Oh my goodness....Sleep is very much needed!!

SLEEP

slēp/

noun

1. 1.

   a condition of body and mind such as that which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended.

   "I was on the verge of sleep"

   synonyms:

   nap, doze, siesta, power nap, catnap, beauty sleep; More

   
   

   
   

   I wonder how many people, on a daily basis, complain about not getting enough SLEEP!

   
   

   When I was younger, and had no children, I would stay up late and get up feeling amazing.

   Sleep was not something I ever complained about...Boy! Did I take 'Sleep' for granted.

   
   

   The Adorable One never seems to feel rested and lately, and I have had zero sleep which leads to two grumpy parents.

    

   I get up in the morning and I am on the go...I don't get much rest! I promise I don't sit around all day...

   
   

   Well, the last few months, I have really struggled to function like a normal human being...

   
   

   Wait! WHAT IS NORMAL! 

   
   

   NORMAL

   nor·mal

   ˈnôrməl/

   adjective

   1. 1.

      conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.

      "it's quite normal for puppies to bolt their food"

      synonyms:

      usual, standard, ordinary, customary, conventional, habitual, accustomed, expected,wonted; More

   
   

   Everyone I know has some kind of aching elimate within their bodies. Everyone I know struggles with work, children, church, and/or just living in general.

   
   

   So just maybe I am as Normal as everyone else...Normal is whatever we define it to be...

   
   

   Back to Sleep...

   
   

   I don't get much. 

   
   

   I want to go to bed around 8, and I want to sleep in-At least later then 3:30 or 4:ooam. My body has its own alarm clock...which stinks on weekends.

   
   

   I am up through out the night. Checking on kids, trying to move a little guys feet from my back, letting the dogs out, covering my feet because they are freezing. My neck will hurt. I will have a headache. I will be thinking about way to many things or I am just up...BLAH! 

   I will lay in bed for as long as possible, because I know once I am up...I will not get to lay back down again for a very long time...If at all. 

   
   

   I have tried very hard to have a good schedule throughout the day. I get up*Waking up at 4 but not moving until 6:00*, get the kids off to school, clean house until 10:00 (Every Day), get the laundry going and folded throughout the day. I have to try to have dinner done by 3ish because of the Softball/Baseball season. We have games that start around 4:00 and that end around 9:00, nearly every day...*During this time of year*.

   My resting time is around 10:30ish. I make myself sit for a good hour...If I get to close my eyes, I struggle to get them open again...My days are pretty much the same, with a little bit more some days, and a little bit less on other days.

   
   

   I don't have time to be sick, and I don't have time to allow my aches and pains to get in the way of keeping up...Not that I am perfectly perfect at keeping up...But golly darn it, with 9 kids, 8 still at home, I do pretty darn good...

   
   

   **Not that everyone needs to know that I am tired, or what I do throughout the day...I just want people to know...I get it! I understand being tired**

   
   

   One thing that I have noticed-

   
   

   I have not been able to get out and run for nearly 3 months. I have been sick, and just haven't had the hour or so where I could just get out and go.

   
   

   I think this has effected my sleeping. I really think that I sleep better, even with all that is going on, when I exercise.

   
   

   Exercise+Sleep=Better Sleeping habits=Feeling Better!

   
   

   The problem is, since I am out of the habit of working out and exercising, I am now in the 

   'I am to exhausted' rut.  I will have to make myself  do it...and as we all know, the first day is the hardest. 

   
   

   Another problem that I have, is I love staying up and watching T.V. shows with the Adorable One.

   Just last night we were up until around 1 watching 'Dexter'.... So here I am, yawning today, worn out due to the lack of sleep, due to having to watch just ONE MORE EPISODE!!

   
   

   Everyone needs to know, and most everyone will understand...Late at night is about the only 'Alone' time the Adorable One and I have...We have got to get our 'Alone' time adjusted a little bit.

   
   

   I searched online today, about Exercise and sleep and how important they are together...Sleep and Excerice are a team effort...not one does well without the other...

   
   

   I came across this 'Ask Alice' thread, and found that I totally can relate to Tired and Flabby.

   
   

   Dear Alice,

   I would ideally love to maintain a consistent exercise routine. However, there are stretches of time during which I get very little sleep, due either to a hectic schedule or a lot of stress. During these times (sometimes one or two weeks), I find it almost impossible to go work out. I'm simply too fatigued (I don't drink caffeine because it disrupts my sleep — even one cup in the morning!). The result is that I start to get flabby and untoned, and I then I tend to fluctuate between almost-toned to back-to-flabby.

   My question is, what is the relationship between sleep deprivation and exercise? When you are very tired and have been getting little sleep for several days, is it better to just take it easy and let your exercise program go, or is it better to persist and work out anyway, albeit at a lower intensity?

   I have bouts of insomnia, so it's not too helpful to just say "try to get more sleep." Sometimes I just can't.

   — Tired and Flabby

   Dear Tired and Flabby,

   Don’t run yourself ragged! It seems that there is a larger issue here: not getting enough sleep. Sleep deprivation increases your risk of developing cognitive problems and chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Exercising every day is a great way to help you get back into a healthy sleep routine. In addition, regular exercise may help control weight, protect against certain health conditions and diseases, boost energy, improve your mood, and have a positive effect on your sex life (oh, baby!). However, research has shown that a lack of sleep can undermine the awesome health benefits of exercise.

   Sleep affects important hormonal activity tied to appetite and therefore has a direct impact on your ability to lose weight (i.e. body fat). Leptin (a hormone secreted by our fat cells) and ghrelin (a hormone secreted in our stomachs) work like a checks and balances system in the body and control your feelings of fullness and hunger. When you don't get enough sleep, your leptin levels drop and your ghrelin levels rise. In other words, sleep deprivation makes you more likely to crave sugary, high-carb foods (thanks to higher levels of ghrelin) that have the potential to sabotage your diet. Finally, sleep releases growth hormone, which is extremely important for tissue repair — an important function when you’re working your muscles.

   Have you considered why you may be experiencing insomnia? For example, have you been under any added stress or feeling considerable anxiety? It may be helpful to try some relaxation exercises before bed, such as listening to a guided meditation, or perhaps taking a warm bath or listening to calm music. A walk after dinner may even help you wind down and start to focus on relaxing a bit in preparation for bedtime. Columbia students can check out Stressbusters, a student organization that provides (free) back rubs, guidance, and resources regarding coping (positively!) with stress.

   You can get more sleep! Here are some tips for upping your ZZZ score:

   • Limit caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine close to your bedtime. These products have all been shown to interfere with sleep quality, which in turn may keep you awake at night.
   • Limit naps to 20 to 30 minutes. Try to get your sleep at night, but, if napping during the day, keep 'em short and sweet to reduce grogginess and to maintain alertness and performance without disrupting your nighttime sleep.
   • Exercise regularly, but try to finish up at least three hours before you plan to go to bed. While exercising daily is known to improve sleep quality exercising close to your bedtime may increase alertness, keeping you awake.
   • Avoid late night eating. This may make you less comfortable when settling down for bed.
   • Keep a regular bedtime schedule, even on weekends.
   • Avoid exposing yourself to bright lights right before going to bed, such as bright computer and cell phone screens.
   • Try to make sure your bed is used only for bedtime activities. Studying in your bed may cause your mind to associate your bed with work, thus cueing your mind to think about work instead of rest.
   • Create a sleeping environment that is dark, quiet, cool, and comfortable. 

   Moral of the story: If you “are very tired and have been getting little sleep for several days,” your best bet is to hit the hay. Better to catch up on those zzz’s than hit the gym or walking path sleep deprived and fuzzy-eyed. Exercise can help you stay toned and get back into a healthy sleeping pattern, but it’s necessary to get enough sleep so you can actually reap the health benefits of exercise. For more information, tools, and resources to help you get your slumber on, visit Columbia University's A!sleep site. There you can complete a personalized sleep assessment and find sleep information, resources, and tools to help you achieve a good night's rest.

   

   
   

   I really like Alice's reply to Tired and Flabby. You have to have both Sleep and Exercise...Period! But taking care, to get enough Sleep to pull off both.

   
   

   I went on to look up a little bit about sleep

   
   

   Not getting enough sleep has something to do with the following:

   
   

   • Increased risk of drowsy driving
   • Increase in body mass index – a greater likelihood of obesity due to an increased appetite caused by sleep deprivation
   • Increased risk of diabetes and heart problems
   • Increased risk for psychiatric conditions including depression and substance abuse
   • Decreased ability to pay attention, react to signals or remember new information
   • 
     

   **GREAT** Sleep is VERY VERY important!

   
   

   Mayoclinic had some good article's about Sleep...Here is just one of which I read.

   
   

   How many hours of sleep are enough for good health?

   Answers from Timothy Morgenthaler, M.D.

   The amount of sleep you need depends on various factors — especially your age. Consider these general guidelines for different age groups:

   Age group	Recommended amount of sleep
   Infants	9-10 hours at night, plus 3 or more hours of naps
   Toddlers	9-10 hours at night, plus 2-3 hours of naps
   School-age children	9-11 hours
   Adults	7-8 hours

   In addition to age, other factors can affect how many hours of sleep you need. For example:

   • Pregnancy. Changes in a woman's body during early pregnancy can increase the need for sleep.
   • Aging. Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as younger adults. As you get older, however, your sleeping patterns might change. Older adults tend to sleep more lightly and for shorter time spans than do younger adults. This might create a need for spending more time in bed to get enough sleep, or a tendency toward daytime napping.
   • Previous sleep deprivation. If you're sleep deprived, the amount of sleep you need increases.
   • Sleep quality. If your sleep is frequently interrupted or cut short, you're not getting quality sleep. The quality of your sleep is just as important as the quantity.

   Although some people claim to feel rested on just a few hours of sleep a night, research shows that people who sleep so little over many nights don't perform as well on complex mental tasks as do people who get closer to seven hours of sleep a night. Studies among adults also show that getting less or much more than seven hours of sleep a night is associated with a higher mortality rate.

   
   

   I don't know of anyone who gets enough sleep.

   Many of us are up on social networks. Some of us are up writing, reading, comforting a child, watching T.V., feeling uncontrollable anxiety and stress up worrying about Everything and anything. You name it, most everyone has sleeping issues due to many different factors.

   I will admit that sometimes I get a little bit annoyed when others complain about not getting enough sleep...I tend to think to myself, 'You don't have a clue!'. But realistically, most everyone does have a clue and an understanding of how miserable it can be when there is very little sleep.

    So many factors effect our Sleeping habits. Your eating habits effect your sleep. Your exercising habits effect your sleep. Stress-Children-Work-Medical conditions...Probably everything that we do throughout the day effects our sleeping habits.

   I look and feel like a Zombie! 

   Next week I am going to get back to working out-one way or another. I am going to try to get to bed before 10, and my alarm is going to be changed to 5:00am-In the hopes to change my body alarm.

   Taking my vitamins, keeping my joints moving, drinking lots of water, and of course laughing and smiling as much as possible-and lets not forget listening to music thinking about only the positives...

   Life takes a tole on us. We have got to take good care of ourselves...Doctors can not fix everything, and most of the time they only add to the issues. The body is amazing...I believe there are many ways to fixing some of the smaller issues through good sleeping habits and exercise...

   One more thing...The worse you think you feel...The worse your going to feel! I can testify to that!

   Smiling with the hopes of catching some serious ZZZzzz's tonight!

   :O)

   
   

   *** Sass heads home in 7 days...We can't wait to have our family puzzle complete again for at least a few months :O)