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Low Potassium = Waking up early?

Sherpa

Ex-workaholic adrenaline junkie
Messages
699
Location
USA
When I first came to this forum and read about people taking large doses of potassium, I thought it didn't apply to me. I rationed myself 1 small carton of coconut water per day (560mg K) and said that's plenty. Drinking more gave me malaise, at first.

Recently, as my activity and exercise increase, I have developed a thirst for potassium. It seems like 1000mg a day isn't enough... 1500 to 2000mg is better. My primary signal for 'needs potassium' is a twitching in my shoulders while lying down.

I noticed that recently, for the first time in years, I can sleep later than about 6 a.m. This morning I slept until 8 am which was like a miracle. :sleep:

Can anyone else confirm or deny that low potassium can affect the sleep cycle?

I'm not sure if its a coincidence.
 
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alice111

Senior Member
Messages
397
Location
Canada
How are you taking this high dose? I am wanting to increase my potassium as well, but not sure how to go about it. Currently I also just do coconut water
 

alice111

Senior Member
Messages
397
Location
Canada
Also, I have noticed early waking myself due to heart palms which I think are low potassium.. Perhaps this was happening to you which is why you can sleep later now?
 

Sherpa

Ex-workaholic adrenaline junkie
Messages
699
Location
USA
@alice111 I am not sure why I woke up early for years, I didn't feel any heart symptom or any particular sensation. But something cause me to wake before dawn.

I learned that taking too much thyroid would cause me to wake even earlier (4:45 or 5:30 AM) and now it seems like taking potassium coincides with me sleeping later. At least for the past few days...

I am taking 1500mg to 2000mg of K per day in the form of NOW Potassium Gluconate powder and Seeking Health's Optimal Electrolyte powder. I mix approximately 500mg of Potassium in about 500 - 750 mL of water and sip it slowly throughout the day. 3 or 4 servings. Methylfolate and exercise pushes the potassium need higher.

At first I resisted this and thought "Oh no... I don't want yet ANOTHER supplement... and one that needs to be mixed. How inconvinent" and thought I could get by with just a little coconut water but the methylation process seriously cranks up the body's cellular division process. And billions of new cells need their potassium and magnesium. Plenty of it.

I also learned that incerasing potassium requires increasing magnesium.. so I went up from like 600mg to 800mg per day to balance it.

Less fatigue, more energy, better sleep seems to be worth the hassle.
 

Sherlock

Boswellia for lungs and MC stabllizing
Messages
1,287
Location
k8518704 USA

Sherlock

Boswellia for lungs and MC stabllizing
Messages
1,287
Location
k8518704 USA
@Sherlock, I'm waking a couple of times a night. What is acid bladder?
Well, with acidic urine I find that I generate a lot of urine to get rid of the acidity. Sometimes getting up every two hours.

We were discussing this a lot here http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...a-sam-e-catalase-no-pem-after-exercise.34446/
(in that long thread, starting about half way through)
Then neurochemist Steve Fowkes showed up a bit talking about how residual ash from food is alkalizing or not.

Here's my question, btw: http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/whats-your-bladder-size.34759/#post-542241
 

sregan

Senior Member
Messages
703
Location
Southeast
Well, with acidic urine I find that I generate a lot of urine to get rid of the acidity. Sometimes getting up every two hours.

We were discussing this a lot here http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...a-sam-e-catalase-no-pem-after-exercise.34446/
(in that long thread, starting about half way through)
Then neurochemist Steve Fowkes showed up a bit talking about how residual ash from food is alkalizing or not.

Here's my question, btw: http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/whats-your-bladder-size.34759/#post-542241

Wow, good stuff! Thank you for that link!
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,335
Location
Southern California
How are you taking this high dose? I am wanting to increase my potassium as well, but not sure how to go about it. Currently I also just do coconut water

I've recently discovered low-sodium V8 - it has 900 mg. of potassium per 8 oz glass and only 50 calories, so I drink a couple of glasses a day, plus take 600 mg. or so (maybe more, depending) of potassium gluconate. The V8 really helps, and also am getting some extra nutrition with it. Regular V8 has roughly 500 mg. potassium per 8 oz.
 

Sherpa

Ex-workaholic adrenaline junkie
Messages
699
Location
USA
I am having some sort of potassium crisis:

I am currently taking methylcobalmin but no methylfolate.

I was on a low potassium, high sodium diet (for Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome) for 2 years.. maybe too long... and it may have cause a low potassium imbalance.

I recently went up from 500 - 1000mg of potassium per day to 1500 - 2500mg or more. I discovered I felt better with more. I had less fatigue.

But also, the more I drank, the more I wanted. One day it became 'insatiable' and I felt like I couldn't get by without drinking some every few hours without feeling bad. Kind of like I'm addicted to a drug. I need it to get through the afternoon. Then get through the evening. Possibly to sleep at night.

It's hard to tell if I'm overdosed or underdosed.

I feel like I am having some kind of paradoxical potassium deficiency where the more I take, the more I crave and the stronger my system demands it. The more I drink the more I want or the worse the 'wirthdrawl' symptoms become... I get thirsty, twitchy, sleepless.

Do I need to step up the potassium or back off it? Is it smart to chase the dragon and feed the potassium monster as it craves K? Are there any dangerous side effects from taking 3000mg of K/ day in liquids? Are the problems I am having caused by increasing too fast?

I feel really confused.
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
HOw about your current sodium and magnesium intake? They are needed to keep the potassium in your body.
 

Sherpa

Ex-workaholic adrenaline junkie
Messages
699
Location
USA
My sodium intake is average... I add some salt to food and to the potassium drink. My magnesium intake has been increased from 600 to 700 - 800mg per day to compensate for more K.
 

Sherlock

Boswellia for lungs and MC stabllizing
Messages
1,287
Location
k8518704 USA
@Sherlock Pulse slowdown is a symptom of??
Maybe impending death. Severe hyperkalemia can be fatal.

Hospital ERs used to treat severe hyperkalemia with sodium bicarb to create a potassium shift into cells. [edit: I don't know offhand what else might create such shifts.] You may have created such a shift which is why you seem to be exeriencing symptoms of low K. If you somehow next trigger a reverse shift, then you can end up with hyperkalemia.

[edit: acidosis might create a shift into circulation - pertinent maybe to ketogenic dieters and likely for diabetics]

All of this is why potassium supplements are limited to 99mg per tablet.
 
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Sherpa

Ex-workaholic adrenaline junkie
Messages
699
Location
USA
I had a nightmare last night that I nearly died because I took too much potassium. I woke up in terror. I couldn't sleep and then I took more potassium.

I really need to watch it.

I think my potassium was too low and then I over supplemented and I may have caused it to go too high.

Right now I feel really 'out of it' and can't concentrate well at work.

I think I will be OK but need to learn up on potassium and maybe monitorpulse, etc.
 

Butydoc

Senior Member
Messages
790
I am having some sort of potassium crisis:

I am currently taking methylcobalmin but no methylfolate.

I was on a low potassium, high sodium diet (for Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome) for 2 years.. maybe too long... and it may have cause a low potassium imbalance.

I recently went up from 500 - 1000mg of potassium per day to 1500 - 2500mg or more. I discovered I felt better with more. I had less fatigue.

But also, the more I drank, the more I wanted. One day it became 'insatiable' and I felt like I couldn't get by without drinking some every few hours without feeling bad. Kind of like I'm addicted to a drug. I need it to get through the afternoon. Then get through the evening. Possibly to sleep at night.

It's hard to tell if I'm overdosed or underdosed.

I feel like I am having some kind of paradoxical potassium deficiency where the more I take, the more I crave and the stronger my system demands it. The more I drink the more I want or the worse the 'wirthdrawl' symptoms become... I get thirsty, twitchy, sleepless.

Do I need to step up the potassium or back off it? Is it smart to chase the dragon and feed the potassium monster as it craves K? Are there any dangerous side effects from taking 3000mg of K/ day in liquids? Are the problems I am having caused by increasing too fast?

I feel really confused.
Hi Sherpa,

It is not clear why you need supplemental Potassium. Are you on any Potassium wasting drugs? Have you had a serum Potassium level drawn recently. Your best bet to determine what your Potassium intake should be would be to check your serum Potassium level. To prevent cardiac arrhythmias and possible cardiac arrest, the Potassium level must be within a relatively narrow range. I don't believe that your subjective feeling that you need potassium is necessarily correct.

Best,
Gary
 

Sherpa

Ex-workaholic adrenaline junkie
Messages
699
Location
USA
Hi Sherpa,

It is not clear why you need supplemental Potassium. Are you on any Potassium wasting drugs?

@Butydoc My desire to take potassium stemmed from getting great energy and also bad side effects from just 200mcg methylfolate. Dr. Lynch writes that low electrolytes cause methylfolate side effects that can go away with K & Mg supplementing.

Freddd wrote that 'most people need between 2000mg and 3000mg of K'

I tried going towards these doses and initially felt great, then awful the next day
 
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