Really, if it were this simple, we wouldn't have an obesity epidemic that is now even affecting children. Ever notice how nowadays if you say the word "nap", people will look at you like you're lazy? Or you're sick? "....something bust be wrong, why did you take a nap today? Are you coming down with something?" Naps can be so crucial in resetting your hormones, lowering cortisol, and normalizing insulin. Sleep has no calories, and yet it has a huge impact on whether we burn fat or store it.
There is such a disconnect when it comes to understanding hormonal responses in the body, that so many of us don't realize why we get the 3 o'clock brain fog everyday like clockwork, or why we raid the fridge after work in a trance, or why we have strong cravings that seem to come out of nowhere.
Sleep has dropped off our priority list in favor of supposed productivity. I say 'supposed' because, really, how productive can you be in a chronically exhausted state? We are glued to our computers, TVs, all artificial light, especially in the evening hours when our cortisol levels should be winding down in preparation for sleep and recovery. Artificial light, however, creates a stimulating affect, which then becomes responsible for the hormonal imbalance that keeps us up all night. The dilemma usually looks something like this:
- Alarm goes off: SNOOZE BUTTON 4 times; you're too exhausted and miserable to move.
- Finally drag yourself out of bed and run to the coffee machine, brew your coffee, and drink 2 or 3 cups before even thinking about getting dressed.
- Because you hit snooze all morning and are now late for work, you have no time for a real breakfast, so you go to work with just your coffee. Hey, at least it'll keep you awake, right? Plus it's probably blunting your hunger a little at this point so food is not a priority for several hours.
- It's 11am and all the coffee you drank to keep you 'awake' is now causing you to crash and burn. You need more stimulation to stop yawning and stay awake
- You go to the vending machine and grab some chips and soda, and a donut too
- Now you're so hungry you can't stand it anymore, because all you really did was create an insulin surge, which within 30 minutes has come crashing down
- By this point you've been pumped so full of stimulants from sugar/carbs/caffeine just to make it through the day, that you get home, raid the fridge in desperation and severe hunger pangs (this is actually an issue with willpower drainage, not discipline, which we'll talk about in an upcoming post), and turn on the computer to surf the internet, get on facebook, etc....
- You can't sleep. It's 1am..2am...you pass out eventually.... the alarm goes off...you do it all over again
Does this sound at all familiar to you? This is the modern day dilemma with stress, lack of sleep, and fat gain, and not understanding the connection between them. We live in a fast-paced world, where it has become painfully difficult to take time to ourselves, to restore our mind and bodies, to have personal quiet time, to focus, to plan, to be happy. We have to start focusing on the things we can control, and the situation described above really can be controlled, once we recognize it. Leave work-related matters at WORK; have family time without the interruptions of cell phones and computers; sit down at the table and eat slowly and enjoy your food; pack the next day's meals in advance so that all you have to do is grab and go; get in bed an hour early and read and relax. Make your restoration a priority.
For more information, I highly recommend reading "Light Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival" by T.S. Wiley, or check out the metabolic effect 4 week sleep formula program for scheduled start dates
