Importance of sleep and weight loss

jkleman79 · May 2011

I wanted to write this story for everyone so you all will understand the effects sleep has on weight loss. I was diagnosed narcoleptic 15 years ago now, and had problems long before that time. What most people know about narcolepsy is that you are very sleep and or nod out through out the day. Well the reason isn't that we are just tired people. You get the statements like " Must be nice to just nod off, or wish I could sleep like that anytime during the day" Well truth of the matter is the reason we sleep so well is that we don't sleep at night. Imagine falling asleep in the blink of an eye. It takes me 6 minutes or less to enter REM sleep, and the average person 1.5-2 hours , and you remain in REM for upwards of 2 hours before you slip into stage 4 sleep for awhile and let your body recover and rebuild.

So the problem is that I never leave REM once I am there. If I do come out of REM it isn't to go down into stage 4 its to go up to 1 or 2 again. So for the past 15 years I have never actually slept. I have lived on prescription speed of some sort as well as illegal substances to make it through the day. To become a valued citizen. Of course everyone knows the harmful effects of speed on the body and your heart. Well try having that being the only way you can stay awake. You would think you would never put any weight on like that. Well at one point I weight 270 pounds with a 40+ % body fat. Nothing I could do would make it go away. I then crash dieted to make most of it disappear for a short time of course because everyone knows they don't actually work.

Well recently I was prescribed GHB from my doctor, as it is still legal in most countries in the US it is a schedule one narcotic due to its use in date rapes. What is has done to me is change my life forever. I am know getting 4-6 hours of stage 4 sleep a night. I am now dropping sometimes up to 3 pounds a week in weight and my body fat is lowering literally by the day. So just by getting actual sleep my body is doing what it needed to do a very long time ago. SLEEP.

So if you are not getting the sleep you body wants and that most of you are capable of and you are not losing any weight or at a plateau make sure you are not forgetting one thing you have complete control over, or you can think of us as narcoleptic 's that haven't slept for the better part of our lives.

GET YOUR SLEEP!!

dirtyblue · May 2011

Some very good information, thank you!

Very glad to hear that you are finally feeling better. Must be nice to get your "life" back! Congrats!

Fernandomike · May 2011

Wow, that is one tough hill to climb. Congrats on heading in the right direction. Also, thanks for the information and advice on sleep.

RosalieCrain · May 2011

this was very informative! Thanks!

jellyfishjen · May 2011

Thanks for the info. I am a poor sleeper and often have a nap during the day. No one understands the needs of a poor sleeper.

KarenLouise1981 · May 2011

Thanks for the useful post! I am so sorry to hear you have had a rough time with such a basic function but pleased you are now managing to control it enough to benefit. And I can only imagine your relief at the weight loss too, Well done!

I think I have the opposite problem however. My sleep pattern is all over! I am a night owl and struggle to sleep before 1am regardless of the rituals I try before bed! then can't wake before 10am and feel groggy all day :-( Downside of being a vampire...midnight munchies!! lol!

RTricia · May 2011

bump

Xaspar · May 2011

I am sorry for your trials, but glad that you have found a solution. Those of use who are good sleepers take it for granted sometimes. I once worked a night shift job from 11pm to 8am (while a single mother of 3) and when I got home from work, the kids were off to school. But, I couldn't sleep until around noon or one in the afternoon (body was wound up even though I was tired). By the time I got to sleep, shortly thereafter the kids got home from school (3pm). They tried but sometimes they couldn't be quiet enough to allow me to continue sleeping. Someone had to get up and make them dinner and help with homework, etc. I was on this schedule for 6 months and in that 6 months I gained about 30 pounds! I wasn't eating poor food choices. I was exercising (even rode my bicycle in to work each night). I was TIRED! My body basically gave up and said, if you won't take care of me, I can't take care of you.
Sleep is definitely important! Thanks for the post.

runlorirun · May 2011

I am glad you are finding a way to control it.

I have insomnia, not just occasionally either, I fight it every night. Once I get to sleep, I am fine, it's actually getting to sleep. I have been doing a bit better and the weight is coming off, but the last three days have been hard. Not in bed until 12:30ish (if I am lucky!) and up by 6:30, I have noticed either no loss or up .2 to .4 of a pound those days.

Today I am starting back to no naps during the day, in bed by no later than 11 pm. I have found listening to audio books has help, at least I am in bed earlier. On a very rare occasion I will take a sleeping aide.

chatterbox3110 · May 2011

Congrats and keep up the good work! It is so hard to explain to others how you feel through lack of sleep, for whatever the reason.

I was diagnosed 18 months ago with moderately severe (their description not mine LOL) sleep apnoea, having spent the past 5 years struggling to sleep at night, but having little problem during the day - nodding off in meetings, sat at my desk, watching TV, I was even known to nod off in mid-sentence!

I now have to use a CPAP machine, which provides continuous air pressure to keep my airways open. One of the main causes is obesity, and I'm trying my best to get back to a point where I don't need this infernal machine to keep me alive any more. I'm currently 22lbs down since the beginning of January, and 45lbs down from my heaviest ever weight. I have a long, long journey to go but knowing that I'm not alone helps!

Just having almost a full night's sleep has made so much difference to my energy levels, and as I lose weight I'm getting back to a stage where I can start to exercise again.

Good luck on your journey!

justaloozer · May 2011

Congrats! And thank you for the advice!

marci355 · May 2011

I wanted to write this story for everyone so you all will understand the effects sleep has on weight loss. I was diagnosed narcoleptic 15 years ago now, and had problems long before that time. What most people know about narcolepsy is that you are very sleep and or nod out through out the day. Well the reason isn't that we are just tired people. You get the statements like " Must be nice to just nod off, or wish I could sleep like that anytime during the day" Well truth of the matter is the reason we sleep so well is that we don't sleep at night. Imagine falling asleep in the blink of an eye. It takes me 6 minutes or less to enter REM sleep, and the average person 1.5-2 hours , and you remain in REM for upwards of 2 hours before you slip into stage 4 sleep for awhile and let your body recover and rebuild.

So the problem is that I never leave REM once I am there. If I do come out of REM it isn't to go down into stage 4 its to go up to 1 or 2 again. So for the past 15 years I have never actually slept. I have lived on prescription speed of some sort as well as illegal substances to make it through the day. To become a valued citizen. Of course everyone knows the harmful effects of speed on the body and your heart. Well try having that being the only way you can stay awake. You would think you would never put any weight on like that. Well at one point I weight 270 pounds with a 40+ % body fat. Nothing I could do would make it go away. I then crash dieted to make most of it disappear for a short time of course because everyone knows they don't actually work.

Well recently I was prescribed GHB from my doctor, as it is still legal in most countries in the US it is a schedule one narcotic due to its use in date rapes. What is has done to me is change my life forever. I am know getting 4-6 hours of stage 4 sleep a night. I am now dropping sometimes up to 3 pounds a week in weight and my body fat is lowering literally by the day. So just by getting actual sleep my body is doing what it needed to do a very long time ago. SLEEP.

So if you are not getting the sleep you body wants and that most of you are capable of and you are not losing any weight or at a plateau make sure you are not forgetting one thing you have complete control over, or you can think of us as narcoleptic 's that haven't slept for the better part of our lives.

GET YOUR SLEEP!!

I feel for ya.....My step-dad had narcolepsy. He would start to nod off while driving us kids around in the car!! He was on RX, for his whole life. I remember thinking what crappy things my mom and him had to deal with cause of it. I've seen the disease first hand and wouldn't wish it on anyone. So glad you're doing better!

jlsAhava · May 2011

Thanks for sharing! I'm so glad to hear you're doing better. I've got similar sleep issues (though not diagnosed as narcolepsy). Many people say they'd love to be able to fall asleep as easily as I do... if only they knew how truly embarrassing in can be! :embarassed:

Thanks for the useful post! I am so sorry to hear you have had a rough time with such a basic function but pleased you are now managing to control it enough to benefit. And I can only imagine your relief at the weight loss too, Well done!

I think I have the opposite problem however. My sleep pattern is all over! I am a night owl and struggle to sleep before 1am regardless of the rituals I try before bed! then can't wake before 10am and feel groggy all day :-( Downside of being a vampire...midnight munchies!! lol!

I am glad you are finding a way to control it.

I have insomnia, not just occasionally either, I fight it every night. Once I get to sleep, I am fine, it's actually getting to sleep. I have been doing a bit better and the weight is coming off, but the last three days have been hard. Not in bed until 12:30ish (if I am lucky!) and up by 6:30, I have noticed either no loss or up .2 to .4 of a pound those days.

Today I am starting back to no naps during the day, in bed by no later than 11 pm. I have found listening to audio books has help, at least I am in bed earlier. On a very rare occasion I will take a sleeping aide.

KarenLouise1981 and runlorirun - have you ladies spoken to your doctor and/or sleep specialist about your issues? I'm betting that getting a sleep test would be a good first step in getting your issues figured out.

I've had a couple due to my own sleep-related issues. After each sleep session (either during the night or throughout the day) they ask you questions about when/if you think you actually fell asleep. Of course you're all wired up, so they already know the answer. But they do this because many people don't realize that they have indeed fallen asleep. If they are falling asleep, it would mean that someone who is convinced he's an insomniac, may have a different issue altogether.

In any event, speaking to a sleep specialist about your difficulties is bound to be helpful in figuring out how to manage you sleep.

Best of luck to you!

Atlantique · May 2011

I'm glad that you finally found a solution!

Lack of sleep has many effects, including an increased production of cortisol. Excess levels of cortisol can be correlated to weight gain.

My mother has sleep apnea and the CPAP has made a world of difference for her. She also used to nod off basically any time she sat down for a few minutes and often while driving. She uses her CPAP faithfully and is doing much better these days.

Sleep studies can be rather expensive if they aren't covered by insurance, but more and more plans are covering sleep studies all the time because untreated apnea is strongly related to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, obesity and car accidents. It's cheaper to treat the apnea than it is to treat the problems it causes, so insurance companies are becoming more willing to pay for it.

deniseg31 · May 2011

Congrats for hanging in there...I am glad you are finally getting the much rest and results you so deserve. Just recently they had something on the news regarding sleep and weighloss. Thank you for sharing.

jlsAhava · May 2011

Atlantique - good point about the cost. At the time, I was fortunate to have insurance that covered my tests in full (it would have been thousands of dollars otherwise). This was a good ten years ago. Now I'd never even consider it... I try to totally avoid doctors, since I don't have health insurance at all! *ACK!*

l3ugjuice · May 2011

I should probably go see my doctor, then.

My wife has made fun of me for years because I tell her I dont dream, which she doesnt believe. She's had me convinced for years that it's not I dont dream, it's that I just dont remember it. Seemed reasonable. In the last month, I've bought a monitor that tells me about my sleeping habits. I average 4:59 of sleep every day, with a 75% efficiency (meaning, I lay down for about 6 hours...I just wake up constantly). I'm relatively certain it's not sleep apnea or anything similar, I'm just a notoriously light sleeper...so if my wife rolls over in bed, or if the cat jumps up on the bed or something...I wake up. I've always been that way.

I've actually been meaning to go see my doctor to ask about Ambien or something similar, after reading your post I'll try to do so ASAP. My weight has been coming off pretty well even without getting any sleep, if sleep will make it better...sign me up!

myofibril · May 2011

This thread reeks of true awesomeness.

Everyone wants to know "what's the best fat burning workout? Is it tons of low intensity steady state? Is it wind sprints? Is it HIIT?

No my young padawan - it is sleep. Think about it. It is a perfect workout at low intensity, which burns calories, does not strip away recovery (in fact its assists it), is gentle on the joints, lowers not raises cortisol, AND you get to do it with Sofia Vergara (in my dreams? Well yeah...)

In addition, your not shovelling calories down your gullet whilst your asleep either (well, most of us that is.)

Sleep. It's beautiful.

mishellywelly · May 2011

I had trouble sleeping too like the past 4 years and when i mean i didnt sleep i mean i DIDNT sleep i just stayed up and read a book and got bord which caused me to eat more at night cus my mom couldnt tell me not to eat or to whatch how much i take and nag me about it but scence i started trying to lose weight i sleep like a baby and eat less!!!! so i can defenetly second that sleep helps soooo much!!

jkleman79 · May 2011

Congrats and keep up the good work! It is so hard to explain to others how you feel through lack of sleep, for whatever the reason.

I was diagnosed 18 months ago with moderately severe (their description not mine LOL) sleep apnoea, having spent the past 5 years struggling to sleep at night, but having little problem during the day - nodding off in meetings, sat at my desk, watching TV, I was even known to nod off in mid-sentence!

I now have to use a CPAP machine, which provides continuous air pressure to keep my airways open. One of the main causes is obesity, and I'm trying my best to get back to a point where I don't need this infernal machine to keep me alive any more. I'm currently 22lbs down since the beginning of January, and 45lbs down from my heaviest ever weight. I have a long, long journey to go but knowing that I'm not alone helps!

Just having almost a full night's sleep has made so much difference to my energy levels, and as I lose weight I'm getting back to a stage where I can start to exercise again.

Good luck on your journey!

Yes falling asleep everywhere!!! Talk about feeling like you cant go out with people or you finally get tired of seeing the pictures of you sleeping on the bar or out with friends. I finally went and had my sleep study done after it was taking me over an hour to drive 20 miles home from work in the country, and of course seeing the whites of peoples eyes a few to many times. I knew my luck and karma was sure to run out and I was going to harm someone else or myself. So yes everyone that has major daytime sleeping issues please get checked out. Don't take that chance, I am always afraid that I am going to get pulled over for drifting in the lane and such and them think I am drunk. Being tired is the same or worse than being intoxicated. It is not worth taking the chance. If you know anyone that has narcolepsy please let them know about the drug XYREM which is what the medical world calls GHB in the US. It has changed my life forever!!! I am me again.

For everyone that just has issues sleeping or falling asleep. Look into holosync and try this. It is meditation that you listen to with ear phones that plays auditory shut down on your brain. I have a few friends that use this to help them with sleeping issues and it knocks them out cold into stage 4.

KarenLouise1981 · May 2011

KarenLouise1981 and runlorirun - have you ladies spoken to your doctor and/or sleep specialist about your issues? I'm betting that getting a sleep test would be a good first step in getting your issues figured out.

I've had a couple due to my own sleep-related issues. After each sleep session (either during the night or throughout the day) they ask you questions about when/if you think you actually fell asleep. Of course you're all wired up, so they already know the answer. But they do this because many people don't realize that they have indeed fallen asleep. If they are falling asleep, it would mean that someone who is convinced he's an insomniac, may have a different issue altogether.

In any event, speaking to a sleep specialist about your difficulties is bound to be helpful in figuring out how to manage you sleep.

Best of luck to you!
[/quote]

No I haven't seen my doc although it is becoming increasingly frustrating! It is affecting my social life and exercise now too because I just feel exhausted all the time. I am sure I must be sleeping but it is in very short bursts. At the moment I am putting it down to having an empty bed - my fiance is in the forces and is deployed overseas for 6 months so if it doesn't improve say a month or so after he's home I may get it checked. Thanks for your advice!

Importance of sleep and weight loss

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