How do you prioritize sleep vs. exercise

ihavebeenherkind
ihavebeenherkind Posts: 17 Member
edited October 3 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm wondering if anyone else is stuck with this challenge. There are times in my job where 80-90 work weeks are required. I work for a very large law firm and it's just how we roll. During normal work weeks, finding time to exercise is clearly no problem. My question for you is when you are operating on a sleep deficit, is it more important to focus on getting as much sleep as you are able (think averaging 3-4 hours a night, including weekends) or to make yourself get that 30-45 minutes on the treadmill 3x that week. I'm a member at a 24 hour gym, so that's not a problem. I'm just wondering what people's views are. Right now, I'm operating on the assumption that the sleep is more important on those weeks, but I'm wondering if anyone has a different view.

Replies

  • jgic2009
    jgic2009 Posts: 531 Member
    Definitely sleep.
  • 2bFitNTrim
    2bFitNTrim Posts: 1,209 Member
    Personally, I vote sleep. If it were me in your situation, I'd try to get a brisk walk in during my lunch break if I could, but I wouldn't beat myself up over it. Thing is, for me at least, if I get very overtired, I'm more likely to get sick with a cold or flu bug. My 2 cents worth :flowerforyou:
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
    You def need your sleep in order to operate your body, even need sleep in order to help your body to lose weight. I would incorporate exercise in sneaky ways on those weeks-like parking far, taking stairs, running up and down stairs at break times or lunch time. Take a walk at lunch time to de-stress, etc.
  • MaureenF1969
    MaureenF1969 Posts: 10 Member
    Sleep, definitely!!
  • aimeeturner
    aimeeturner Posts: 225 Member
    Definitely sleep
  • cnsmith2
    cnsmith2 Posts: 539 Member
    sleep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Sleep will just overall help your body stay more healthy and fit and be able to fight anything as well as to better deal with any daily challenges.
  • russelljclarke
    russelljclarke Posts: 836 Member
    At this stage of your journet, your weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise, so sleep is definitely you priority if you're sticking to your allotted calories. After that, aim for a weekly exercise regime, rather than daily. A couple of good burns at the weekend should set you up nicely, and it'll help you sleep more soundly too. Luck.
  • emd0019
    emd0019 Posts: 179 Member
    I am in vet school so I go to class from 8-5 and then study another 6-7 hours after that.:yawn: I usually sacrifice my sleep and make sure I get my exercise in. Obviously I get a good night's sleep before a test but for everyday life I sacrifice my sleep for both my school work and my body work :tongue:
  • MzMiller1215
    MzMiller1215 Posts: 633 Member
    You def need your sleep in order to operate your body, even need sleep in order to help your body to lose weight. I would incorporate exercise in sneaky ways on those weeks-like parking far, taking stairs, running up and down stairs at break times or lunch time. Take a walk at lunch time to de-stress, etc.

    I agree with this. Sleep is very important; exercise is also very important to help alleviate some of the stress associated with long work hours. A brisk walk may help clear your mind so you can stay focused throughout your day as well.
  • Lizzgeorge77
    Lizzgeorge77 Posts: 52 Member
    I usually prioritize sleep when forced to decide between that and exercise. If you are actually staying up for 20 hours a day though, you are probably burning more calories than usual just because when you sleep your metabolism drops. But the problem is those super busy weeks are probably also the hardest time to eat well since you're probably getting a lot of fast food and/or takeout. If you can manage to cut your calories to 1250 or so of healthy food when you can't work out, you'll be fine. But skipping exercise + no sleep + bad food is a recipe for disaster. You gotta get 2 out of three!
  • clw_888
    clw_888 Posts: 157 Member
    Sleep!
  • theprices
    theprices Posts: 97 Member
    i would usually not put sleep before exercise, but if you're not getting around 7 hours of sleep a night, you should probably get as much as you can!
  • cclarocque
    cclarocque Posts: 15
    I am often in a similar situation and I find if I maintain my exercising I actually feel better on the 4 hours of sleep then I do getting 6 or more without exercising. People are different but the combination of the stress, the quality of the the delivery food being eaten at my desk for 3 meals a day and the lack of sleep is much my taxing on me without exercising. I try to either do 6 30 am classes before work or if possible take a break at 7 30 or 8 00pm and running out for a 30 minute run at dinner time in the corporate gym (I assume like myself you don't have a lunch break.)
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
    Sleep. Not getting enough sleep raises your levels of cortisol, which is detrimental to weight loss. If you can fit any exercise in, even if it's just a 10-minute walk during lunch, it does help, but if you regularly get less than 7 hours of sleep a night and have to decide between an extra hour of sleep in the morning and going to the gym, the sleep will probably be more beneficial overall.
  • GreenLifeGirl
    GreenLifeGirl Posts: 381 Member
    Sleep! Sleep! Sleep! You are heavily taxing your body as it is, getting so little sleep...don't add additional stress from working out, when your body is not getting enough down time to really recover in the first place.
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    Priority #1 is always sleep.
  • ihavebeenherkind
    ihavebeenherkind Posts: 17 Member
    I like this perspective. 2 out of 3, I can do pretty well every day. I try very hard to keep healthy food at the office and can get healthy food delivered if I run out (yes, seriously - I sound spoiled, but those weeks are pretty rough).
  • killerqueen17
    killerqueen17 Posts: 536 Member
    I choose sleep-- I try my best to get to bed at a decent hour, but sometimes I have a really hard time falling asleep, so I'll just re-set my alarm and skip my workout that morning. I go straight from a full-time job to a 3-hour evening class on some nights, and I really can't be falling asleep in class... Sucks, but I just try my best to walk on my lunch break and things like that...
  • ihavebeenherkind
    ihavebeenherkind Posts: 17 Member
    Yep, no lunch break on those weeks, just "go go go" and eat at the desk.
  • noogie98
    noogie98 Posts: 451 Member
    Sleep. Not getting enough sleep raises your levels of cortisol, which is detrimental to weight loss. If you can fit any exercise in, even if it's just a 10-minute walk during lunch, it does help, but if you regularly get less than 7 hours of sleep a night and have to decide between an extra hour of sleep in the morning and going to the gym, the sleep will probably be more beneficial overall.

    What she said ~ I vote for sleep, of course!!
  • mbroeckelmanpost
    mbroeckelmanpost Posts: 44 Member
    Sleep-- especially if you're getting only 3-4 hours already. But, when I was in grad school and running on about 4 hours of sleep a night, I found that fitting in a workout earlier in the evening energized me and helped me focus better and work more quickly, so you might find that it's possible to fit in a quick workout each day without giving up productivity if you respond to exercise in similar ways!
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