The Great Sleep Experiment
This conference I went to last weekend had all of my favorite mind, body, and spirit people: Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Byron Katie, Sonia Choquette, David Hawkins, Wayne Dyer, and more.
And the ever-fabulous Dr. Christiane Northrup, who constantly rocks my world on health issues.
So one of the points she made to the gathered thousands was that not only does depriving ourselves of enough sleep make us irritable, sluggish, etc., it also makes us fat.
The difference between getting 6 hours of sleep every night and getting 8 is enormous. With only 6 hours of sleep, our body goes into fight or flight mode to deal with the stress of so little rest. It releases cortisol, which in turn makes us gather and store fat in our middles and makes us crave foods like breads and sweets.
In other words, it’s not lack of willpower that keeps you chubby, but lack of sleep. How cool is that? So easy to correct.
Later that same day I sat in on a seminar by a food and health expert, Dr. Susan Smith Jones, and she, too, talked about getting at least 8 hours every night, so yes, I finally got the message.
What’s more, she had us all fill out a form where we committed to ourselves to do one specific thing to improve our health for the next 21 days, under the theory that it takes 21 days to establish a new habit. Yeah, yeah–I know we’ve all heard about motivational tools like this before, but I’m telling you that physically writing something down and saying to yourself, “This is a promise I’m making myself,” actually matters more than you might think.
So I wrote to myself these simple words: “For the next 21 days I promise I will give myself at least 7 hours of sleep every night.” (I know, I should have gone for 8, but since I’ve been hovering around 5-6 hours every night, I thought I’d pick a goal I knew I could reach.)
I started Sunday night. Today is day four. So far, so sleep. Seven hours every night, and even an extra power nap a few days ago after flying home.
Guess what? It’s pretty awesome not to be so exhausted all the time. Who knew?
It means I have to be in bed by 9:00 every night, reading until I fall asleep. It means I have to resist getting up at the first hint of dawn. It means I’m going to have to sleep in tomorrow morning because I’ll be staying up late tonight to watch the finale of Lost. But it really feels worth it.
Anyone else have some sleep information they’d like to share with me? Like how they always get a minimum of 10 hours or something impossible like that?
And furthermore, anyone else want to try a 21-day promise on this?
Technorati Tags: Sleep, Sleep Deprivation, Dr. Christiane Northrup
May 23rd, 2007 at 5:55 am
Um, Robin, I LOVE to sleep. And I nap daily. If I don’t, what do I find myself doing to give myself energy at 4:00 each day? That’s right: eating.
I’m such a big believer in naps that I think it’s a human right. Like, if I ran a company, there would be nap time.
Oh, and the other thing I deeply believe about sleep: it keeps you young. Seriously. It’s not wrinkle cream, people, it’s sleep, the natural body/face repair “miracle.”
But for a completely different take on sleep, have you ever read Nancy Kress’s fiction series that begins with “Beggars in Spain”? Parents genetically alter their offspring so they don’t NEED sleep. Here’s the link: http://www.sff.net/people/nankress/
May 23rd, 2007 at 6:44 am
This might explain why I keep losing the same pound every week. I don’t sleep as much when I travel, for various reasons. So I return home having found the pound that I lost over the weekend.
May 23rd, 2007 at 6:51 am
SO funny that you post about this today. I was just talking to Barry last night about how I should be a competitive sleeper. Like a marathon sleeper. I love to sleep, too, Sara.
My justification, as I explained, is that I have ancestors who, according to death certificates, died of exhaustion. I live in constant fear.
This is my curse.
The only thing that I’ve really found to be true is you should try to turn off your TV, computer, etc. at least an hour (if not more) before you go to bed. Tough for film/internet addicts like us, Robin, but it really does make for better sleep.
May 23rd, 2007 at 6:57 am
Dawn? What’s that?
May 23rd, 2007 at 6:59 am
I LOVE sleep and get cranky when I can’t sleep enough. I recently gave up all drinking (wine, which I love, and beer; I never drank anything harder than that) in order to sleep better. (I’ve found that a glass or two of wine before bed increases my likelihood of sleepwalking and sleepeating, a problem I’ve struggled with since childhood. Hence the total ban.)
Like Sara, I’m a huge believer in naps, but as I get older I find I can’t nap like I used to be able to. So, the goal is 7-9 hours per night. A nap, if it happens, is now pure joy and a miracle.
May 23rd, 2007 at 8:25 am
So, Patrick, does that mean you’re going to try this experiment? Maybe instead of the South Beach Diet, which you know I despise so dearly?
Diana, you need to go back to backpacking in New Zealand. Remember how at one you were with nature? Sure, you have a wedding to plan and some books to get out–bah! Nature is calling! Dawn misses you!
Molly, that is so weird about your ancestors dying of exhaustion. I’ve never heard a better excuse for a nap.
Speaking of which, Sara, you are my hero. A daily nap sounds exquisite.
Kelly, I sympathize with giving up all drinking, because as part of this 21-day commitment I also gave up (you won’t believe it) coffee. I want to see if my body likes it better that way, even though every morning this week I want to cry. And is it wrong to say sleepwalking sounds kind of . . . cool? Although probably not if you’re the walker.
May 23rd, 2007 at 8:51 am
I don’t want to get flamed by jules (mother of two little ones) so here’s a disclaimer to my nap habit:
This did not work when my kids were little. Back then (I shudder to think of it) I was chronically sleep-deprived. I would have given up ten years of my life for one 30 minute nap.
And Robin, please don’t tell me if your coffee experiment works. I don’t want to know.
May 23rd, 2007 at 8:57 am
Robin, I know you despise the SBD, but I just asked and it said it doesn’t despise you. Actually, it misses you and would like you back. AND it thinks all this hate is unhealthy for you and your heart.
Be at peace and learn to love smashed cauliflower.
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:00 am
Wine was my last vice, Robin, except for coffee. And they’re just going to have to pry that cup out of my cold, dead hands before I’m giving up my final vice. I’ve given up fast food, nicotine in various formats (nicorette being my favorite), and, now, alcohol. They’re not taking my coffee.
Sleepwalking is okay, though it freaks the kids out–especially as I always tell them some random piece of information. It’s the sleepeating I object too. Nothing worse than finding yourself with a piece of wonderbread covered in chocolate sauce (especially when you don’t love chocolate) at 3am.
Good luck with the caffeine withdrawl. Don’t snap at me, you hear?
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:46 am
OH Robin - sleep is regeneration for every system, your skin especially. There is a theory that drinking 10 ounces of water before you go to bed replenishes your skin. Just as important as the hours you “sleep” is the environment - bed, sheets, room temperature, draperies. Glad you are focusing on you.
May 23rd, 2007 at 10:43 am
Okay, because you guys know I can keep other people’s secrets but never my own, I have to tell each and every one of you that this morning I was hurting my feelings so badly by not having coffee. I mean, I’ve given up chocolate, I’ve curtailed my beloved tortilla chips and salsa, I eat lots of fruits and vegetables, I exercise lots every day–how much can one girl take? Kelly, I totally empathize with your list.
So anyway, my friends, I just got back from Starbucks, and I am now COMPLETELY enjoying a tall half-caf, and if this is all it takes to make my little heart sing, then how could I do anything less than give it to myself. Besides, what else can I report on Friday if it’s not that I gave myself coffee after three whole days without?
Patrick, I’m sorry, but I’ll never be able to forgive SBD for that enema I had to have. There. I’ve said it.
Jan, thanks for the tips!
May 23rd, 2007 at 10:53 am
Hmm, yes, well… That is sort of unexcusable.
Is it the coffee or the caffeine that you are craving? I’ve tried to remove caffeine from my diet, but it is hard(impossible) to find Decaf Ice-Tea in a restaurant.
May 23rd, 2007 at 11:21 am
Jan… I never heard of that before. Hmmm, I think I’ll be drinking a very tall glass of water before I go to bed tonight!
May 23rd, 2007 at 11:33 am
You know what SBD means - silent but deadly (gas passing)
May 23rd, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Jan, thanks for raising the level of maturity of this blog. As if Patrick isn’t enough.
May 23rd, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Oh you guys just crack me up! Okay, so if I get more sleep, I can lose some weight and get beautiful skin. That’s a fair exchange. But at what price? I’m so used to 5 hours of sleep a night. This should be an interesting experiment.
May 23rd, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Yes, Vivian! Be my internet sleep buddy. You know, in a platonic way, non-threatening-to-our-husbands way.
May 23rd, 2007 at 2:10 pm
I get around 6 hours if I’m lucky. And I normally require a nap unless I actually achieve 8, which is rare.
May 23rd, 2007 at 2:12 pm
10 oz of water makes me pee.
May 23rd, 2007 at 2:39 pm
I am a night owl and do not get nearly enough sleep. Today was the last day of school so I do not HAVE to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow. I am hereby vowing to do the 7 hours a night too! That means I have to go to bed at a reasonable hour. Thank you for writing about this. You have inspired me.
May 23rd, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Yay, Camille!
May 23rd, 2007 at 3:17 pm
I can’t believe you (and others) ever got by on 5-6 hours sleep! I would be a zombie on that much sleep. I get 8 hours a night and am completely ready to sleep again by bedtime (ie I end up trying to read with my eyes mostly shut). I’ve always wished I could sleep less and still function but maybe I should start feeling virtuous and healthy instead
May 23rd, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Yes, Emma, you are a health nut. Aren’t you glad you tuned in today to find out?
May 23rd, 2007 at 4:55 pm
An involuntary health nut
Although I bet even if I could stay up those extra couple of hours I still wouldn’t use them to clean the house or get extra work done, so maybe it isn’t such a loss!
May 23rd, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Robin, My husband already feels like I spend too much time blogging. And if he knew how much I laughed when I read your blog, well…so platonic internet sleep buddies it is.
Emma, 8 hours a night! How I envy you!
May 23rd, 2007 at 6:34 pm
It is rather difficult for me to nap. Nearly impossible, in fact. If I am asleep in the middle of the day, I must be ill.
May 23rd, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Little Willow, is that by choice or circumstance? I mean, if you were really, really exhausted, could you curl up and take a quick 20 just to take the edge off?
May 24th, 2007 at 3:52 am
Robin,
I KNOW I have to change my sleeping patterns! I’m a true night owl. I may doze off on the sofa around eight or nine o’clock some nights–but if I have a nap of an hour or two, I’ll be wide awake until the wee hours of the morning. Just check my blog to see the times at which I’ve posted some of my blog articles. If getting 7-8 hours of sleep every night will help me lose some of the excess poundage I’ve been carrying around these last few years…it’ll be worth changing my slumber habits!
May 24th, 2007 at 5:21 am
I’m trying to understand the asceticism I’m seeing around here. Why is everyone so determined to give up things they enjoy?
Everything in moderation and don’t worry about it.
May 24th, 2007 at 6:05 am
It’s hard to get 8 hours of sleep when A Few Good Men comes on after Jon Stewart.
YOU WANT THE TRUTH? YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
May 24th, 2007 at 6:48 am
Diana, you know I’m weird. Can’t speak for everyone else.
May 24th, 2007 at 7:26 am
Diana: I’m weird too.
Robin: I totally enable you to have that Tall Half-Caf
May 24th, 2007 at 7:45 am
asceticism?
I’m fairly ascetic. I lift weights 2-3 times a week, jog 3-6 miles per week, and now do yoga like stuff for 10-15 minutes a day.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:45 am
Kelly, thank you.
Patrick, impressive.
May 25th, 2007 at 5:41 am
Yes, but I think you missed a few typos. I just looked it up, Diana’s wrong. It’s spelled aTHELetic…
May 25th, 2007 at 8:03 am
I’d love to get more than 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night. I’ve just run out of time in the day!
And I never nap. I stopped napping when I was 18 months old. I’ve taken maybe 5 naps since then.
Robin, I quit caffeine 8 years ago, and I have to say it was worth it in the end because I was really overdoing it. I find that I get tired if I don’t drink enough water now. Though I’ll admit I’ve indulged in cheat-caffeine on a few desperate occasions, and I think I’m going to start doing that once a week or so, just to keep my inner caffeine addict quiet.