When you’re sleep-deprived, apparently you feel hungrier. And then you eat more. And usually, worse.
Hello midnight “I want cereal” craving! It’s nice to meet you! Again. Cause we met this same time last… well, yesterday.
So what am I doing up posting at midnight when I’m supposed to be getting my Zzzz’s? Well, frankly, I’m hungry. Except, I’m not really. I had a very nice dinner and actually am still feeling rather satisfied, except, I’m hungry. And I haven’t posted in 3 days and apparently that makes me sleepless. Which is nonsense.
Welcome. To. The weight-loss. Journey. For. A food addict.
You don’t have to be hungry to want food. You don’t have to be hungry to be restless without it. And you definitely don’t have to blog about your hunger and sleeplessness to go back to sleep, unless, of course, you’re trying to avoid eating.
According to my Noom app, apparently this little annoying process is legit physiological. Just like we have sleep rhythms, we also have hunger rhythms. And by “hunger rhythms,” I mean, “Get your 8 hours of sleep or you get hangry!” (Says the girl avoiding sleep because she’s already hangry.)
So, once you’re hangry, what do you want to eat? It definitely isn’t that red bell pepper sitting in the fridge. Nope, it’s the ultra-processed stuff. Mac n cheese, donuts, chips, etc.
What’s next, you say? Stress. This one most people know: if you skip out on sleep, you’re probably going to be more stressed. And what does stress cause? Stress-eating. And what does stress-eating cause? Self-loathing. And what does self-loathing cause? Insomnia. And what does insomnia cause? Stress. You get the idea.
Don’t even get me started on the lack of exercise because we’re so tired because we didn’t sleep well.
So what’s the point of all this? Am I just rambling? I do tend to ramble, especially after midnight, although usually I don’t do it for all the world to see. Except tonight, because, as I said above, hangry.
The point is, if you skip your 8 hours of sleep, between extra food and less exercise, you could gain up to a whole pound per week.
So what’s an insomniac to do? I’ve been given lots of advice over the years. A big one is spending 30-45 minutes doing a “quiet” or “soothing” task before closing your eyes. An example would be reading a book, prayer, meditation, yoga, coloring, journaling, etc. to settle your spirit. (Expert-level hint: reading a thriller is not going to really help you find inner peace…) However, under no circumstances, are you to do any of these things using your phone.
That’s right, I said it!
Apparently electronics are a big thing keeping you awake at night. (Yes, I know I’m typing away at a computer screen at 12:20am on a work night.) I’m sure you’ve seen the click-bait studies that are advertised all around Facebook, but there’s something legitimately soothing about keeping your phone across the other end of the room when you go to bed. If it’s across the room, YOU CAN’T PLAY WITH IT. And you also can’t snooze your alarm, which sucks, but apparently having a routine wake-up time also helps with a routine go-to-bed time. Who knew?
On that note, I think I’m gonna shut down my computer, throw my phone into the laundry basket, and try to go to sleep.
Thanks for listening.
Brokenness in the Beauty 