Over the past two months I have woken up every night with horrible night sweats. Drenched. Go ahead, say it - GROSS! Yes, it really is. The last time this happened was two years ago when the doctors had me heavily medicated for endometriosis. So of course, what have I been thinking the problem is... hormones. I have literally been scouring the internet looking for new information on hormones, thyroid, replacement therapy, natural remedies, etc.... I had literally diagnosed myself. I was also slipping into semi-depression just knowing that I would have to go back to the obgyn soon. Two years ago I was in that office on a weekly basis either for tests, blood work, shots, or surgeries. It's a bad memory. It is also what caused me to change my life.
As many of your know I began eating Paleo in September of last year. My journey began with 30 days of strict eating. No cheats. This meant no sugar, fake sugar, grains, beans, or dairy. (Hopefully I didn't leave anything out.) Once my 30 days was over my gym conveniently started a Paleo Challenge and I signed up. This continued throughout the winter and helped me to lose 38Lbs. But most importantly, I felt great!!! Once spring hit I decided to ease off on the strictness and go 80/20 on my diet. Mainly I have been eating strict Paleo (with an addition of a Diet Lemon Lime soda nightly starting about two months ago... remember this) and on the weekends I am less strict. Ok, who's kidding who... I drink beer. Other than the beer, I'm still pretty much a Paleo eater on the weekends.
So let's get back to the night sweats. In addition to the night sweats I have been having hot flashes. The boyfriend will ask if I'm going through menopause with a humorous chuckle. Little does he know that it's very possible and scares the hell out of me. I'm already down an ovary so God only know what this body is doing! (And I mean that literally.... only He knows.) My final downer.... cramps. Yes, I know most women have pms cramps, but I'm so lucky that I have them on a daily basis. Right now they are just mild, but when my endo is in full swing I won't be able to sleep through the night without a heating pad. Being a woman is grand.
After a crazy conversation with my brother about my rising ailments he says to me "I wonder if you've become so healthy now that your body is fighting off your nightly Diet pop filled with fake crap?" WTH?! Is he nuts? So a couple of days ago I decided to stop the single nightly can of Diet Lemon Lime. Guess what? I've slept through the night... completely dry, I haven't overheated during the day, and I've had ZERO abdominal pain.
This has since led me to do some Googling on the side effects of artificial sweeteners. Holy crap, it is mind blowing. Here is one good read, but you might want to do some research yourself. All of this was just another reminder that what we put in our mouths really does effect our body, not just the number on the scale.
