Ghrelin and sleep and heat regulation

[Eureka-C 20]

I have been noticing in several posts that people report feeling colder after this surgery. Some people attribute it to the weight loss, but others say they have lost large amounts of weight before and not had this effect. I decided to do some research. There are several articles that say increasing ghrelin increases body temperature. This article suggests that rats that don't produce ghrelin have trouble regulating body temperature in cold environments. They also have less nonREM sleep, (more dream time, less deep restful sleep), but they stay awake better during the day. I guess what is interesting to me is this hormone is a big player in sleep and thermo-regulation. I was wondering what others have personally noticed about their changes in sleep and ability to adjust to cold or hot temperatures.

Personally. I have noticed I sleep less, 6-7 hours at night. I feel awake but tire easily (which I think is more related to surgery recovery). I have definitely felt colder and always have a blanket over me.

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/08/03/0903090106.full.pdf

[currysusan123 2]

I have lost 84 lbs so far. At 281 I still have 130 lbs to lose. I have been REALLY been having problems keeping warm. I knew this would be an issue when I was thin, but I still have a lot of weight to lose. Before my VGS my body temp. was excessively hotter than anyone else. I was always hot when everyone else was comfortable. I just figured it was because my blood pressure was high then and it is normal now. It is interesting to find out about the effects of Ghrelin. Thanks for the info.

As far as sleep patterns thus far. Before surgery, I had undiagnosed apnea. I snored horribly. I never got deep rest, waking every hour or so to adjust sleeping position. Now I don't snore. I tend to only need 6-7 hrs sleep. I no longer need a 3pm nap. I never have remembered dreams, so I dont know about REM sleep before and after.

[coops 1,790]

interesting stuff

I too am colder now and feel the cold a lot more, which is a bit of a pain considering we are experiencing one of the coldest winters here in the UK for a long time... typical...lol

I am sleeping better and feel more awake in the day too...

[**LaSaJaTa** 4]

I'm sleeping better and more deeply than ever and I'm always FREEZING.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

Wow, what a great interesting study... it is true that I am always *freezing*!!! Now. Prior to this surgery I was always warmer than anyone else around and I really hated long sleeve anything. Now I'm finding that I'm buying super thick sweaters and even wearing a long sleeve under shirts too. I'm always pulling them down as far to my hands as I can.

I wear double socks now too and buy the boots with thick fur. I also must sleep with flannel sheets, the heater on AND an electric blanket. I just can't beat this cold!!

I do also notice that I dream a lot too. I didn't used to dream as much as I do now. Though it does take me a bit more effort to actually wake up, but once I do I feel fine and my mind is sharp.

It will be worth the read to see if more of us are like this. I've only lost about 40 lbs since surgery so I can't say the cold is really due to it to the extent I am cold - comparing to how I was before. I still also need to lose 80 Lbs so I have a fair amount of "insulation"... LOL

[Kimmes 38]

I don't have surgery until Jan 6th.....BUT now you have me worried. I am always freezing. We are having another snow storm here right now its 16 degrees and we a have had 6 inches of snow this evening. That is on top of the 18 inches we got last week. I was looking forward to going to Mexico for surgery to warm up. I don't want to be colder than I am now! Perhaps I will invest in some flannel lined jeans (a smaller size of course)!

[TTGirl 0]

This is amazing. I am constantly freezing and wondered what was wrong with me. Now I know! Any suggestions on how to keep really warm during this Big Freeze I really am miserable. Thanks for this information.

[Lila21 36]

wow, that's fascinating. Thanks for sharing!!!

[AutumnLily 77]

This is amazing. I am constantly freezing and wondered what was wrong with me. Now I know! Any suggestions on how to keep really warm during this Big Freeze I really am miserable. Thanks for this information.

Have you thought of buying thermal underwear? Its under your clothes and they should keep you toasty warm. I know I enjoy wearing them on those cold -30 celcius days and nights here in Canada

[Goofyspice 1]

Its the weight loss that is making you cold. Trust me if you put on a 20 pound coat of fat you would be nice and toasty. In the last few years I have been the hot one amongst all the cold and comfortable people. The last few years i have also been at my heaviest weight. I have recently lost 25 lbs and am starting to notice the cold.

Thank god i live in southern california not so sunny recently...

Anyhow, I know several people who have had the bypass and they ALL are annoyingly cold. You just have to "climatize" yourself all over again. The feak that wears a sweatshirt in summer while everyone else is in shorts. Heck when i lived in the desert and then went to lake tahoe in late june I was the one wearing the sweatshirt. I also sat in the backseat on the trip cuz the ac was too cold. I looked pretty strange when we filled up at a gas station in the middle of the mojave desert and never took off the sweatshirt.

[Rootman 1,101]

I was ALWAYS hot, even as a kid and back when I was thins - far thinner than I am now. Even my Mom remembered as an infant I would be bathed in sweat when the weather was the slightest bit warm. As I got heavier my issues with heat and hyperhydrosis (excessive sweating) got extremely bad, I would just be sweating constantly even just standing still. Any physical labor would get me drenched and I would often get to the verge of heat stroke, I would slam quart after quart of Water and dump urine like crazy. I would have a fan on everywhere I went - even at night in bed. A ceiling fan in the living room going all the time I was home, a box fan at work blowing on me, and I work in an office. My bed had a consistent sour smell from my sweat and had to be aired out and sprayed with Fabreeze between washings. It was truly disgusting.

It hasn't been very warm out here yet but I have yet to need a fan and I often need a jacket or blanket where I didn't used to. We had a cold snap here the last few days and I am freezing. The operation has done SOMETHING to my heat regulation. I am far more comfortable and even cold when it is cooler out. I can't remember the last time when I broke a sweat, even after physical exertion like a brisk walk.

In my case, whatever happened is a blessing and almost worth the expense of the operation in itself.

[ouroborous 519]

Not terribly concerned if the only significant side effect is a perception of being cold. I'll stack that up against diabetes & heart disease any day.

Metabolism is complex, so I wouldn't at all be surprised to find other complex systemic effects like this.

[Rootman 1,101]

Well since Ouroborous reopened this topic I'll chime in again.

Since the last post of mine above it's been hot here a few times and I hardly perspired at all. I've worked out in our wellness center, walked a few miles - which is amazing since previously walking to the john and back was an accomplishment before WLS, but I digress. I've ridden the stationary bike for 30+ minutes at medium resistance at full resistance for over 5 minutes, done weight training on various machines and hardly broken a sweat. Mop my forehead and the rest dries out in a few minutes.

SOMETHING has changed drastically since as I pointed out above I used to sweat profusely at ANY body weight almost ALL the time. I have had a fan in my office (third one actually, wore out 2) that I would run ALL day EVERY day and still sweat in an ACd office at 75 degrees. Not any more, have not turned the fan on once since my operation.

Last week it was in the 80's and we opened the windows and the doors. I had to close the window nearest me because I was cold!

YES, I'd MUCH rather have this than be a sweathog again. You can always put something on to warm up, you can only take so much off to cool down

Perhaps my sodium intake? Carbs? Who knows. I just hope it lasts forever!

[seniorsleever 17]

Rootman, what you described sounds like the symptoms of diabetes insipidus. Excessive thirst, excessive urination, hyperhydrosis. That may not be what caused it for you, just an observation from a retired RN. It's not a sugar problem like regular diabetes, but a kidney problem.

[Rootman 1,101]

Rootman, what you described sounds like the symptoms of diabetes insipidus. Excessive thirst, excessive urination, hyperhydrosis. That may not be what caused it for you, just an observation from a retired RN. It's not a sugar problem like regular diabetes, but a kidney problem.

Yes, I thought the same but I took a few blood sugar studies, one a month long and I always tended to be hypoglycemic rather than hyper. This HAD been the norm for decades of my life, and my mother even noted as an infant I would be bathed in sweat and demand drinks all the time.

SOMETHING weird was going on and it seems to be "over" now.