My lack of sleep results in cravings. - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

JerseyGirrl · 08-24-2009, 11:38 AM

Ok so I found out the hard way that if I stay on plan but don't get enough sleep..I will start to have cravings. Saturday night my boyfriend and I were watching a movie at home. I was dosing off on the couch when I hear him yell and I open my eyes to a bat flying/dive bombing at my face. Long story short...eventually my boyfriend caught him while I stood outside crying like a little girl LOL. The bat was actually kinda cute when he was all wrapped up in a blanket and I felt bad for him while he was shrieking, but here I am 2 days later and haven't been able to get a wink of sleep(even though we have sealed everything off and haven't had any signs of more bats) and I'm having cravings like a mad woman...not to mention my monthly friend right around the corner not helping at all!!! I haven't caved in though, except for the fact that I'm drinking a ton of coffee to keep me awake through the work day but right now I don't see a way around that. So now I'm sitting here exhausted...scared to go home until my boyfriend gets home from work very late at night...jittery from the caffeine and heartburn from all the coffee, but I will not give in to my cravings. I never really thought(although it is kind of common sense now that I think about it) that lack of sleep would cause cravings. Anyone else have this problem...or bat problem?

harrismm · 08-24-2009, 11:40 AM

Sleep deprivation for me is a bad thing!!!

KO · 08-24-2009, 11:45 AM

If I don't sleep I want sugar. . .Can you try a unisom or tylenol PM? it will take you a few days to get back on track

JerseyGirrl · 08-24-2009, 11:50 AM

I'll probably buy some tylenol PM after work and try that tonight. The little bit of sleep I did manage to get yesterday(during bat-free day light hours LOL) didn't help much and of course I was having nightmares about dozens of bats living in my storage space, so I have to try something to help me sleep tonight. Thanks for the suggestion KO.

sarahyu · 08-24-2009, 11:52 AM

Oh definatley for me too. Good for you for not giving in to your cravings. Exercise that will power. I tend to want the sugar and junk for the energy. I'm so tired that I know that it will make me feel better-like comfort food. But for me, it doesn't really work and then I eat more thinking that maybe I didn't eat enough of that sweet thing that's why it didn't work. It's a viscous circle.

Is the caffeine also going to affect your ability to sleep tonight? I have that problem also, I drink the caffiene to stay alert at work and then even though I'm dead tired I can't get to sleep at night.

Bats are wonderful little critters-except when they are in your house. Do you have a hole in your roof? You don't want them nesting in your attic.

Good luck
Sarah in MD

JerseyGirrl · 08-24-2009, 11:59 AM

sarah...the caffeine doesn't really effect my sleep too much...I'm pretty much cutting myself off now anyway because it isn't really helping and just giving me heartburn.

Not sure if there is a hole in the roof. I called an exterminator and a company to come out and insulate the house with foam..which will seal up any holes as well as save a ton on the heating bill. In the mean time...we sealed off any tiny cracks our holes within the house. I also read that if you spray any possible entries with ammonia it keeps them away. I have a feeling he came in through the storage closet in the attic...so I sprayed the walls in there with ammonia and threw mothballs in there(don't know if it works, but a few sites said it does). I live in a city area where we don't really have a bat problem. Just see one here and there flying around but not very often, so I'm hoping they aren't nesting in my walls. I sooo want to move right now LOL.

beerab · 08-24-2009, 12:16 PM

I think you have to just tell yourself it's a freak thing that most likely will never happen again.

JerseyGirrl · 08-24-2009, 12:24 PM

I would but apparently this happened last summer also when I was away on business but my bf didn't want to tell me because he knew I wouldn't sleep(smart man). LOL So maybe I'll tell myself it only happens once a year and we already met our annual bat quota. LOL I should be ok tonight...I'll try a tylenol PM if I can't fall asleep on my own. It should do the trick because I can't even take cough syrup without knocking out.

beachgal · 08-24-2009, 12:55 PM

Jersey, we've had the bat problem. I love them, so it doesn't cause me sleep issues. We sealed off as much as we could and they've stayed away since. If you are concerned, call someone in your area to help you ensure your house is as bat-free as possible--preferably someone who doesn't just try to kill them. If you look up "wildlife experts" in your area, they can help.

Getting enough sleep is ESSENTIAL to weightloss. When you don't get enough sleep several things happen. First, you "lose" less weight overnight. Your morning weigh-in will reflect your lack of sleep. If you get enough sleep the next night, this problem will disappear, but if you rarely get good sleep, you'll find that it's very difficult to lose. Secondly, the lack of sleep will, as you've found, give you cravings. Here's why:

from Sizenet

Quote:

New research by Dr Shahrad Taheri from Bristol University, and colleagues in the United States, examined the role of two key hormones that are involved in regulating appetite, ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin increases feelings of hunger while leptin acts to suppress appetite. People who regularly slept for 5 hours were found to have 15% more ghrelin than those who slept for 8 hours. They were also found to have 15% less leptin.

from an article on Mindfood

Quote:

A University of Chicago study found that getting an average of 6 1/2 hours each night can increase cortisol, appetite, and weight gain. The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7 to 9 hours ... In one study, appetite, particularly for sweet and salty foods, increased by 23 per cent in people who lacked sleep.

The good news: A few nights of solid sleep can bring all this back into balance, and getting enough regularly helps keep it there. Says Talbott, "You'll eat less, and you'll feel better, too."

So, basically, when you don't get enough sleep, you not only don't lose weight, but you also become hungrier/have cravings which can make you gain. It's very important to get enough sleep.

So do what you have to, Jersey, to get back into a regular sleep pattern, even if it means sleeping under a mosquito net, talking to your doctor for some temporary sleep medicine, or hanging a necklace of garlic around your neck. It really is important!

JerseyGirrl · 08-24-2009, 01:23 PM

Thank you for the info beachgal! It makes perfect sense! I think I'll be ok soon..might just take a couple nights for me to relax and know it is not coming back. I have an exterminator coming out tomorrow...he says he doesn't kill them if he finds any. I don't want them dead..just out of my house, unless he wants to start chipping in on the bills. LOL They are actually very cute close up, minus the creepy wings.