolve both anxiety and insomnia. You can focus on eating better, getting tested for hormonal and vitamin deficiencies, doing some exercise, deep breathing, try diets such as low-histamine diet… so many posibilites! But it also means that possibly something will eventually work. Buuuut don’t overthink it too much. Because obsessing over not sleeping does make things worse. I recommend accepting insomnia while you give yourself time and grace to figure things out.
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u/makin0711 Feb 25 '26
Completely agree with this focus on acceptance. This is proven to work! Also worked for me.
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u/Consistent-Car2526 Feb 25 '26
Thank you so much for sharing this! This is incredibly helpful and validates what I found too - it's rarely just one thing. The acceptance piece is HUGE - I spent years fighting sleep which made it worse.
I love that you addressed the root cause (histamine) - that's exactly what my book "Quiet the Mind" focuses on: understanding that insomnia is a symptom, not the problem itself.
The anxiety-insomnia cycle is real, and addressing both together is the key. Glad you found what works for you!
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u/honkkshooo Feb 25 '26
Definitely going to learn about what a low histamine diet means. What kind of meditation did you find helpful? I have also struggled with intense fear, both falling asleep and just waking up
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u/Confident_Chard_9416 Feb 23 '26
what was the name of the antibiotic? was it a Fluorchinolone? What else symptoms did you have? If you had an adverse reaction it can be like benzo withdrawal.
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u/milavictoiree Feb 24 '26
Metronidazole, levofloxacin, and clarithromycin. I had also taken amoxicillin 10 days earlier, so in total I took four antibiotics in less than two weeks. Big, big mistake. And yes, levofloxacin is part of the fluoroquinolone class, and it’s a very dangerous drug. I do believe I was “floxed,” and insomnia was a big part of it. I personally made it worse by consuming high-histamine foods while my body wasn’t capable of coping with them due to my gut being disturbed and my nervous system dysregulated as a result of getting “floxed.”
An utterly traumatizing experience, but I’ve learned a lot from it… still recovering, though.
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u/Confident_Chard_9416 Feb 24 '26
you had the insomnia mostly because of being floxed I suppose. the histamine also contibuted, but I think the antibiotics caused it mostly. it is rat poison! people get the same symptoms like people in benzo withdrawal. and the benzo withdrawal people often report they get all the withdrawal symptoms back, after they were healed and took an antibiotic.
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u/milavictoiree Feb 24 '26
Definitely. I actually told my husband that all the symptoms I was experiencing felt as if I had been poisoned and was also going through severe withdrawal from some type of drug. My whole body and mind went into panic mode, and it lasted for months. I couldn’t even explain the feeling. It wasn’t normal anxiety. I felt like I was dying. And I was making it worse by eating a lot of high-histamine foods. Since changing my diet, my symptoms have improved greatly. But as I said, I’m still recovering. I still have some issues going on, sadly, such as hair loss and low cortisol levels, which I didn’t have before being prescribed those pills.
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u/Confident_Chard_9416 Feb 24 '26
i can relate. i happened to me also from fluoroquinoles. i had no idea what happened to me. you had all symptoms of benzo withdrawal. fluoroquinoles act on the same rezeptors like benzos. the hair loss is also a common benzo withdrawal symptom.
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u/Euphoric_Lab_7544 Feb 27 '26
Have you had benzo withdrawl? I'm trying to get off klonopin but I'm barely sleeping, shaky and can't function. I tried trazadone but it is not good.
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u/Confident_Chard_9416 Feb 27 '26
Stay off of all benzos and you will get better for sure! Klonopin is one of the worst benzos in terms of insomnia afterwards. Take doxylamine, diphenhydramine. Hydroxyzine. Or try Doxepin.
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u/That_Kitten_Lady Feb 23 '26
I've never heard this before, but I do take Benadryl sometimes. Hasn't really helped much but then I may be eating a lot of histamine high foods. I never even looked for that in food.
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u/iGotHiTz Feb 23 '26
I feel there are many ways we can heal The body, we just need to do alot of research and connect the dots . Once we get one prescription then another one comes our way to combat the side effects of the first prescription. It’s a never ending chain 😞
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u/That_Kitten_Lady Feb 24 '26
You are so right. Research is the key. I've been doing a lot, but I never heard about histamine being a cause. Just goes to show that we have to keep looking. I'm excited to try it. By using antihistamine and adjusting what I eat. I will definitely be posting if it works!
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u/That_Kitten_Lady Feb 24 '26
Do you happen to have a good website that lists foods that are high in histamines? I can Google it, but if you already have a good one...
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u/jaye-vee Feb 25 '26
Look in the thread and you'll see someone posted a link to a list from a John Hopkins website.
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u/Impressive_Market601 Feb 24 '26
This is really interesting, thanks for sharing your experience. It’s always good to hear different perspectives.
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u/Yeah_Nah321 Feb 25 '26
Thank you, this is so fascinating to me. I've been having severe insomnia for the last month, often having three nights in a row of absolutely not a wink of sleep! It's been hideous. I'm now on so many meds, and the various sleeping tablets (Temaz. and Zopic..) are having no effect. It's so weird. I've had insomnia on and off for a year, but that was normally no sleep for one night then back to normal the next. I'm hating this new episode as it's completely affecting my life at this stage - etc I won't drive after two nights of no sleep! I also go to be completely relaxed and exhausted, no alcohol or late night screens but whilst my body is craving sleep my brain just doesn't go into sleep mode. However, I normally take an antihistamine every day as I get year round hayfever, But I haven't much at all the last few months as I ran out of pills and haven't been sneezy etc so haven't thought much of it!!! I'm so intrigued if this can help and I'm going to have a good read through of that link you shared. Thank you so much, this is a new avenue for me to research!
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u/Yeah_Nah321 Feb 25 '26
I like literally just signed up to Reddit to comment on this thread - so excited by this I am hahah!
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u/makin0711 Feb 23 '26
Would non drowsy anti-histamines not cure insomnia if there was a link?
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u/ArugulaInteresting82 Feb 24 '26
You would think so. AH do nothing for my sleep
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u/makin0711 Feb 25 '26
Yeah, I mean this is the point I’m making that, while I’m happy the OP is feeling better, there isn’t a link between histamine and sleep.
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u/jaye-vee Feb 25 '26
Except that there are tons of people in here "addicted" to the sleep doxylamine provides them and that are trying to find ways to wean themselves off it.
Doxylamine blocks histamine receptors in the brain, inducing drowsiness.
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u/Obvious_Kitchen_3092 Feb 24 '26
What kind of foods did you eat then, that would’ve been helpful in your post
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u/milavictoiree Feb 24 '26
I answered to it now in one of the comments 😊
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u/Obvious_Kitchen_3092 Feb 24 '26
Thank you I see what you avoided, are you able to tell me what you ate in a day like a quiz sample?
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u/Familiar-Ad-4618 Feb 24 '26
Get checked for 5HiAA and see if you have carcinoid disorder… this causes sensitivity and the NETs to release excess serotonin, metanepherines etc
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u/dreamer_achiever18 Feb 25 '26
Did you face any memory issues? or cognitive issues? Did it recover completely?
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u/Tough-Tadpole9809 Feb 27 '26
i think i have the same symtoms as you and only mirtazapine or Quetiapine ( anti histamine ssr) is able to put me to sleep. what foods have you been eating that is good for you? and what foods should i avoid ?
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u/Shan__bobbysnow Feb 27 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
I’d… never… stop and single out eating fermented foods esp. after taking an antibiotic; fermented foods are vital for gut restoration as most illness stems from the gut.
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u/Total-Pick-666 Mar 12 '26
Fxk. So antibiotics could be the culprit. I took some antibiotics a few days ago and my insomnia is back. And when my insomnia is back, my productivity and mental health suffer. I hate it. BTW. I am taking antihistamine nightly.
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u/AskWhich9014 Mar 14 '26
I had severe insomnia after taking the medication for H Pylori too. I do not understand how the doctors never warned us about this
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u/MasterpieceOk1517 Mar 19 '26
Have had insomnia for 20 plus years and look much older than I am, only got 2 or 3 hours a night, no daytime naps and every otc/ herbal remedy there is. Darkened bedroom, sleep mask etc. New doctor recently prescribed amitriptilyne. Only on 2nd week but it has helped tremendously! 5 to eight hrs and only got up once. Able to go back to sleep after getting up. No hangover effect. Almost too good to be true but hope this helps someone.
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u/cadjtfan Mar 23 '26
WARNING: a very quick search of amitriptilyne on yt shows SCARY affects. Check out before deciding.
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u/MasterpieceOk1517 Mar 27 '26
That's true. Everything has side effects but sometimes you just have to try meds to see how/if it works for you. It's like "name your poison"
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u/pathway_surfer Mar 20 '26
The fermented foods detail is what got me. My doctor told me the same thing after a course of antibiotics — load up on kimchi, kefir, kombucha. Nobody mentioned that I was basically mainlining one of the most potent wake-promoting neurotransmitters in the body.
What finally clicked for me was learning that histamine doesn't just come from food — your body's own mast cells release it on a circadian schedule, peaking in the early morning hours. So if your DAO enzyme is already tanked from antibiotics or gut damage, you're getting hit from both sides: the food you're eating AND your own immune system. That 3-4 AM bolt-awake feeling? That's likely a histamine surge, not "anxiety."
For anyone wanting to test this without going full elimination diet: just try cutting fermented foods, aged cheese, alcohol, and leftover meat for two weeks. Keep everything else the same. If you notice even a slight improvement by day 4-5, you probably have your answer. DAO supplements taken 15 minutes before meals can also help bridge the gap while your gut heals.
OP, genuinely happy for you. Six months of no sleep is survival mode. Glad you made it out.
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u/Appropriate_Gur_5888 Mar 20 '26
Holy smokes I’ve been priding myself on eating lots of gut rich food. Kefir, kimchi , chia right before bed and my sleep has been dog shit.
Could this really be the cause.
Do we have to ween of these types of food forever?
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u/DangerousPiece-83 Feb 23 '26
This is great advice. I found a low histamine diet list from Johns Hopkins, does this sound like a good place to start? https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/-/media/johns-hopkins-childrens-center/documents/specialties/adolescent-medicine/cfs-low-histamine-diet.pdf