Episode 152: 10 Reasons You're Sleeping Like Sh*t
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Summary
- Lack of sleep increases ghrelin (the hunger hormone), and decreases leptin (the satiety hormone) leading you to eat more the following day.
- Lack of sleep obviously leaves you with low energy which causes you to crave processed carbs and sugar for quick energy while also deterring you from getting that workout in.
- The reward centers of the brain respond more strongly to food when you’re sleep deprived (making those cookies taste that much better when you're feeling stressed out).
- Loss of sleep suppresses fat oxidation (the breakdown of fat cells into energy, AKA weight loss).
- And sleep restriction has been shown to significantly reduce your resting metabolic rate.
1. You have an irregular sleep schedule.
2. You're on screens within an hour of bed time.
The blue light from screens reduces production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
3. You're drinking alcohol within 4 hours of going to bed.
While drinking initially has a sedating effect, when the alcohol gets metabolized out of your body it can cause something called rebound alertness, making you wake up in the middle of the night.
4. You're eating food within 3 hours of going to bed.
When you sleep your body is supposed to be shutting down and recovering. By eating a big meal too close to bed time, you're forcing your body to put energy towards digesting that food.
5. You're drinking coffee within 6 hours of going to bed.
I don't think this one needs explaining. Coffee = caffeine = less restful sleep.
6. You're doing vigorous workouts within an hour of going to bed.
Your body temperature and your heart rate are both meant to lower as you get ready to go to sleep. Vigorous exercise delays both.
7. Your room isn't dark enough.
This is pretty simple: light signals your body that it's time to be awake, darkness signals your body that it's time to rest. When there's light in your room at night, it confuses your body and makes it harder to regulate your internal sleep clock.
8. Your room isn't cold enough.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, keeping your room between 60 and 67 degrees at night may help stabilize REM sleep. This is again related to our bodies trying to cool down at night for better rest, and when something inhibits that it can negatively impact our sleep.
9. You're taking naps.
Taking naps in the earlier parts of the day for 10-20 minutes may be beneficial for some people. However taking naps in the evening can make it harder to go to sleep and stay asleep when bed time comes. And for those who already struggle with good sleep, naps should be avoided altogether.
10. You're staying busy right until you crawl into bed.
Our body doesn't do well with abrupt changes. If you want better sleep, do activities to calm your mind and body in the 30-60 minutes leading up to bed time. This could be reading, meditating, taking a bath, journaling, or any other activity that calms you. If you do this consistently, your body will start to register the pattern and recognize when it's time to wind down and go to sleep.
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