Day 9 - No-Sleep Sabotage

I called my dear friend in the morning on the way to work.

"How are you?" She said in her usual nurturing tone, totally surrendering to a selfishly me-focused conversation.

"Ahhhhhh. I am tired and cranky. What is going on with me? I feel like I am in such a bad mood. Things that I was stoked about yesterday I am feeling negative and cynical about today. I have no energy. I feel like curling up in a ball and hiding from the world. And you know what else is amazing? When I look in the mirror I perceive that I actually look radically different from yesterday, even though I know I don't. It is like I am stuck in a weird twilight zone." 

If you have been reading my blog you know that my daughter has a bout with a cold. This is a normal occurrence for any parent. We have to slightly rearrange our schedule to make sure our child is taken care of and nurtured. And there is no opportunity to 'clock out.' We are on staff 24/7.

Last night I stayed up late initially by choice. I was watching 'Eat, Pray, Love' (I hated the book but ended up giving the movie a chance). My husband was complaining the whole time commenting on the ridiculous female condition of 'finding oneself.' Funny. By the time the movie was over it was already 11:00pm. That is late for me. I am usually in bed by 9:00-9:30 so that I can get up early and start my day refreshed.

In the middle of the night my daughter started coughing. It was 3:00am. Upstairs, water, medicine. Back to bed. Coughing onslaught and then quiet. Dogs need to go out. Stupid cat pawing at the window. Get up and let him out. Other stupid cat climbing the screen. Get up and let her in. Dogs need to go out. I lay there. 4:45am. Somewhere along the line I went to sleep again.

During the conversation earlier today I was sincerely worried that something was wrong with me. But guess what? This very close friend of mine also happens to be a Nutritionist and the cause was not going to fly by her radar. She asked what happened the night before and then it all came back to me. I got about 4 hours less sleep than I usually do. How could I have forgotten such an essential component to my body's needs?

Just missing out on one night of my regular sleep pattern put me in a different state. I ended up unconsciously eating (my meals were half as long in duration as usual, indicating that I was shoveling food instead of enjoying it), cravings foods that I normally do not care for, feeling negative about everything and being irritable in general. I thought to myself how it must be for someone who experiences this on a regular basis. Talk about crazy-making!

Do you know what the effects are of not getting adequate sleep? Here is a general list:

• Fatigue
• Increased hunger and cravings for carbohydrates
• Poor concentration
• Decreased alertness and performance
• Muscle aches
• Depression during the day and night
• Anxiety
• Worry
• Irritability
• Moodiness
• Decreased endurance

What do most people do when they are experiencing the above? They self medicate with coffee, energy drinks, donuts, candy, sugars of all kinds and even medications. This perpetuates excess stress that contributes to no-sleep sabotage. Instead, use the following 10 minute fixes to calm, relax and nourish your body. Choose one of the following to do for 10 minutes and feel the difference in your energy levels:

• Deep breathing
• Yoga
• Exercise of any kind
• 16 ounce glass of water
• Cup of gingko biloba tea (thanks, Gina!)
• Warm bath

I chose a big heaping glass of water and some push ups. Slowly my body is coming alive again but today is a gentle day.

Next time you are on auto-pilot wondering why you are acting crazy - take note of your lifestyle and see if you are giving your body its basic needs!

Nat