I'm sorry I haven't posted again....life got in the way and I had some things I had to take care of.

On average, I tend to sleep 5-6 hours a night. I know that when I am rested, I naturally get 7 and wake up on my own, refreshed and ready for the day. So I figure that it is what my body likes best and I should shoot for that amount.

I have found several studies that have linked getting insufficient sleep to weight gain. This appears to be for two main reasons...when you have a lack of sleep two different hormone levels are effected. You leptin level drops, which is the hormone that sends the signal to your brain that you are full, and your ghrelin level shoots up significantly, this is the hormone that induces hunger cravings. Translation: You're overtired, your brain says EAT and then doesn't tell you to stop. Can anyone say "Midnight munchies"?

For me, I can also add...and I'm too tired to exercise.

Most of the studies I have read did not mention naps, but one article I read did say they counted towards the total. I would guess that straight through is best, but if you can't do that then naps are better than missing the sleep totally.

I'm also a teacher, but I tend to burn the midnight oil to get my schoolwork done. The more I thought about it after reading these articles and such, the more I realize some of my biggest weight gains have corresponded to this bad habit I have developed of staying up too late and the munching I do when I do it. (and bigger dinners than I should) So, I'm trying to be good now in the sleep department. Either way, I figure it can't hurt to sleep more than I am and it is definitely in keeping with the healthier lifestyle I am trying to create for myself.

Another teacher here too. I used to sleep pretty well, but I found that over the past years as stress levels climbed in the job, entire new curriculums were introduced and were to be taught in full in the first year, and demands became insane..i.e. I am supposed to be able to help a poor teacher program for a Gr. 8 class of 33 with developmentally disabled child, autistic child, bi-polar child, three gifted and 15 LD, hmmm how many um.."average"kids does that leave...oops off topic..

back on topic..my sleep suffered dreadfully. I worried and worried and would get myself so upset it would be dawn, I would throw up and go to work. I now would guess I sleep about six hours...but with several waking periods. Fibro and chronic pain are no help either...sleep disorder is the companion of fibro and it is hard to say which comes first.

I know I should work harder on sleeping more...but it has become such an ordeal, at times I dread even thinking about going to bed. I have read many studies that link sleep deprivation to depression, weight gain, heart disease, earlier onset of cognitive impairment, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome..the list is endless. I have also read all the steps for good "sleep hygiene"...but I think they would drive me nutsier than I already are!:dizzy:

In my opionion, "Average" is one of the worst myths ever forced on education...

My best friend has Fibro. She has the same problems you are experiencing. So sorry you are going through that.:(

I usually get about 5 hours of sleep. Wish I could get more, because I always feel tired and sluggish. I try to get to sleep earlier but there is always something else that needs to be done and I guess my body is just so used to getting up at 5:30 am because even when I can sleep later I do not. I think my body needs more than 5 and I'll work on that.
Is there any benefit to weight loss with the amount of sleep one gets?

From what I have read, apparently so. Less sleep is supposed to mess with your hormone levels and make you want to eat more and not know when to stop. (See earlier post.)

I have found several places with studies cited....here's one from WebMD.
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders...while-sleeping


I don't know if it is true for everyone, but I know my largest weight gains have occured since I started getting less sleep. I gained 5 extra pounds with each of my two pregnancies, but I gained 30 pounds since I started staying up late trying to get everything done.

Thanks for the info. When I think about it I see that I too have had the largest weight gain since getting less sleep. A great reason to really try to get more sleep. Another problem to work on.

Just for the record, I've always been an EarlyToBed, EarlyToRise person, averaging 8 to 9 hours per night, and I still have had to struggle with weight !

are we counting naps on the couch?

i go to bed around 10 or 11 and get up during the school year at 4:30....

but most nights i die on the couch from 8-10 (and i'm alseep then too) it's just that the dogs need to go out at 10... so i need to get up for them.

40+ and need support
 

I am new to this site and could not figure out how to start my own post so hopefully this is okay. Hi was reading your posts and since I have been on the Crack the Fat Loss Code I have been sleeping more. Go to bed at 10:30 or 11:00 and wake up at 7. Before I would go to bed at 12:30 or 1:00 and wake up at 7:00. I feel more alert now that I am getting 8 hrs. I always thought I could survive on 5 hrs and that is maybe contributed to my weight gain. I never had a weight problem until I hit 40. I went from a size 9/10 up to a 16 in 5 years. Now I am in a 13/14 and hopefully soon an 11/12. I also found out a had a thyroid problem which contributed to my weight. I started dieting 3 months ago and went from a 216 to 201 or and I am 5' 6". Just started the Crack the Fat Loss Code last week and have lost 4 lbs of the 15 on this plan so far. It's hard but I am determined and sticking to it. I know two other people that have had amazing results with it. But you have to follow it to a T. I am going to Florida in a month and want to lose another 10 lbs at least. From all the posts I have read I think this is the group for me. I am 46 and feeling my age more so and know I need to get the weight off for my health, not to mention my knees. Also I was wondering if someone can walk me through how to get or create that tape measure with your starting weight and goal. Or how to post a picture. I'm not very good with that kind of stuff. I look forward to being a part of this group.

Greetings
 

Hello Klmetz, and welcome to the forums!

To post a picture and create the tracker .... Go under "User CP" at the top of your screen. You can find everything you need there.

To add the picture, you will want to go under "Edit Avatar" and then you can either click on one of the ones there or add your own from your computer using "Browse". When you get the one you want, click on "Save Changes" at the bottom of the screen.

You will find what you need for the weight trackers under "Edit Signature". In the top box, there is a message and it says "Click here to get started." Again you will want to save your changes. Changing the weight amounts is easy. All you need to do is go under "Edit Signature" and change the numbers in the script box on the screen.

Hope that helps!

I can definitely see your point...I just know for me, after reading these studies and thinking about it, I realized my biggest increases started when I started sleeping less too. I think the contributing factors to weight gain are different for different people...and that's what makes weight loss such a tricky thing to do.

I probably sleep an average of 6-7 hours a night. I'd love to get 9-10 but that's probably never going to happen.

I get 7-8 hours a night. I'm usually woken 2-4 times a week by one of my kids (aged 3-8, so they are young and it's okay with me). But I just crawl into bed with them and go back to sleep.

Thanks k8t for the help
 

Thanks for the info k8t. I just found out I can't get the signature for 15 days since I am a newbee. Oh well. I will just have to update everyone weekly on my progress.

K

That's fascinating!! Thanks so much for posting. I gained nearly all of my weight since I had my three kids!! When they were little, naturally I didn't sleep much, and my sleep was very broken up by midnight nursing sessions, or three year olds with bad dreams... Now the kids are older, but I still tend to be a light sleeper, a habit I picked up in those early days of parenthood.

I probably should try to sleep more.

hopefuldreamer