The article that made the most sense to me was this one and it's a doozy. I don't think most of us get enough restorative sleep, which is Phase 4 sleep. Read the article, you'll understand this better. Sleep, the Great Healer, by Don Bennett, DAS
Also, an article from an early study on Lack of Sleep Can Lead to Weight Gain sheds light on the relationship of sleep and diet. Recent studies (2008) indicate that our hormones ghrelin and leptin are dependent on sleeping--but not just any sleep--a good deep sleep (Phase 4) for enough hours. "In a properly functioning brain, the two hormones are released on and off to regulate normal feelings of hunger. But research has shown that sleep deprivation can alter ghrelin and leptin levels." The following three-page article is excellent in explaining the effect sleep has on your weight: Why a Lack of Sleep Can Make You Fat, and How to Keep From Gaining Weight. Be sure to read it to the third page.
I'm including the following article because it's slightly related, but mostly because it's downright interesting: Hibernating Bears' Wounds Heal Without Scars. Who knows if bears' hibernating habits will reveal cures or will provide help for humans' scars or other related ailments. It's still interesting to learn about bears' restorative powers.
Anyway, my thinking is: with enough sleep I'll heal better, feel better and lose weight faster. (Of course the wired jaw liquid diet is causing a fast weight loss--11 lbs in 3 weeks. I don't recommend it to anyone!)
In my current healing state, I CAN sleep more. That's the easy part since I'm not working at this time. So I'm making that my goal for now: get enough deep sleep.
I can work on the correct way to eat and lose weight when I'm better.
Exercise will be brought into play when I am getting enough protein and other nourishment.
But for the rest of you, remember, it's all related in your body--sleeping, eating and exercising--to help you feel and do your best.
Take care of your body--it's your temple. Or, as a friend of mine used to say, which totally works for me: "My body is an amusement park."
Enjoy the ride called life.
Travel Bug being amused.
For the last few months I have been having sleep problems. Slow to go to sleep and waking every hour. Doctor suggested melatonin, but it isn't really helping. I don't want to take sleeping pills. I find I like them too much!
ReplyDeleteMerikay,
DeleteSorry to hear about your sleeplessness.
I've had sleep problems quite a bit because when I head for bed the first thing I do is worry. My brain just won't quit. Keeping a pad and paper next to the bed helps because I can write stuff down. I haven't had to do that for a while though because (1) we're not currently moving around the country; (2) I'm not working; (3) life is pretty simple right now.
One thing that made a huge difference to me was getting enough calcium. In fact, to go to sleep now, I drink 8 oz. of warm (not hot) soy milk (I'm lactose intolerant) before bed and I'm sleeping soundly. The soy milk has plenty of calcium in it and there's something soothing about warm milk.
Just a thought in the "it couldn't hurt to try" category (unless you're allergic to calcium or writing down your worries).
Susan
You really are on a roll tonight....I'll have to keep that quote.... Your body may be a temple, mine is an amusement park! Karen
ReplyDeleteIt struck me as an "aha!" moment when my friend uttered that quote. Love it. Glad you do too.
DeleteHi, thanks for coming by and following my blog, it is appreciated. Re: Sleep, it is important, I'm 65 years old and feel that sleep, good nutrition, stretching, exercise and attitude play a role in keeping a person feeling young and healthy, oh and also having a few oreo's with a glass of milk at night! Penny
ReplyDeletePenny,
DeleteLife wouldn't be the same without a treat once in a while, would it?
Susan
No it wouldn't Susan. I'm guessing feeling good inside really does strengthen our immune system as well as our /mind body's desire to heal and stay healthy, oh and moving (the body)too. But treats yup I am so there with that one!
DeleteHave you considered buying a heavy duty blender? We recently became vegans and bought a Blendtec blender. Every morning I make green smoothies with it. It becomes completely liquid so that we can drink it with through a straw. Believe it or not, the green smoothies are very tasty....just green. I didn't know it before we went vegan, but you can get protein from veggies.
ReplyDeleteOne cup of cooked soybeans (29 gms of protein), lentils (18 gms of protein), black beans (15 gms of protein), kidney beans (13 gms of protein), chickpeas (12 gms of protein), veggie baked beans (12 gms of protein), pinto beans (12 gms of protein), black-eyed peas (11 gms of protein), peas (9 gms of protein), spinach (5 gms of protein) and broccoli (4 gms of protein) should all be eaten
You can liquefy any of the above things...
Keep sleeping. I'm sure that is very good for the healing process.
Karen & Al,
DeleteWe used to have a Jack La Lanne juicer in our stix and brix home. We sold it when we moved into our 5er. Every morning we used to have our breakfast juice with carrots, beets, celery, apple, spinach and some alternating ingredients.
Thanks for the reminder about the blender/juicer. I think it's time we bought a new one.
Susan
I can tell you with the events of this summer that sleep is a great healer. You are still injured and, although well on the road to recovery, not there yet. So listen to your body. If you are drowsy or feel like you want to nap, do it. Your body knows best. You've been doing a lot of running around lately, too, so I hope you'll take some down time to just hang out and chill out. As far as worrying when going to bed, years ago when I would do that, I'd say to myself, "Okay, what can you do about it RIGHT NOW?" The answer was "Nothing, it's late at night. Tackle it tomorrow." A bit of Scarlet O'Hara there, if you will. Then I'd zzzzzz away! You're doing great! Keep it up, but take time to let your body help you! Gentle hugs . . .
ReplyDeleteA good reminder. Thank you.
DeleteI discovered how important sleep was several years ago. I was working at an extremely stressful job and was having huge sleeping problems. When I finally left that job, I was falling asleep all the time. My doctor told me it would take months for my body to recover from the sleep loss. He was right. It took several months, but I finally was able to stay awake watching TV and my body healed itself. Sleep is an amazing thing, and we are very fortunate when we don't have problems with it. Hang in there. Your body is healing itself. Sleep away!
ReplyDeleteI am going to take your suggestion about the warm soy milk. I tend not sleep well. I wake up often and my mind goes right to worries. I attempt to sleep around 6 hours a night but it is never restful. On the other hand, I do eat well and exercise so I keep my weight down and seem to be healthy.
ReplyDeleteCheryl,
DeleteHave you tried the warm soy milk? Has it helped?
Susan
I'm new to your blog and I am so glad I found it. For years I didn't sleep more than a couple hours at a time and was always tired when I woke up. Reading the article you posted was like reading about me. After a visit with my Dr. Now drink a cup of herbal tea with Valerian in it amongst other herbs. I also take Melatonin. Exercise before noon was also suggested by my Dr. Being type II diabetic I have to be careful with the carbs
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you are healing and i agree with you it's a hard way to loose weight.
~Betty from Milwaukie, Oregon
I have heard about melatonin and valerian, but have not tried those options yet.
DeleteIf you had ever read any of the James Harriott novels, you would have read that lots of his farm animals that he treated recovered through restorative sleep. Sleep it does a body good.
ReplyDeleteI have read one James Herriott novel about cats.
DeleteSleep is definitely important. I'm doing my best to get more.