27 November 2008
Potato chips, sweets, icecream, those are all things I'm craving right now. Those are all things I've been craving for the last couple of days. And, unfortunately, those are all things I've eaten in the last couple of days!
I awoke this morning grumpy and wondering why I was looking for sugar-fixes and chippie-fixes this week. And every morning this week my husband has asked me, without fail, "did you sleep well?" and I've replied "no!". And as he joyfully heads off to cricket I mutter under my breath about needing more sleep. And then it dawned on me... I was really grumpy. And I was really grumpy because I was really tired! All week I've slept badly while we've been staying in a hotel.
Lack Of Sleep Linked To Over-Eating
That's when I remembered that a number of research studies have shown a lack of sleep may cause hormonal changes that can influence appetite. Like the 2004 Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study, with over 1000 participants, for starters. They found clear associations between shorter sleep durations and both a reduction in leptin levels and an increase in ghrelin levels. Leptin is a hormone produced by our fat storage cells that suppresses appetite. If leptin levels are reduced by sleep deprivation then our appetite is likely to be higher. Ghrelin is a stomach-derived hormone that stimulates appetite - so increased ghrelin levels because of sleep deprivation means an increase in appetite too.
Scientists also took a bunch of normal-weight, otherwise healthy men and deprived them of sleep to see what would happen. The following morning the men had increased ghrelin levels and reported increased feelings of hunger, according to the report published in the Journal of Sleep Research.
Improve Your Sleep And Your Eating Habits May Improve Too
So my ravenous appetite and sugar-cravings might just be due to a lack of sleep this week. I'm thrilled to have a possible explanation. And rather than try to fix the eating problems, using willpower, hiding foods or whatever, I'm going to fix the source of the problem - my sleep.
I googled "how to improve sleep" and found some great sleep advice on the BBC website. I've already identified several potential problems with my sleep patterns:
- Irregular bed times - I'm good with this at home, but with cricket finishing late this week I've been going to bed later.
- Sleeping late in mornings - I've been 'snoozing' in the mornings, because of the late nights, bit of a vicious circle.
- Eating late - unfortunately part of the routine when it comes to travelling for cricket, but I could have a main meal earlier and snack at dinner time.
- Room environment - the bed, the pillow and the temperature in the hotel we're staying is not quite right.
Most of these things can be fixed. Plus, I'm heading out now for a brisk walk to wake myself up, the BBC sleep guide says morning exercise is another way to help us create good waking and sleeping patterns. Right now I'm tired and my brain feels foggy, but I'm happy knowing I have a plan.
Look For The Cause Of Bad Eating Habits - Fix The Cause Not The Symptom
Often bad eating habits are a symptom of another problem. Is it stress? Lack of sleep? Emotional eating because you're unhappy? Finding and fixing the source of your bad eating habits is crucial to success. Trying to fix the symptom, your over-eating, is going to be an uphill struggle otherwise. Think about your own sleep habits, are they good enough? Could lack of sleep be affecting your eating? Check out the following links for more advice on ways to deal with other causes of bad eating habits:
Is Stress Affecting Your Eating Habits?
Do You Make These Weekend Diet Mistakes?
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