I was just glancing over a couple of articles on the connections between healthy sleep / insulin resistance / weight loss / appetite control / etc. It's pretty clear from the data that getting sufficient, good sleep EVERY night is extremely important to the battle we're fighting. So, I'd suggest that we add a "good sleep of 7 to 8 hours per night" points category to our monthly points challenge, to raise our mutual awareness and work on incorporating a good habit. I think it's at least as important as drinking enough water is. (Probably more important, in terms of what a deficiency does to health.)
While I don't participate in the challenges anymore (but they were really helpful when I was losing weight!), I think it sounds like a good idea because rest is so important. However, it kind of penalizes those of us in middle-age who have sleep disturbances caused by menopause. I know I'm always thankful when I can sleep 5 consecutive hours.
It also penalizes people with chronic insomnia, which already makes staying on plan harder (exhaustion = no energy to exercise and harder to resist temptation/stay on plan).
I don't participate in the challenges, but I've considered joining, and this would prevent me from doing so, I think.
Shoot - it's a good idea, you're right. The others are right too in that some people can't sleep. I suppose it's a little different from food, drinking water or exercising as everyone can do something, heck - my paraplegic FIL gets what exercise he can. I'd NEVER win a challenge again. I am sadly lacking in the sleep department. You bring up a good point about the importance of sleep though, which I'll try to remember tonight before 2 a.m.!
Well, like with every point on the challenges, perhaps it just needs to be stated as "sticking to your sleep plan with the knowledge that 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep is optimal for health." I don't really see these challenges as a true competition between participants, rather they are a self-competition. What participant A chooses to do for exercise is not the same as person B or C, but they all get the point for exercise if they've stuck to their plan. Ditto how we do food and water.
I think sleep is a very overlooked issue for the majority of women. We are workers, moms, spouses, housekeepers, etc etc etc and end up not sleeping as much as we should, which negatively impacts our health.
I think you make a very valid point. I think we all overlook sleep as part of a healthy lifestyle. I think it's much more important than people realize.
However, I don't really think it is a good addition to the challenge because so many people have issues with sleep.
I suffer from chronic fatigue -- part of MS.. which gets a lot worse during the summer months. I've been struggling with my points since spring/the heat started, partly because I have been immensly drained-tired but unable to sleep (trying melatonin this week though)
I think that maybe it should be an option. Calculate the total points possible earned with 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Also calculate the points w/o the sleep points. That way there could be a winner from either side. I think making it a choice will encourage those who dont get enough sleep to try and thost that are insomniacs could still do the challenge. IE- Points possilbe with the 7-8 hr sleep 500pts
Points available w/o sleep 400 pts
The person with the highest points in the sleep catagory gets 450 pts BUT the person doing it w/o the sleep gets 376. That person would win because they have a higher percentage of points earned in their catagory.
I don't really see these challenges as a true competition between participants, rather they are a self-competition.
Me either. Really it is a challenge for oneself. However, if I had a medical condition for not being able to sleep it really would be undermining to me if I were unable to get a 'good' score because sleep is impossible.
Can you provide links on your sleep articles? I've been thinking lately how important it is, and how much I lack... maybe some good articles could help me realize!
Can you provide links on your sleep articles? I've been thinking lately how important it is, and how much I lack... maybe some good articles could help me realize!
Here's some of the ones I was glancing over today:
There's also a good section on sleep in the Superfoods RX sequel book, but I can't find my copy in the pile right now. If I succeed in digging it out, I'll post more info.
Sarah- thanks so much for the articles! Good night time reading.
ETA: I found this interesting:
Quote:
According to the results, when bedtimes were restricted to five-and-a-half hours study subjects consumed more energy from snacks. The carbohydrate content of ingested snacks also increased for this group.
I really am more snacky without a proper night's sleep and it makes sense that one would seek energy from food if not getting energy from sleep. Off to bed! Thanks again Sarah.
One of the points from the Superfoods RX sequel book (which I still have not found) was that when sleep length is restricted to less than 6 hours over a period of time so that there's a running sleep deficit, otherwise-healthy people develop symptoms of insulin resistance. (A study of a group of healthy college students was cited, where they restricted their sleep for a week and tested.) Symptoms reverse when sleep is caught up. Interestingly, symptoms of insulin resistance also develop when subjects sleep more than 9 hours per night.
Getting enough sleep is an ongoing struggle for me, because I am NOT a morning person (I'm a super-night person), but I have a "normal" job and have to be there by 8 am. This means in order to get enough sleep before getting up at 7 am, I have to go to bed at what is, for me, the unholy hour of 11 pm. I hate it, hate it, HATE it, but if I don't do it, then I'm extremely tired and won't get my body moving during the day and I'll be overly hungry AND retain water, too. Usually by the end of the work week I'm running a couple of hours of sleep deficit, due to my struggle. But I'm doing better than I used to.
A suggestion for our monthly points challenge
