Chocolate & Sleep?

I know this has zero foundation on any Google search or medical support, but...
I have a pet theory that I've been working or for a few years. On days when I eat a serving of dark chocolate (especially in the PM) I always wake up many times during the night. This has a distinct feeling which is different from a caffeine rush. Theobromide?
Note: This is not "myjanine" I'm her husband watching her daily afternoon intake of dark chocolate. Sleepyhead is showing multiple wake-up in her APAP data.

Warning, Janine's husband! For your own safety, do NOT get between a woman and her dark chocolate.
If the worst happens, you have only yourself to blame.

Or could she be allergic like me to what is in the chocolate. Mind you, I'm not allergic to chocolate per my allergy testing - BUT I am allergic to an ingredient in chocolate that is NOT listed on the package ingredients. It is one that can cause breathing problems. I would ruin everyone that loves chocolate if I told you what is in it. If you want to know, PM me.

I think it's possible. I've experienced a high correlation between evening dark chocolate consumption and fragmented sleep. Of course, correlation does not mean causation. But doesn't chocolate contain caffeine?

Ogeo - for crying out loud... can you please just give us the name? This is a medical related forum and we'd all like to know - you may not be the only one affected.

Ogeo wrote:Or could she be allergic like me to what is in the chocolate. Mind you, I'm not allergic to chocolate per my allergy testing - BUT I am allergic to an ingredient in chocolate that is NOT listed on the package ingredients. It is one that can cause breathing problems. I would ruin everyone that loves chocolate if I told you what is in it. If you want to know, PM me.

hey, I love sausage, and I know what's in that! (in fact, I used to make venison/pork sausage with my grandfather. then we'd hickory smoke it in the shed out back.

plus one for that ... altho I will never eat real chocolate .... it gives me Migraines ...or is it from whatever he is not telling us is in it?

Some people, me for one, are extremely sensitive to chocolate even in small quantities.
For me, eating 3 Hersheys Kisses in the morning, doubles my AHI that night.
So, yes, there could easily be a connection.

grayghost4 wrote:plus one for that ... altho I will never eat real chocolate .... it gives me Migraines ...or is it from whatever he is not telling us is in it?

It is quite possible that you are allergic to the same thing I am because headaches are another symptom.

Julie wrote:Ogeo - for crying out loud... can you please just give us the name? This is a medical related forum and we'd all like to know - you may not be the only one affected.

So anyone who doesn't want to know should NOT continue to read this post. When I had my allergy testing done last month, they did the foods one week and the inhalents the second week. I was so excited that I wasn't allergic to chocolate the first week. Although I am allergic to chicken and baker's yeast. So the second week I found out some of the allergies that I thought would show their face: sagebrush, 6 different grasses, plus a few others but the one I was most allergic to was cockroaches. I told the allergist that was okay since we don't have cockroaches where I live. Her response was - you eat chocolate don't you? It seems that the cockroaches come with the beans and our lovely government allows the equivalent of 60 body parts of cockroaches to the equivalent of 2 chocolate bars. So now I can't eat chocolate. If you want to know more, go google chocolate and cockroaches. Also in my research, I found articles that suspects cockroaches to be the problem why so many inner city children have asthma.[/color] NOW, I warned you not to read this if you didn't want to know so I am very sorry if it ruins your ability to eat your chocolate. I loved chocolate before this and still want some but I'm taking shots so who knows, maybe I'll be able to eat it down the road.

I don't really care--a dozen Ghirardelli 60% chips, and I am a happy frog.
Sure glad I'm not a cat. A little theobromine makes a joyful froggie.

What is the science to explain why cockroach parts equals asthma?

Lots of people have asthma for lots of reasons, and lots of people eat roaches for protein (wherever they are on the planet) and don't have asthma. I must be missing something.

Whole cockroachs would be a problem, but I already know that I get rat hairs, miscellaneous insect parts, and so on, in my food, so what's a few cockroach parts compared to the pleasure of good chocolate?

Ogeo wrote: I loved chocolate before this and still want some but I'm taking shots so who knows, maybe I'll be able to eat it down the road.

http://www.ohnuts.com/blog/diy-chocolat ... dy-recipe/

Here is one of the articles I read. There is a lot of info out there.
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/mar2005/niehs-08.htm

From another article: "Cockroach dust is a major asthma trigger and may reduce lung function even in people without a history of asthma." The source is: http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/a ... -in-adults

Another quote: "Allergy sufferers who react to chocolate might be shocked to learn their allergy could be linked to something other than the cocoa bean: an allergy to cockroaches." The resource is: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2 ... o-roaches/

I never knew I was allergic to foods so this is all new to me. In the last month I've had several changes so to pinpoint it on just one item would be impossible. I have stopped eating chocolate, chicken and all related foods and anything with yeast in it. I started taking allergy shots and I started on my AutoSV due to breathing problems. When I didn't react to the asthma medicine the doctor started me on, he started looking elsewhere for the cause of my breathing problems. I have always had headaches my whole life and had problems with my nose being stuffed up. Since these changes, my headaches have pretty much gone and I have been able to breathe through my nose for the first time I can remember. I can take a deep breath without going into a coughing fit. NOW if I could just find a mask that I like, I'd be set! LOL.

palerider wrote:

Ogeo wrote: I loved chocolate before this and still want some but I'm taking shots so who knows, maybe I'll be able to eat it down the road.

http://www.ohnuts.com/blog/diy-chocolat ... dy-recipe/

Got to love that link!!!!!