Like a Rock

Maggiano's was great last night, although our waiter was a bit of a doof. For three people, two of whom ordered wine, with lots of leftovers, I was shocked that the bill only came to $65!

I ordered two sides for the table: broccoli and asparagus, and I filled my personal plate half-way with that before I put anything else on it. I'm sure there's oil on the veggies, but it's still a damn sight better than a plate full of cream-sauced pasta! I ate until full, but not stuffed, and had a bit of cake when we got home, but only a tiny bit. Then I went to bed and slept like a rock. I was rewarded by not having a massive jump on the scale this morning.

My better choices certainly had something to do with my gain of a mere one pound, but I think there was another key factor: sleep.

Sleep is something we don't often think about when we think of diet and fitness, but it is an essential part of the process. While sleeping, the body has the time to repair itself, to adjust to new information, and generally recharge. If you think of the body like a hybrid car, there are two types of energy it needs: gas (fuel, food) and electric (energy, rest). I know the analogy isn't perfect, but you get the idea. When the body don't get enough rest, it can try to compensate for it with additional fuel, but that is not the best choice.

In the fast-paced world today it is easy to find excuses for not getting enough sleep as it is. Add to the pressures of living the time required to show for an prepare food with consciousness, exercise and be healthy, and so on, and it seems like somethings gotta give, and it can just be sleep. It doesn't help that our society seems to look on needing sleep as a weakness.

The first key is putting oneself first. You can't be a help to anyone if you are in crisis yourself, so limit your commitments to those you can genuinely enjoy handling. Learn to say "no" and how to delegate.

Another key is organization. Much of the reason it takes so much time for many people to get through the basics of living is simply poor organization. Programs such as those at FlyLady.com can be helpful in this (although I didn't groove on the tone as much as others do), and there are plenty of books on the topic that can help.

Many people do make time to sleep, but not enough or, in some cases too much. Oversleeping can be just as counterproductive as under-sleeping. (Their is a difference between lounging about in bed on Saturday morning and actually oversleeping, be assured. Lounging is a fun, healthy treat and should be enjoyed whenever reasonable!) Every body is different, and their needs change over time due to aging, changes in diet and activity, stress, and so on. I suggest (caveat: based on no medical training whatsoever!) that it's a good idea to perform periodic "sleep tests" to see how much time one should be allowing for sleep on a given day.

This kind of sleep test is simple. All you need is your safe, comfy bed, a clock and a notepad and pencil. When you go to bed, note the time you go to bed. Do not set an alarm! (Obviously, do this when you have no pressing commitments the next day.) If you have difficulty getting to sleep and notice that it has been 20 minutes or more since you went to bed, make a mark on the paper. If you wake in the middle of the night and have trouble getting back to sleep, make a mark on the paper. When you wake naturally in the morning, get up and take note of the time. You should feel refreshed and energized. (perhaps after a few stretches.)

If there are a lot of "can't sleep" marks on the paper, consider stressors in your life that may be making it difficult for you to sleep. Adopt good sleep habits such as going to bed at the same time each night, avoiding naps, not drinking caffeine or exercising too close to bedtime, etc. Be sure to allow yourself extra time to sleep for the next month or so, as you will probably continue to have difficulty for a while. (All good things take time.)

If you have a pretty "clean" record, look at how long you slept well. If you awoke refreshed, then this is probably an appropriate amount of sleep for you on most evenings. Allow for the same amount of sleep, making adjustments for things like especially active days spent in the sun. Try another test in 6-8 weeks, and adjust appropriately.

What about naps? I think they work for some people. If you can take a 20 minute nap and awake feeling refreshed, that's great, go for it! If a nap leaves you groggy, you probably aren't getting enough nightly sleep and need to work on that first!

So where did all this rambling about sleep come from? Well, remember that plateau I was struggling with a few weeks back? I looked at my journals and checked out what was going on. Food was fine, so was activity, but sleep and self-care were in the toilet! I got back to sleeping enough, and sure enough, I started losing and feeling good about it again!

Posted by foxydot at July 13, 2006 11:14 AM