The 2 AM Problem
You started carnivore. First week felt great. Energy through the roof. Then week two hits and you're staring at the ceiling at 2 AM, completely wired, wondering if you broke something.
You didn't. This is one of the most common adaptation symptoms, and it has a clear fix. Let me walk you through what's happening and how to solve it.
Why Carnivore Disrupts Sleep
Three things are happening simultaneously when you switch to all meat.
1. Cortisol is running hot. Your body used to rely on glucose for quick energy. Now it's switching to fat and ketones. During that transition, cortisol picks up the slack. Cortisol is your body's "wake up and deal with this" hormone. When it spikes at night instead of staying low, you get that wired-but-tired feeling at 2 AM.
This is temporary. It typically resolves within 2-4 weeks as your body gets efficient at burning fat. But those weeks can be rough.
2. Electrolytes are tanking. When you drop carbs, you lose water. With that water goes sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Magnesium is directly tied to sleep quality. Low magnesium means your nervous system stays activated when it should be calming down. Sarah covered the electrolyte deficiency problem in detail. If you haven't read that, start there.
3. Meal timing matters more than you think. Eating a large protein-heavy meal right before bed elevates your body temperature and increases thermogenesis. Your body is doing metabolic work when it should be cooling down for sleep. Digesting a 16-ounce ribeye takes energy, and that energy produces heat.
The Sleep Fix Protocol
Here's what works. I've tested this personally and recommended it to dozens of people. It's not complicated, but you have to actually do all four steps.
Step 1: Front-load your eating. Eat your biggest meal at lunch or early afternoon. If you eat dinner, make it your smallest meal and finish at least 3 hours before bed. This gives your body time to handle digestion before you need to sleep.
If you're doing OMAD (one meal a day), eat that meal before 4 PM. Eating a massive carnivore meal at 8 PM and wondering why you can't sleep at 10 PM isn't a mystery. It's physics.
Step 2: Magnesium before bed. 400mg of magnesium glycinate or magnesium threonate, 30-60 minutes before sleep. Not magnesium oxide. Oxide has poor absorption and will send you to the bathroom instead of to sleep. Glycinate is calming. Threonate crosses the blood-brain barrier. Either works.
This is the single most effective intervention I've seen. People who've been struggling for weeks often notice a difference the first night.
Step 3: Salt your food aggressively. Most people underestimate how much sodium they need on carnivore. When you're not eating processed food, you're not getting hidden sodium. Aim for 5-7 grams of sodium per day. That's about 2-3 teaspoons of salt. Low sodium triggers aldosterone, which triggers cortisol, which wakes you up. The chain reaction starts at the salt shaker.
Step 4: Cold exposure in the morning, not at night. A lot of biohacking advice says take a cold shower before bed. On carnivore during adaptation, this can backfire. Cold exposure spikes cortisol and norepinephrine. Great for the morning. Terrible for 9 PM. Save cold exposure for the first half of the day.
The Timeline
Here's what to expect if you follow the protocol above.
Week 1-2: Sleep disruption peaks. This is normal. Don't panic. Don't quit. The magnesium and meal timing should take the edge off, but you'll probably still have some rough nights.
Week 3-4: Sleep starts normalizing. Your body is getting better at fat oxidation and cortisol regulation. Most people report sleeping through the night by the end of week 3.
Week 5+: Many carnivore eaters report the best sleep of their lives once adaptation is complete. Deeper sleep, fewer wake-ups, waking without an alarm. This is the payoff. Sarah's adaptation timeline covers the full picture of what to expect week by week.
When to Actually Worry
Sleep disruption during the first month of carnivore is expected. But some situations need attention.
If sleep hasn't improved at all by week 6, something else might be going on. Check your caffeine intake. Many people increase coffee when they feel tired during adaptation, creating a vicious cycle. Cut caffeine after noon.
If you're waking up drenched in sweat, that's a different issue. Night sweats on carnivore have their own causes and solutions. Check the dedicated post on that.
If you have a history of sleep disorders, anxiety, or take medications that affect sleep, work with your doctor. Diet changes can interact with medications in ways that aren't always obvious. This isn't something to troubleshoot alone.
The Advanced Moves
Once you've nailed the basics above, here are two things that give you an extra edge.
Glycine from collagen or bone broth. Glycine is an amino acid that lowers core body temperature and promotes sleep. A cup of bone broth before bed or 3-5 grams of collagen powder gives you a glycine dose that many people find genuinely sedating. It's also great for joint recovery if you're training hard.
Light management. This isn't carnivore-specific, but it matters more during adaptation when your cortisol rhythm is already disrupted. Bright light in the morning, dim lights after sunset, no screens 30 minutes before bed. Basic sleep hygiene becomes critical when your hormones are recalibrating.
The Bottom Line
Carnivore sleep disruption is real, temporary, and fixable. Front-load your meals. Take magnesium glycinate. Salt your food. Give your body 3-4 weeks to adapt. The other side of adaptation is some of the best sleep you've ever had.
Don't let a few bad nights in week two convince you the diet doesn't work. It's working. Your body is just rewiring its fuel system, and that takes time.
I'm not a doctor. I've coached people and competed myself, so I know what works. But I'm not your doctor. If you have health issues or take meds, check with someone qualified. Everything here is based on what works in practice and what research supports. Your mileage may vary.