So I got this cool new tool that you wear throughout the day — even while sleeping — and it shows you the actual calories you burn through the day.One of the neatest things about it is it also shows how long you actually sleep. It can tell the difference between just lying down and actual sleep. I was eager to see what this would show. I know with an infant who doesn’t yet sleep through the night that my sleep is never as long as it should be, but I was curious how much actual sleep I was getting. Sadly it is way too little, and now I understand exactly why I am tired all the time. While I am in bed for 8hrs or more I only “sleep” from 4 1/2 to 6hrs each night and that is total time. I rarely have more than 2 hours of sleep straight.
I know that this lack of sleep is not good. I find myself throughout the day wanting more sugar and caffeine to keep me going. I also found this interesting article on WedMD. The most interesting and relevant bit is this: “Ghrelin is the ‘go’ hormone that tells you when to eat, and when you are sleep-deprived, you have more ghrelin. Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating, and when you are sleep deprived, you have less leptin. More ghrelin plus less leptin equals weight gain.”
While I do not know if the information here is perfectly accurate, it made a lot of sense. I know I need more sleep and while I do not know what to do to get it, because I have to wake up to feed the baby. Now, at least I am aware that I need more sleep to keep my appetite controlled. Also, I need to be cautious of during the day to keep myself focused and not giving in to the temptation to fill my day with sweets and things that will keep the cycle going.
