Everyday Systems

I've had sort of a string of failures lately, and I blame it partially on insomnia. In the past I've had a tendency to bad insomnia, which becomes a downward spiral as I eat badly/too much to keep going on no sleep, which makes it harder for me to sleep well, which leads to more bad eating... on and on.

My insomnia's actually been a lot better since I started No-S, because I've been consuming so many fewer calories. The occasional sleepless nights I've experienced after overdoing it on an S-day have been a good incentive to keep things moderate. But right now I'm stressed out about my obligations at work and at home, and I'm also having some noisy-neighbor problems, and it's making the I-monster harder to beat. Because the source of my stress is things that have to be done, I can't afford to take downtime to catch up on rest, and it's a lot more tempting to overeat to compensate. When I'm this sleep-deprived, I feel like a ravenous snack-beast, in no mood to eat reasonably or deny myself anything I crave. And that's what I would blame for last night's failure. You can read all about it on my check-in page if you like.

I'm wondering: does anybody else deal with insomnia? Has it changed since you started No-S'ing? And does it make it harder for you to stick to the rules?

I know that ultimately any excuse is a poor excuse, and I'm accountable only to myself. But my judgment feels impaired when I'm this tired, and I need some tips for hanging on.

I've read that being sleepy makes you want to eat more, especially sweet things, to keep your energy up. I definitely feel that way when I'm sleep deprived.

However, it's probably a good idea to stay strict with yourself even during the rough patches. I don't think you actually need that many more calories to make up for a sleepless night (unless you start some kind of crazy spring cleaning all night long). Your body is just sending out the signals that you should munch.

Good luck, though. I have a failure or two every single month (pms) when my body sends out those "don't you want to eat some chocolate" vibes. I find it nearly impossible to stick to my guns on those 2 days.

I do better on the insomnia front if I eat decently and stick to regular bedtimes. No matter how busy I am, I will be less effective if I am over-tired.

Other things that help me (YMMV)
- Exercising. If I can't fit it in during the day, 15 minutes of yoga-like stretches at bedtime.
- Listening to sleep music/tapes. I have a couple of things on my iPod that I listen to when I need to wind down. They come in two flavors - meditation/music to calm down when I am close to sleep but having trouble getting there, and quiet shows that "I want to listen to when I have time" for when I really can't sleep. At least I'm lying down and resting, and my mind is off whatever is stressing me. (I listen to "Zencasts" for the second - they're free downloads from iTunes.)
- Reminding myself that "the most important thing I can do right now is sleep."
- Keeping a pad by the bed so I can put things on it if I'm worried about forgetting stuff.
- Trying to be as effective as I can during waking hours. It's one thing to be busy, it's another to be busy AND guilty b/c you're avoiding something.

Hope there's something in there that you can use. Good luck.

One thing I've done when insomniatic (!) is to accomplish something before bed. Think about what's bugging you (*one* worry bead, not the whole rosary), the do something about it. Then say to yourself "There. I did something about my problems."

Then go to bed while you are feeling successful.

florafloraflora wrote:I've had sort of a string of failures lately, and I blame it partially on insomnia. In the past I've had a tendency to bad insomnia, which becomes a downward spiral as I eat badly/too much to keep going on no sleep, which makes it harder for me to sleep well, which leads to more bad eating... on and on.

My insomnia's actually been a lot better since I started No-S, because I've been consuming so many fewer calories. The occasional sleepless nights I've experienced after overdoing it on an S-day have been a good incentive to keep things moderate. But right now I'm stressed out about my obligations at work and at home, and I'm also having some noisy-neighbor problems, and it's making the I-monster harder to beat. Because the source of my stress is things that have to be done, I can't afford to take downtime to catch up on rest, and it's a lot more tempting to overeat to compensate. When I'm this sleep-deprived, I feel like a ravenous snack-beast, in no mood to eat reasonably or deny myself anything I crave. And that's what I would blame for last night's failure. You can read all about it on my check-in page if you like.

I'm wondering: does anybody else deal with insomnia? Has it changed since you started No-S'ing? And does it make it harder for you to stick to the rules?

I know that ultimately any excuse is a poor excuse, and I'm accountable only to myself. But my judgment feels impaired when I'm this tired, and I need some tips for hanging on.