Not Enough Sleep?

Are you tired today? I am. Lately, it seems I’m always tired! It’s a typical condition when you have a 2-year-old and a 5-month-old I guess.

Being tired isn’t limited to the moms with small children. I remember walking around with eyes glazed over and nearly falling asleep at the wheel when I was in college because I was so tired. Being single sometimes means you keep adding more and more activities to your life until you just don’t have time to sleep.

I’ve also know young and old people alike who struggle with insomnia. Sleepiness, tiredness, exhaustion, lethargy—all are very common problems in people’s lives.

According to WebMD, sleep deprivation affects our appetite. We have two major hormones that control our appetite: leptin and ghrelin. I have no idea how to pronounce them, but apparently they play a big part in why I feel hungry and why I feel full.

Ghrelin alerts the brain that you’re hungry while leptin alerts the brain that you’re full. Can you guess what happens to these hormones when your body is deprived of sleep? You got it. Ghrelin levels increase and leptin levels decrease—a double whammy against keeping your appetite under control.

In addition to the hormone imbalance, we also tend to fight fatigue by eating from the high-sugar department. How many times do you go looking for an energy boost by downing a piece of chocolate?

You might be thinking what I’m thinking which is, I’d get more sleep if I could! While getting to bed earlier might be the simplest solution, it’s not always possible. One great energy booster that helps the lethargy while curbing the hunger is exercise. Even a brisk ten-minute walk will help. I have found that the more I exercise, the less sleep I require. Exercise also helps with insomnia and other sleeping disorders.

Sleep is precious. If you were to rate your priorities in life, where would sleep fit in? In my book, it’s right up there with eating! It’s part of survival, but though we may get enough sleep to carry on, we still may not get enough to thrive.