Sleepless on Mounjaro? Exploring the link between Mounjaro and insomnia

Started taking Mounjaro and experiencing a few restless nights? You might be spending hours getting to sleep, waking up constantly, rising way too early, and feeling absolutely awful as a result.

Don’t worry, you may not be imagining things — there could very well be a link between the popular weight loss injection and insomnia. 

Luckily, though, you’ve got several options to try and combat it.

Does Mounjaro cause insomnia?

The average adult typically needs around 7-9 hours of sleep, but if you’re not getting that on a regular basis, you might be experiencing insomnia.

Defined as difficulty either getting to sleep or staying asleep (or worse, both!), insomnia can involve unsettled nights, multiple wakings, waking up too early, and general tiredness throughout the day thanks to a lack of sleep.

It can either be short-term (anywhere from a few days to a few months) or long-term (longer than 3 months).

And it can make you feel downright rotten, impacting your concentration, mood, mental clarity, and overall quality of life.

While it’s a really frustrating condition, it is pretty common: this sleep disorder affects around 1 in 3 people in the UK [1].

Insomnia can be caused by all kinds of things, including [1][2]:

• Stress, anxiety, and depression
• Being too hot or cold, or not feeling comfortable in bed
• Noise and other distractions
• Stimulants like caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol
• Menopause
• Conditions like high blood pressure, an overactive thyroid, Alzheimer’s, or Parkinson’s

It can also be caused by some medicines — including, potentially, Mounjaro. 

Even though insomnia isn’t listed alongside nausea, diarrhoea, indigestion and stomach pain as a common side effect of Mounjaro, many users have noticed it [3].

In 2023, researchers looked at the effects of semaglutide and tirzepatide — the active ingredients in weight loss medications like Wegovy (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide).

They analysed different social media sites including TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit and found that sleep-related problems were the most reported symptoms among users, with insomnia the most common of those problems.

A few even mentioned tirzepatide explicitly, saying it triggers insomnia [4].

How Mounjaro can affect sleep

So, what’s the reason behind Mounjaro’s potentially negative influence on sleep? Well, thus far there’s no evidence that Mounjaro itself causes insomnia, but some of its effects could lead to sleepless nights. 

Here are some possible explanations:

You’re losing weight

The weight you’re losing on Mounjaro could be contributing to a bad night’s sleep. There could be several reasons for this, including [5][6]:

• Hormonal changes triggered by losing weight
• Being on a calorie-restricted diet (which lowers melatonin production and can make you feel hungry, making it tricky to sleep)
• Doing vigorous activity like high-intensity interval training within an hour of bedtime (which produces stimulating endorphins and raises your body temp, making it tricky to get to sleep)

There is some research to back this up, with one study showing that weight loss is associated with trouble staying asleep [7].

You have low blood sugar

While not super common when taking Mounjaro on its own, combining it with other medications used to control blood sugar, like insulin, can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) [8]. Hypoglycemia at night can lower sleep quality, whether or not you have diabetes [9].

There are also several other causes of insomnia, which may not be related to Mounjaro at all. These include:

Your mental health

If you’re experiencing acute or chronic stress, dealing with depression or anxiety, or have another mental health condition, it can have a major impact on your sleep.

In fact, insomnia is the most prevalent sleep disturbance associated with anxiety, and half of people with a mental health condition also have insomnia [10][11].

Stress and anxiety produce cortisol, which makes it hard to relax and fall asleep, and an overactive mind can prevent you from transitioning to sleep.

Mental health conditions can also interrupt the balance of neurotransmitters that regulate sleep.

Your diet

There’s plenty of evidence that diet directly influences sleep, both positively and negatively.

A diet packed with fruit and vegetables, complex carbs like whole wheat and oats, and healthy fats may encourage a good night’s sleep, while one high in sugar, salt, refined carbs, saturated fats, and red meat can seriously disrupt sleep quality and possibly contribute to insomnia [12][13].

Your age

Getting older massively affects sleep [14]. Even though you still need the same amount of rest (around 7-9 hours), you may find that both the quality and duration of sleep go down and that you spend less time in a deep sleep and more in a light one [15][16].

Your sleep patterns might also adjust, with earlier sleep and wake times.

This is due to changes to your internal body clock and hormonal shifts as you age, and a big reason why women going through menopause experience insomnia.

Your bedtime routine

If you use screens like your phone, tablet or telly right before bed, it can wreak havoc on your ability to get to sleep.

The blue light emitted by these devices can disrupt the production of melatonin — the hormone that helps you get to sleep. When melatonin production goes down, you might have more trouble falling asleep

Other substances

Alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine can make it difficult to sleep, especially if they’re consumed or taken excessively or later in the day

It bears mentioning that some users find Mounjaro actually helps with sleep problems — albeit indirectly. 

This is because obesity increases the chances of experiencing sleep disturbances, and carrying too much weight can negatively affect sleep quality, according to several studies [17][18][19].

Interestingly, poor sleep can also lead to obesity and other health problems [20].

Other research shows that losing weight, which Mounjaro can obviously help with, may improve sleep in several areas, like snoring, observed sleep apnea, daytime sleepiness, and poor sleep quality [21].

Clearly, the relationship between Mounjaro and sleep is conflicting and complex, and it's not just Mounjaro alone that impacts your ability to get some shut-eye.

Many other factors like your weight, age, lifestyle and overall health can influence it.

How to manage Mounjaro insomnia

By now you’re probably itching to find out how to combat your insomnia. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to approach it, from dietary and lifestyle changes to support from your doctor. 

Set yourself up for a great sleep

There are several things you can do to improve your sleep hygiene and encourage a good night's sleep. These include [22]:

• Setting up a regular sleep schedule that involves going to bed and waking at the same time each night (even on weekends) to regulate your sleep cycles
• Keeping your room dark, cool and quiet
• Avoiding screens for about an hour before bedtime
• Limiting naps during the day (we know it’s difficult when you’re knackered, but do your best to keep them to a maximum of 30 minutes and avoid having them after 3 pm)

Adopt a balanced diet

You might’ve already adjusted your diet as part of your weight loss regimen, but now you’ve got another reason to do so: potentially improving your sleep quality.

Incorporate plenty of fresh fruit and veg, healthy fats like olive oil and complex carbs, and do your best to avoid sugary, salty, high-fat, and processed foods.

Some research shows that specific foods can also encourage sleep, such as kiwifruit, tart cherries, malted milk, nuts, fatty fish, and rice (but remember that no single food will cure insomnia; rather, it’s important to focus on maintaining a balanced diet) [23].

Exercise (at the right time)

There’s plenty of evidence that regular exercise can help combat insomnia.

If you’re used to doing high-intensity exercise right before bed (perhaps in the hope it’ll make you feel tired enough to sleep), try and adjust the time you work out to see if it helps with your sleep problems.

Limit sleep-disrupting substances

Things like caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine can affect sleep, so curbing your intake may help [24][25]:

• Stick to a max of 400mg of caffeine each day and limit consumption after midday
• Try to keep alcohol intake to 14 units (about the equivalent of 6 pints of beer or 10 small glasses of wine) or less each week
• Have regular alcohol-free days
• Avoid nicotine for 4 hours before bed

Try relaxation techniques

Meditation and deep breathing may help you feel more relaxed before bedtime, possibly contributing to better sleep.

There are lots of relaxation techniques specifically targeted at helping you fall or get back to sleep.

Look at underlying causes

There may be something else going on that’s causing poor sleep quality, like a mental health issue or an interaction with another drug, particularly if you’re taking diabetes medication.

Chat with a medical professional

If the insomnia doesn’t ease up, or you suspect one of those aforementioned underlying causes may be contributing to it, make an appointment with your healthcare provider.

They can either address the root cause or develop a proper plan to get your sleep back on track.

Reach your weight loss goals with Juniper

If you’re looking to lose weight but need an extra hand, Juniper’s Weight Reset Programme gives you everything you need to reach your goals

The programme combines breakthrough weight loss drugs (including Mounjaro) to encourage weight loss, hands-on support from a team of health experts, including clinicians, dieticians and health coaches, and access to an awesome app where you can track your weight loss journey.

If you have concerns about side effects, our clinicians are available to help address any questions or worries you might have, so you can use Mounjaro with confidence and ease.

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