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Jena's report, theories, and questions all in one
Hello.
My name is Jena. I am new here. Some background about me. Female, 33 years old, stay at home mother with a 1 and 2 year old (so I may be delayed in any responses), and hold a PhD in Neuroscience (with a background in human biology, chemistry, and so on and so forth). Though I am a trained scientist, I've done a really bad job of recording my progress on the low vitmain A diet. And I still feel horrible -- referring to the almost-daily fatigue.
This is my story in a nutshell. A lot of the details are fuzzy and not exact.
I used to consume tons of carrot juice and spinach for a long time. I remember having it on my grocery list every week. And I used to take daily multivitamin supplements for years (including vitmain A).
Around 2020, I noticed that I started getting insomnia from eating spinach. And I gained 30 pounds (!) over covid lockdowns, but then lost it towards the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021. After I lost the weight, I remember not being able to eat any leafy greens, spinach, or any other vegetables without getting insomnia. During this time, I was also suffering from FODMAP intolerance so I omitted onions and garlic from my diet as well. So I omitted all of these foods from my diet. Another thing I noticed during this time was that sunlight exposure also gave me insomnia.
Then, some time passed, and around 2022, I started taking prebiotics in the form of potato starch. This replenished my gut with good flora and I was now able to consume high FODMAP foods (except for beans) with no digestive issues whatsoever. Interestingly, whenever I'd eat onions or garlic, I'd sleep like a baby that night (really good sleep :)). Sunlight also seemed like it was effecting me less by this time.
Then, in 2022, I regrettably started taking supplements again, in anticipation of getting pregnant. The supplements gave me no issues with insomnia, so I somehow thought my issue was resolved. In 2023, I got pregnant and continued my prenatals (along with taking preformed vitamin A -- I know.... I was really into supplements at the time, not knowing the damage I was doing). I developed gestational diabetes requiring insulin. Continued taking postnatal and again prenatal vitamins with a subsequent pregnancy (that had more severe gestational diabetes). During this time, I had no issues with sunlight or vitamin A foods whatsoever.
I gained a lot of weight (about 50 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight) with the back-to-back pregnancies.
And started losing the weight in December 2025. After I lost my first 10 pounds, I started getting my sensitivities to high vitamin A foods again (mainly, the insomnia) along with sunlight causing insomnia. And this time, eating eggs would make my eyes itch. And I will get hives on my elbows and other parts of my body from accidental consumption of vegetables.
I am still very sensitive. It's been several months, I believe, on low vitamin A diet. I do consume non-fortified dairy as part of my diet. I also have been suffering from immense fatigue during the day, where I simply cannot move on with the day without taking a nap.
Progress/changes:
I don't know if I have any. My hair seems to fall out less and I have better dental health. But with accidental exposure to vitamin A foods and sunlight, I still very much suffer from insomnia, get hives on my skin, and get itchy eyes. I also get anxiety and feel depressed a lot in general (with the low vitamin A diet). And can get very irritable. I don't know if that's related. I am about a year postpartum now.
My theory:
Vitamin A, being a fat-soluble vitamin, was being stored in my fat cells. And when my body was releasing the fat, it was releasing the vitamin A along with it. And now my liver is probably saturated. When I gain weight, I am able to consume vitamin A without issues because my liver is not getting hit with it, but my fat cells are holding onto it quietly instead. I don't know how it related to my symptom of insomnia.
Questions:
Has anyone else suffered from insomnia (from food and/or sun exposure)? How long did it take for this symptom to improve on the diet? I guess it also depends on how much vitamin A one needs to get rid of.
Would getting a liposuction for these last 20 pounds of fat, theoretically help? Maybe that's not worth it to look into anyway.
I've left a lot of details out for simplicity's sake (and because I speedily need to attend to my ever-needy toddler and baby!)
Thank you!
Added Edit:
Other things that give me insomnia are: zinc, pure olive oil on my skin, certain ingredients that are "extracts" -- for example, "flower extract" in shampoo, EDTA in foods.
Relating to my pregnancies, glory to God that I have two healthy (and absolutely precious) children.
After my first month or so on low vitamin A, I developed painful ovarian cysts after my LH surge (preceding ovulation). They seem to have disappeared and not returned since then.
Hi @jena
Unfortunately, I have suffered from insomnia for almost my entire life, so I cannot blame vA toxicity on that, but who knows. Maybe that has been the cause (or a contributor) all these many decades? Sunlight actually helps me sleep better on days when I get adequate sun.
Your story is quite interesting, and certainly contributes to the information we know about how this 'vitamin' negatively affects people.
I have never heard of lipo being a way to help eradicate vA, but who knows. If it is indeed sequestered away in fat as many suspect, that theoretically might be a way to get some of it out of the body. Seems like a rather drastic method of detox with uncertain wellness gains.
Best wishes to your health.
Thank you so much, Bruce! Best wishes to your health as well!
Hi @jena
Personally, I would steer clear of any medical procedures that were not necessary !
I have found that being on a strict low a diet, my fat melts off on its own. Right now my meal plan consist of brown jasmine rice , rice cakes and meat. I consume at least 3000 calories a day and I am usually still hungry! 🤤 for the last month or so, I have been watching my bat wings disappear. My arm muscles look more defined . My face and chin have decreased in fluffiness too!
Have you tried eating carbs at night when you wake with insomnia? I find I sleep best when I eat a really late dinner. Also if I am active during the day I sleep better.
Ginny
Thank you, Ginny! That's great to hear of your weight loss on the low A diet.
I've also found that more carbs helps me sleep better, too, but because I am prediabetic, I am trying to limit my overall daily carb intake.
Usually my culprits for insomnia are unavoidable sun exposure (example: a long drive in the car with the sun shining on me), accidental consumption of vitamin A foods, or not having eaten enough calories during the day, the latter which usually fixes itself with a middle-of-night snack.
I suspect that sunlight increases circulating vitamin A which may explain why it gives me insomnia (since vitA foods give me insomnia).
Joe2 and others have been very good at describing the theory that we are either in-toxing or out-txing.
It could be that in-toxing actually gives you better sleep (at least in the short run), and out-toxing give you worse. Out-toxing is hard work.
I also have the theory that you can be in acute or chronic mode. Acute is when you are in everything-must-go mode. It often results from too much bad stuff in one week. (and not just vitamin A).
Chronic mode is the long term buildup of fats that are inflammatory (because of the crap that is stored there). Symptoms of this are weight gain, putting calcium where it doesn't belong, blocked arteries, eczema of any surface (and subsequent intolerances to environment), excess visceral fat, nerve damage. I suppose insomnia might result from things like asthma or poor digestion or emotional upsets in this mode in the long run (but maybe not in your 30's).
Acute mode is when you are barfing, having headaches, malaise, night sweats and nose running. Insomnia might occur because you are actively suffering.
@jena. I used to have what would be referred to as sleep maintenance insomnia. I could fall asleep fine at bedtime, but I would wake up around 4-5AM and have trouble falling back asleep, even though my alarm was several hours later.
Thankfully, my sleep has improved a lot, and I no longer have insomnia. I think the improvements were gradual, slow and steady. I probably noticed the first signs of improvement within 3-6 months, and then continued improvement after that point.