sleep deprivation and weight loss(GAIN!!!)

allikat93

OKAY... I know this has probably been asked before but my phone hates me and won't let me search the forums. Please bare with me.

The past couple weeks I have had a really REALLY hard time sleeping. I manage to get maybe 4 hours average each day. And I get it an hour at a time. There has been alot of stress in my life these past couple weeks and I know this plays a part. But even with sleep aids (I have zquil.. And it rarely works.. Even if I double the dose) I cant sleep for more than an hour at a time.

The scale has told me I have gained about 7 lbs but my boyfriend mentioned today that I look much smaller (I didnt tell him I gained some weight back). I think this is water weight because I havent noticed any clothes fitting snugger (I have actually seen the clothes get bigger!!)

So I am curious to know exactly what sleep does. And what I can do to sleep for more than an hour at a time. Except for tonight (When I have to stay up.. Long story) I havent really had any caffeine. A sip of pepsi here and there when the bf has some. Anyway... Thanks for reading and helping me understand this.

(I really wanna see that scale go down again.. It is kinda depressing)

allikat93

Bump!!

allikat93

I managed to thread kill my own thread! WOOHOOO!!! I rock. (sigh... W/e)

pkw58

Hey, i hear you on the sleep deprivation. I am focusing on getting more rest and making sure i get at least six hours and hopfully get to a solid 8 hours by Christmas Eve 2013.

I dont know how it physicallly impacts me, but i know my brain needs the rest so it doesnt impair my judgement.

I have read a lot about aging , sleep and how to keep my energy level up. There are healthy habits for sleep patterns just like their are for diet and exercise... Like going to bed at the same time every night and having before bed rituals (brush teeth, reading, lights out) as well making sure ou are optimizing your sleep environment (no electronics with pesky lights, quiet) ... Good job on making a focus point -

allikat93

I read myself to sleep usually and it tends to result in me getting wacked in the face with my phone.. Which wakes me up so i have to start over lol. But lately that isnt even helping. Ugh.

My bf has to have his noise maker on to go to sleep.(usually on the beach waves setting and it makes me have to pee!!) I like having the heater on for noise because it drowns out the horses kicking in their stalls all night.

None of this has affected my sleeping before. It sucks.

allikat93

Anyone have a suggestion for OTC sleepaids??

allikat93

No?!? Well.. Okay *crawls back under rock*

Mini_Medic

Melatonin is a natural OTC sleep aid. Benadryl can be used but often if creates bad grogginess if you don't get a full night sleep on it. Camomile tea is helpful for some.

*I used to have terrible insomnia. If you haven't already, cut down on sugar and caffiene altogether or at least after noon. Eat an early dinner and don't snack late in the day/night. Start a routine and stick to it. For me, I can easily make myself fall asleep if I get my body warm enough, so stack on the blankets. I like to drink tea (non caffeinated) before bedtime. I typically take a shower and hit the sack. Now I have the opposite problem of over sleeping!

Best of luck!

gaiagal3

I have terrible insomnia and take 4 prescription meds for it. At this point you might want to see your doc since its so bad. OTC at this point...unless you take alot...which you shouldn't..isn't going to help. Trust me, I would know Do you know if you have sleep apnea? You might want to ask your doc about it just in case. I've seen a sleep doctor and they said that lack of sleep causes weight gain as well. Hope you can get this resolved soon.

knovello82

I have been on a sleep medication, as well...and unfortunately I am addicted to it. Try what other suggested before asking for a prescription.

Melatonin is a natural sleep aid & it is not addictive, so you may want to try that. Make sure you keep a regular pattern...go to bed the same time & get up at the same time. If you normally get up at 7 am, and can't get to sleep until 5...DON'T sleep until noon. Also do not take naps. Avoid caffein (even a sip of pepsi can cause sleep problems).

I am sorry you are going through this, I know how it feels. But at the same time I wish I was never introduced to the sleep aide I am addicted to.

MrsBozz1

I don't have any helpful hints :frown: but I totally understand the lack of sleep! While I have NO trouble falling asleep (anytime, anywhere) my beautiful 7 month old baby girl is getting up at about 5am :sad: so I am only getting 4-5 hrs. :yawn: I hope this doesn't cause me to gain I want to lose!! I wish you the best and lots of sound sleep!! :flowerforyou:

Aakani

I would definitely suggest going to your doctor and talking about this-it could be something like sleep apnea or insomnia and maybe some prescription meds would really help you out. You probably know about cutting out caffeine after noon and all that, but I definitely recommend exercising in the evening-especially doing weights. Nothing makes me sleepier than making myself physically tired (though I do understand that plenty of times it is mental alertness that keeps you up).

Anyway, definitely see your doctor! I hope it gets better! And don't worry about weight gain until you can start sleeping regularly, because weight gain is definitely normal since you burn calories when you sleep and when you are awake, you are more likely to eat.

savithny

What sleep does? Look up James Maas, who is a sleep researcher who has written some very accessible work about his research (and that of others).

Sleep is incredibly important, and he (and other researcher) believe that chronic sleep deprivation may be one of the factors behind the obesity epidemic. The vast majority of people need a full 8 hours (plus/minus 15 minutes) of sleep to be fully functional. He has found that college students kept to 6 hours or less of sleep per night for a week begin to show blood levels of insulin, cortisol, leptin and ghrelin that are out of whack -- in his words, "they look like senior citizens."

That's not even getting into the cognitive effects. Sleep deprivation has as large an affect on coordination and response time as being at the legal blood alcohol limit. It affects memory and sports performance as well.

but yeah - not getting enough sleep can make you fat. He said, anecdotally, in one experiment where they made subjects sleep 8.5 hours a night? They lost a pound a week on average without trying.

timontwowheels

I am in the Navy and fly for a living and am unable to take many of the sleep medications on the market while in a flight status. The most often tried for me is ambien 5mg. I was taking two or three of these a night and still getting no more than 3-4 hours of sleep at a stretch and was unable to go back to sleep once I woke up. My sleeping problems started back when I was an RDC (the Navy's version of Drill Instructor) and was working 120 hour work weeks. I have been out of that job for nearly three years now and still have the trouble sleeping. I will go two or three days with 3-4 hours sleep at the most and some nights with none then on the fourth or 5th day crash for 12 hours. I find the more I work out and the better the shape I'm in the less sleep I tend to need. Yet I nearly always, regardless of diet and workout routines, feel sluggish throughout the day and am constantly having to fight for motivation.

Some background info:
Diet is fairly low fat, high fiber and loaded with fresh veggies.
I drink no less than 5 22 ounce bottles of water a day regardless of any other beverages I might drink (morning coffee)
I don't drink often and when I do it isn't binge drinking it is usually just a few beers or a single glass of scotch or burbon (roughly 3 oz)
Exercise is at at least 4 times a week and I strive for 6 though it is tough with my flight schedule making my schedule change nearly every day (currently on deployment so working rather weird hours) My exercise routine ALWAYS consist of 60 min on the elliptical plus 5 of cool down, I jog half a mile to/from the gym as a warm up/cool down, I do dips, pull ups and crunches every day I make it to the gym this is my routine at a minimum with other exercises thrown in for targeted results.

Now that you have a great deal of my info any suggestions? I do read my self through the night more often than not trying to get tired and white noise machines only exacerbate the sleepless nights amplifying them into silent and sleepless fits of rage.

missybct

I don't suffer from deprivation as such, but I am sleeping a lot less than I ever have done despite doing more during the day (significantly more) and have always been a restless sleeper. This could be linked to my mental health problems but has never really been an issue in 28 years!

Anyway, what I was going to say was that I did some reading up on it a while ago for a friend and there was the suggestion that the bedroom should literally only be a room where you sleep and relax, meaning; no TV, no computers, no real electrical stuff like cell phones (other than alarms and emergencies) - you go to bed, you read (reading is okay) and fall asleep. Not as simple as that I know - especially if you only have a room to live in (shared accommodation, dorms etc).

Obviously simple things you probably know like hot drink (non caffeinated) and a bath, relaxing routine - but if it's severely impacting your life, definitely go to your doctor.

Proyecto_AN

Sleep deprivation mess with your cortisol, leptin and other hormones. You will probably end up eating as a defensive mechanism then get caught in a vicious cycle that will ruin your metabolism and give you "gains".