How important is sleep?

yourhiddengem · February 2016

Sleep deprivation is horrible and a form of torture in my opinion. I'm so sleep deprived at the moment that nothing feels real.

I hope you can figure out something to help you sleep.

kbmnurse · February 2016

Sleep apnea?.

girlviernes · February 2016

It's tough to change a whole bunch of things at once. I'd recommend working on sleep OR working on weight, probably not both at once especially if you are feeling overwhelmed.

If you decide to work on sleep first, I'd recommend finding someone who does CBT for Insomnia. There is a lot of confusing information out there on how to address insomnia, CBT (with focus on stimulus control and/or sleep restriction) and possibly temporary sleep medication is likely to be most effective. You could also try a CBT-I app like Sleepio (I think there is a free one called CBT-I as well)

Regardless of whether you want to work on sleep first, you may want to do a sleep study as many people at heavier size have sleep apnea (especially the case if you are post-menopausal or have diabetes) - and you can start to feel much better if you get diagnosed and treated.

As others have stated, poor sleep makes it more challenging by increasing hunger, drive for carbohydrates, and diminishing willpower. However, if you are tracking you can still be successful by keeping yourself in a calorie deficit. Good luck!!

kshama2001 · February 2016

peppytwist wrote: »

Thank you all for your feedback!

I think I have my diary set as public.

It sounds like it is a good idea for me to continue tracking calories and making an effort to eat better. I am sure it can't hurt anything and maybe I will lose weight.

I don't know how much the lack of sleep is affecting my hunger since my insomnia is fairly chronic. I can't remember the last time I got a good nights sleep.

As for sleep hygiene I think I have tried every trick in the book...I sleep with a white noise machine and soft music with no talking. I don't nap during the day. I limit my coffee/caffeine to two cups in the morning. I don't smoke or drink alcohol. I don't snack after dinner. I usually have a cup of herbal tea after dinner. I try to turn off electronics and read a book an hour or so before I head to bed. If I am unable to sleep I get out of bed and read a book (usually one I have read before so it isn't too interesting!) I use the bedroom only for sleeping and only go to bed when I feel tired. I often meditate before bedtime. I TRY to get up at the same time every day but that one is tough for me. My bed is very comfortable.

Unfortunately I have some medical issues that make real exercise impossible. I try to stay as active as possible throughout the day and do walk regularly. I am working with my doctor(s) to try to lose weight and improve my health but I find it is very difficult to get all of the help and information I want in a 10 minute appointment with a rushed professional. It is nice to get helpful input from people here!

Thanks! What's the nature of your sleep difficulties - falling asleep, staying asleep, getting back to sleep, all of the above?

Walking IS real exercise! How much do you do?

What about some gentle yoga before you meditate before bed?

lisa9805 · February 2016

I have sleep apnea and i am also not that compliant with wearing the mask every night. I do agree with a few others that when I haven't used my mask and had a crappy sleep i have a hard time making good fooe choices and sometimes have a nap or doze off on the couch. when I do use it (last night) i do ok with my food choices and i even went to workout.

lindaloo1213 · February 2016

chandanista wrote: »

lindaloo9331 wrote: »

Ive lost 113# 287 down to 173 while working nights. Monday-friday I only sleep about 1 1/2-2 hours. Sometimes a 30 minute nap on my lunch break. It does make you extremely tired but if you just get up and move the energy comes naturally. Working out in the morning after drop off for school powers me through my day until I can nap (the only time I sleep is when my two year old naps)

Also I noticed when I was working days I would keep telling myself and others "im tired" but in reality it was just a habit of saying it. I Wasnt in fact tired. I was just bored. Tell yourself positive things and it will motivate you to do better things for yourself.

I don't know how you do it. When I get less than 4 hours of sleep I get incredibly grouchy. As in, I could have been the lady screaming at the grocery clerk over a price increase and then attacking store security with a pen (I wasn't but could have been).

I consider sleep very important for my emotional and mental health, therefore important to my physical as well. 6-7 hours most nights and an extra 3-5 on weekends.

I without a doubt have a very short fuse and question my sanity daily. I have cried in stores! Sleep is important not only for your physical but also mental health. I have about a year and a half left of this torture.
I will say though that I am glad it did not keep me from losing the weight. That is at least one ray of sunshine in my life.

peppytwist · February 2016

I have had several sleep studies in the past. It's been a few years since the last one though so it might be time to try again. I have difficulties falling asleep, wake frequently throughout the night and have trouble getting back to sleep too. I have sleep apnea and so far have been unable to find a mask that is tolerable to wear. I have pseudotumor cerebri (increased intracranial pressure) and any added pressure on my head- such as the elastic straps on the mask- is very painful. This excess pressure is also what makes most exercises impossible- many yoga positions included. I have a fitbit and my goal is 10,000 steps a day. Sometimes I do more, sometimes less. Recently I have been having trouble with plantar fasciitis and have been closer to 5,000 steps a day, walking the dogs and going back and forth to the barn.

My diet is really the only thing I feel like I am able to change/control. I have started by tracking calories without changing my typical day to see what I need to work on. I have been under calories pretty much every day except for Saturday when my brother brought over pizza and ice cream. Even then I wasn't that far over. That is why I was wondering if the lack of sleep was hindering weight loss. According to MFP math I should be losing weight not gaining. Should I eat less calories? Change what I am eating?

Losing weight would help with many of my health problems but my health problems seem to be interfering with losing weight. It is a frustrating cycle.

girlviernes · February 2016

peppytwist wrote: »

I have had several sleep studies in the past. It's been a few years since the last one though so it might be time to try again. I have difficulties falling asleep, wake frequently throughout the night and have trouble getting back to sleep too. I have sleep apnea and so far have been unable to find a mask that is tolerable to wear. I have pseudotumor cerebri (increased intracranial pressure) and any added pressure on my head- such as the elastic straps on the mask- is very painful. This excess pressure is also what makes most exercises impossible- many yoga positions included. I have a fitbit and my goal is 10,000 steps a day. Sometimes I do more, sometimes less. Recently I have been having trouble with plantar fasciitis and have been closer to 5,000 steps a day, walking the dogs and going back and forth to the barn.

My diet is really the only thing I feel like I am able to change/control. I have started by tracking calories without changing my typical day to see what I need to work on. I have been under calories pretty much every day except for Saturday when my brother brought over pizza and ice cream. Even then I wasn't that far over. That is why I was wondering if the lack of sleep was hindering weight loss. According to MFP math I should be losing weight not gaining. Should I eat less calories? Change what I am eating?

Losing weight would help with many of my health problems but my health problems seem to be interfering with losing weight. It is a frustrating cycle.

The good news is controlling the food is absolutely #1 for weight loss. You may have a tougher road then most, but there are a lot of inspirational stories of people who lost weight while managing serious health conditions. If you are following the calorie goal and not losing it is usually 1 of 2 things: 1, you need to give it more time or 2, you need to be more exact with logging (weighing everything you can is super helpful).

Here are some suggestions:

Read the stickies at the top of the forums

Read lots of success stories in that forum

Talk with sleep clinic people, new technologies are coming out and often if a certain mask isn't feasible they can work w you and your insurance to find something that works. This is so critical that I really hope you find a good solution. Not sure how much weight you have to lose, but if your bmi is above 35 perhaps consider bariatric surgery.

I have plantar fasciitis, I hope you are getting PT for it. I also use the Strasburg socks, do plenty of stretches, and wear special shoes (I like orthaheel).

Psychgrrl · February 2016

I've heard it's important for both muscle repair and weight loss as it helps regulate and normalize hormones. I'm a huge fan of naps!

I will say I downloaded this app called "Sleep Cycle." It tracks your sleep cycle like many things, but what's really special is you give it a half-hour range in which it can wake you up and it wakes you up at the lightest point of your sleep cycle. I was dubious at first. But for someone who can get 8.5 hours and be in a fog (OK, coma) the first 20-30 minutes of waking, I can now get 6.5-7 hours and wake up refreshed and energetic.

RA60172 · February 2016

I checked out your diary, and TBH I think it looks fine. Even on that Saturday you mentioned, it wasn't a really bad day. It's okay to have treats from time to time, as long as you stay within your calories. You've been tracking for less than a week, so my only suggestion is to keep tracking as accurately as possible. How's your water consumption? I've noticed that I eat better and move more when I'm properly hydrated (even when my sleep hasn't been the best - I've got three kids under five on all different schedules/sleep patterns).

xbowhunter · February 2016

I had horrible sleep patterns. Waking up after 3 to 4hrs & tossing & turning. I started to exercise again with intense cardio & weights. Also cleaned up my eating habits. Sleep 100% better now. The next step will be to cut back to 2 coffee drinks per day. That will improve my sleep even more.

How important is sleep?

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