Thursday, January 27, 2011

It's a love hate thang...

I love/hate mornings. I detest waking up to an alarm, but with my early schedule it's a must. I have been getting up to an alarm clock in the early hours of the morning since I started high school and had to be at early morning dance practice. During college I coached a high school dance team, where I had to leave my house by 4:30 AM every morning, and as soon as I graduated I started training which lends itself to a scarily early schedule.
I love to sleep in, but my body has long since robbed me of that ability. I think my mental clock is just too used to the early morning hours. I do actually really enjoy getting up and being productive in the mornings, and I LOVE to get my work out in and over with before the day begins. There is something about being able to check that off my list that is just so fulfilling to me.
Unfortunately for myself, I am also a night owl. I do enjoy going to bed early, but I get going and start to work on some project, get cleaning something, start blogging, and partying with my friends to the point where all of the sudden it's 12:30 and my alarm is due to go off in 4.5 hours. One of these days I will learn.
(Don't worry folks...we're in Provo, UT here..."partying" consists of frozen yogurt runs, midnight movies, dance parties, and diet coke.) 

My extremely early schedule has led me to realize the importance of a good night's sleep. Getting some good zzzz's in is CRUCIAL to maintaining a healthy level of energy and even maintaining or losing weight. Your sleep time is when the body recoups. It is the best time for your body to recharge and heal itself. If you aren't getting enough sleep you aren't allowing for that to happen. Those who don't sleep enough tend to overeat the next day. Lack of sleep decreases the release of the hormone leptin and increases the release of the hormone ghrelin.  Ghrelin is the hormone that tells us we are hungry.

Less sleep = more ghrelin = more insatiable hunger. Translation...we eat more.

We tend to crave foods that are higher in sugar and carbohydrates which when eaten leads to more cravings of those same foods. It is a vicious cycle. Leptin is the hormone that tells us we are full.

Less sleep = decrease in leptin = we never feel like our hunger is satisfied. Translation...we eat more.

You can see how this can be scary if you are trying to eat healthy. Craving unhealthy foods and never feeling full is a dangerous combo. Aside from these reactions, sleep just makes us feel better. We look better. We have more energy. We are able to do more, which makes us feel better. We are happier. SO, STOP READING BLOGS AND  GO TO BED! JK...love you.

Do you get enough sleep? I wish I did. It is something I am really trying to work on! When do you go to bed and get up in the morning? I am lucky if I get to bed at 11:30 and I get up at 5:00 AM. Gross I know. I have to take naps sometimes. Are you a morning person or a night owl? I think I'm both. Is that possible?

18 comments:

Unknown said...

I am totally a night person! But years and years of getting up early means I can't sleep past 7 o'clock anyways!

And I am also going use the excuse of lack of sleep to why I crave junk food and am hungry all the time ;)

Danielle said...

Is 7:15 too early to go to bed? I always feel like when i'm really tired, I eat all day. I guess I need to get more sleep!

Heather -Momma Running Amok said...

I really love reading your words of wisdom. I am an early bird. I am completely exhausted by the time I put my boys to bed btw 6:30 and 7pm and with a husband working nights in a kitchen cooking I find nothing wrong with going to bed at 7pm...I am usually in bed by 9:30pm though most nights. I LOVE Sleep! I love getting into bed and getting as much sleep as I can and with 2 boys that are up at the crack of dawn (btw 5am and 6am) I will take as much sleep as I ca get!

Anonymous said...

i definitely do NOT sleep enough. it's something i'm trying to work on. but most of my friends are true night owls and i get up early to work/workout. ugh. i can't even catch up on the weekends because my body gets so used to getting up early!

Natalie Cates said...

I am so glad I'm not the only person who is both a night owl and a morning person! I train, teach 7th grade, coach, and teach zumba. My days are JAMMED, but I can't help staying up later than I should. I try to go to bed by 11 bc I get up at 5, but I typically stay up til midnight. On weekends it is usually much later but I sleep til 7 as well. I know sleep is so important and I preach it all the time...i just like to say I don't require much. :)

Stephanie said...

Crazy!!! I was on dance and coached during college! It's made me angry at my alarm so many times but I'm trained not to ignore it. :)

Nicole said...

I'm a night owl! I really am trying to retrain myself. You caught me, I really do need to go to sleep so I can get up in the morning, great post though.

A Prelude To... said...

I'm not a morning person or a night owl. Lately I'm asleep by 10pm and my body naturally wakes up by 7 or 7:30...so you see that my body wants more than 8 hours...

My dream is to start an outdoor bootcamp and I have in my mind that there is going to be a very early morning class...and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. hmmm.

Heather said...

I am definitely a morning person. I TRY to get at least 7 hours/night, but it's not always easy. My husband is a night owl, so sometimes I end up staying up too late b/c he doesn't want to go to bed yet...and then my alarm goes off at 5/5:30 on days I go to the gym in the morning. Once I crawl out of bed I love mornings, but the hard part for me is getting up!

The Hungry Runner Girl said...

GIRL YOU ARE HILARIOUS....love provo's definition of partying ha!! YOU NEED MORE SLEEP..... I don't know how you do it everyday with that little of sleep! WOW!! I am definitely a morning person and I fall asleep so early every night! When I am tired I crave so much junk, good to know why now!! I can't wait to see you tomorrow...LOVE YOU!!

Anonymous said...

I've evolved into a morning person. I usually wake up by 6:30 on days when I'm up late or sleep in.

Most days I wake up between 4:25 and 5. I try to get to bed before 10 during the week

Stefanie D. said...

Not a morning person. At all. :) However, I get up anywhere between 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. because of my school/work/baby's eating schedule. I am not a happy camper in the mornings! I usually don't go to bed until after 11:00 p.m.. I'm the same way. I'll start a project, or clean, or read blogs, and I'm up past midnight! It's a neverending cycle. :)

COLORADOctor said...

definitely a night owl, I absolutely hate getting up early in the AM! Guess that doesn't fit too well with becoming a doc lol

Amanda@runninghood said...

I think I get enough sleep. But you're right, when I'm up too late, I always find myself eating. Mostly cheese and crackers...so bad. OH, and I finally did get in the Ice bath and I felt great today.

Jess @ Blonde Ponytail said...

I need to move to PROVO--that is my idea of a party! You CANNOT go wrong with Fro-yo!!

I so admire you and your early birdness--you are a dedicated dancer, instructor, and trainer!

Unknown said...

oh definitely a morning person. We get up at 4:45am every morning and when I sleep in, I can sleep past 6am. Pathetic! But the smell of coffee makes my morning. thank goodness.
LC

Stacie said...

It's completely possible to be a morning and a night person because I am too which is really unfortunate for my sleeping schedule.

Jenn said...

Oh my gosh...I eat pounds of candy after 1am. I should have figured that one out! Def. a night owl, I am learning to love the mornings though.
Haha...love the provo partying, I use to do that too. Only with slurpees! haha