Sleep. Sweet.

I read an interesting compilation of news articles on the subject of sleep. These articles explained how sleep is directly linked to health, good performance, wits, weight maintenance and beauty.

Personally, I think that really explains a lot!

I learned that “sleep may well be the third essential component of a long and healthy life, up there with a good diet and regular exercise”. For someone like me who puts so much emphasis on eating the right foods and exercising I sure do allow hard, deep and wide cuts into that third component of healthy life.

No wonder a lot of things.

One article explains that “The hormone leptin tells the body when it should feel full; when leptin levels drop, the body craves carbohydrates. That’s what happen(s) after a week of sleep deprivation… “With the low leptin levels of sleep debt, your body will crave carbohydrates even though you’ve had enough calories,”

Uhuh, so that’s what’s happening.

Apparently people who “short-change their sleep needs almost every day” are pointing their body to “a whole list of diseases connected to sleep deprivation”, such as diabetes for example. 

Just in case the whole weight gain and beauty loss factor wasn’t hitting home for me the articles went on to share that “those who try to cheat sleep may be getting less out of their extra waking hours than they think. A recent study showed that people who were awake for up to 19 hours scored worse on performance tests and alertness scales than those with a blood-alcohol level of .08 percent—legally drunk in some states. If they’ve pulled an all-nighter, pilots, surgeons, or the people responsible for charging your credit-card account might as well be drunk.”

Well “walk the line” just took on a whole new meaning.
 

But I usually get more work in at night than I can ever get to by day. So what to do? Well there was this one point on that “The irony is that although many of us trade sleep for productivity, we would actually be more productive if we slept more. We concentrate better and are less easily distracted when well-rested.” I should at least try it. The catch is probably that I have such a large sleep deficit that I would need to sleep 8 hours a night for 6 weeks before I’m on par with sleep for my body and actually able to concentrate better and be less distracted while awake. Lemme see if I can do that.

Okay, laugh with me not at me. Heh.
 

These doctors and researchers also seemed pretty intense about sleep for this reason: “The National Sleep Foundation reports that people who don’t get enough slumber are more likely than others to develop psychiatric problems and to use health care services.”

By the time I got to this paragraph (which basically describes me) I was pretty sure I needed a huge life change:
 

“The first thing to go for the sleep-deprived is “that top ten percent of original thinking.” This deficit is noticed first by writers, artists, software developers, and others who are engaged in highly creative work. As your sleep debt grows, even rote thinking and regular performance suffer. Your access to short-term memory is impaired, reaction times decrease while your irritability increases, and you develop cravings for sweet, starchy foods.
 

“On a physiological level, sleep deprivation will mess with your basal metabolic rate—you’ll constantly feel cold and crave high-calorie foods—and the secretion of hormones will diminish. It will throw your immune system a sucker punch, so expect more viruses to get their grip on you. You’ll also age faster. They don’t call it “beauty sleep” for nothing!”
 

Like I said, this really explains a lot!
 

All this relation between sleep and health, beauty, and good performance, may seem too obvious. Still it’s something I haven’t seemed able (or maybe it’s willing) to connect the dots between in my brain. It’s good stuff though and I’m changing my life slowly to fit more sleep in. I’ve done a few major things to show that I’m serious about a life change: One I have been sleeping a little more lately. Or at least not feeling guilty or like I’m wasting time when I do. Two; I’ve given up coffee. I can safely say this now that I’ve been off of it for 3 full weeks. Oh I know ,lots of people give up coffee on a regular basis. I used to do that too. Only difference this time is that I’m never going back.

I still like the taste, the comfort of the cup, and the socialness of it, so I’m drinking decaf. But the Lord told me that I needed to do something to show Him that I’m serious about wanting His help and healing. I’ve been asking for prayer for better health and healing for my ribs, back, neck, and shoulders which are out of alignment. Along with going to the chiropractor I’ve been praying for healing and He said He would do it as long as I showed Him that I’m willing to do my part. So this is my part.

I never thought I would do this, or say this, much less publicly blog about it. But, oh well. Now that I’m off coffee I actually do feel slightly ever so slightly calmer, and definitely more in touch with my body. I actually know when I’m tired and I’m not always ignoring my body’s needs for rest and relaxation and sleep. And even though it seems like things are moving in slow-mo sometimes, I’m cutting down the highs and lows, which cuts down the crash and burn syndrome a bit too. So maybe one day I’ll actually listen to my body and start going to bed when it tells me it wants to. :-)

So what am I doing up blogging? I’m off to catch some beauty sleep. Zzzzzzz

Oh, but let me open just half of one eye to leave you with this quote:

We are creatures with bodies that are finite and contingent. It is God and God alone who “neither slumbers nor sleeps.” To sleep, long and soundly, is to place our trust not in our own strength and hard work, but in Him without whom we labor in vain. Get a good night’s sleep.
 

I like it so much …maybe I’ll tagline it.
 

(Sources: Compiled from articles by Susan Brink, US News & World Report; Jeanie Lerche Davis, WebMD News; Lauren F. Winner, Christianity Today; Rob Stein, Washington Post )