Fit for Sleep
…or rather, sleep to be fit.
It may sound like a bunch of silly nattering, but getting adequate amounts of sleep is an important part of losing weight. Cammy over at Tippy Toe Diet talked about sleep and weight loss on her blog recently – linking to this Web MD article – and talked a bit about toning down her late night activities.
What I’m wondering is can you have too much sleep? Does it hinder your weight loss if you sleep too much?
For the first year of our relationship, my husband and I lived thousands of miles apart. I was used to the university lifestyle, though, so staying up until three in the morning (when he got home from work) and talking to him until about seven (when I had to get ready for class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) wasn’t a big deal to me. After moving to Australia, I reignited my love for sleep.
I can go to bed about ten or ten thirty at night and wake up between eight and nine. I don’t because I’m at the gym by seven thirty each morning, but I most definitely could.
So, logically, combined with a good diet and exercise, I should have been shedding off the pounds. Even now with getting up early for the gym, I am clocking between eight and nine hours a night. (Don’t hate me because I sleep more than you do. Hehe.)
But, of course, I haven’t. I’m considering going into a coma for a fortnight to test things out a bit more. What do you think?
If you’re having trouble sleeping, Cammy has some excellent tips to help you get the sleep you need.
June 17th, 2008 at 8:28 am
I mentioned sleep today too!! I am actually watching GMA and Dr Oz says if you don’t have enough sleep your body craves something else it needs… like FOOD!! Go figure!!
June 17th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Aw, thanks for the nod. There probably is some boundary for too much sleep, but I don’t know what it is. I do know that this is another one of those one size doesn’t fit all areas.
I go to bed at 10 p.m. and start waking up around 4:30 a.m. The alarm goes off at 4:50 a.m., but I’m often up before it sounds. My friend, Noele, is more like you. If she goes to bed at 10 p.m., you could easily find her still there at 10 a.m.
June 17th, 2008 at 9:41 am
I think I could use more sleep! I learned the hard way that it is important. I would love to oversleep for a while!
June 17th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Ack! I could not wake up at 4.30. Or rather, I could but I would go right back to sleep. Hehe. I don’t think I could go back to sleeping whatever hours like I did in uni for anything.
Kudos to you who can sleep less and be fine!