Day 3,655 —Sleeping—

 

I slept in and gave my cat some pets to convince him to not scratch me as he waited for me to get up. I am listening to a book on sleeping right now, and it is so interesting how it comments on so many aspects of sleeping that I have personally experienced. It suggests that if you sleep 5–6 hours a night regularly you’re operating in an impaired state where your memory, patience, and accuracy are significantly less than they otherwise would be.

         It suggests that you gain weight when you don’t sleep. One because you don’t burn as many calories when you’re awake, and two because your body craves sugary and salty snacks when you stay up late. I feel like I have experienced both of these things. I also remember staying up late to lose weight when I was wrestling, and I lost the sleep weight I would usually lose if I didn’t get enough sleep, which seemed so odd to me at the time. I remember thinking how is it possible I lose more weight when I am sleeping? 

Also, how sleep affects your mood and decision-making ability. Something an ultra race illustrates so clearly, is that the more I don’t sleep, the harder it is to think rationally about directions etcetera.

Would have liked to do more, but it was cold this morning, and I was just feeling tired. Now that I have this knowledge, will I start sleeping more? It also talks about the link between sleep and mental illness. My only point with this one would be that isn’t one a symptom of the other? (mental health causes lack of sleep) versus the other way around?