Rainbow Fitness Flower: Sleep

I’m. So. Tired.

I need sleep. I love sleep. As a new mom (both times), during each of their first years of life, I was certain that I was NEVER going to feel rested again!

You could say I’ve never been a real night owl (although my parents would probably object to that statement having experienced my high school weekends firsthand). But really, I would happily go to bed by 9PM and honestly, my most productive hours occur between the hours of 5 and 9AM. I’m weird… I know…Maybe it has something to do with my name? I’ll blame it on them for calling me Dawn, I guess.

So what does this have to do with fitness? More than most people realize!

For me, it’s a simple calorie consumption issue. If I stay up late, guaranteed I will eat something. (And usually by then, my snack choices are less than stellar… think Pop-Tarts, ice cream, chips…) If I just go to bed, I fall asleep and never have that feeling of hunger cross my mind.

All of this is connected to the hormones, ghrelin and leptin, in particular. Ghrelin makes you feel hungry (I must be an overproducer! I’m almost always hungry!); whereas leptin makes you feel full. When your body is sleep deprived, ghrelin increases and leptin decreases, causing you to eat more than your body really needs.

Nighttime sleep resets these hormones and allows them to work efficiently. I appreciate the way Jade Teta of Metabolic Effect compares it to downloading computer software. It takes TIME – you need to reboot on daily basis. Your body can actually switch from fat-storing processes to fat-burning ones overnight — IF it has enough time, like 8-9 hours preferably.

In addition, the actual time you go to bed is significant as well. Our bodies were designed by the Creator to sleep shortly after the sun sets. Think about it. Before there was artificial light, humans had to sleep when darkness arrived. Even exposure to artificial light/screens/etc. delays the timing of these fat-burning processes that typically occur overnight. AND – these processes stop when the sun comes up. So if you don’t go to bed until after midnight, you get 5 or less hours of real darkness, which is not enough to reset your hormonal systems.

Now I know it may seem impossible at this stage of your life to get 8-9 uninterrupted hours of sleep between the hours of 10PM and 5AM. I’m realistic. I understand. I’m just putting it out there as something to consider if you feel like you’re working hard on the nutrition and exercise pieces, but you’re just not seeing any changes in your health and wellness.

If you are thinking about trying to make some changes in your sleeping patterns, start small. Just work at going to bed 15 minutes earlier than normal. Let your body adjust and try another 15 minutes until you get to the point that works for you.

Proverbs 3:24 tells us that when we lie down, “our sleep will be sweet.” Oh, the irony! Find your sweetness in your sleep instead of the sweet (or savory) snacks you might be consuming if you were staying up late!

Early bird, or night owl? How has sleep affected your health?