So I saw a story on the Today show this morning about sleep (I can't find a link to their story, but I have a few links below about sleep and dreams). It was about how adults should be getting at least seven hours of sleep every night; at best I get six, but I'd say I average about four. They also talked about how not getting enough sleep--essentially putting yourself into a state of sleep deprivation--causes all sorts of problems, including weight gain.
Now, I've felt for about a month now that I've gotten heavier...more accurately that my weight is becoming more fat and less muscle. I say that because my weight, i.e., the number of pounds, isn't changing, but my clothes aren't fitting the same. Everything seems more roly poly.
Somehow I need to assess what I think I need to be doing, and work on what I actually need to be doing. Part of it is getting back in the habit of checking my PDA so that I know what's due when. When I was in grad school, I was checking it every day to see what I needed to be working on. I've certainly falling out that habit.
Here's a link to an article on MSNBC about a possible link between not sleeping and obesity. And here's a link about how not sleeping, and therefore not dreaming, can adversely affect you.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Not Getting Enough Sleep
Posted by John Klima at 3/21/2008 07:49:00 PM
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4 comments:
Hope you get some much-needed sleep!
Sleep makes such a difference. I have borderline blood sugar issues (my dad is a diabetic) that get exponentially worse if I'm chronically sleep deprived. My dad was actually telling me about the study you mention just recently (and giving me a hard time about not sleeping enough). The connections are certainly there, and it's an interesting commentary on the possible connection between Americans being chronically sleep deprived (they are) and the obesity epidemic. Any weight issues I have are usually on the other end, but the connection between metabolism and sleep certainly seems clear from my experience. It's probably related to your body being put into a stress state, so it starts taking defensive action against hard times (when food may not be readily available).
Sleep is a good thing!
I always preach sleep and rest to people when they're feeling ill. As most of these things go, I don't take my own advice. :)
I had this past week off, so I was getting at least 7 - 8 hours of sleep every night. It's been very rewarding.
If you haven't looked at the Harry Potemkin link, it's really interesting.
Three hours last night. Fucking cons. (Very nice contextualizing, btw.)
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