Sunday, May 6, 2012

Sleep

The following are direct quotes from the book.

Krista Vernoff; Az Ferguson. The Game On! Diet: Kick Your Friend's Butt While Shrinking Your Own. HarperCollins.

The Rule: To earn your 15 sleep points, you must be in bed with the lights out a minimum of seven hours before you know you have to wake up.
The Exception: If you suffer from severe insomnia—severe enough that you have been to see at least one doctor or specialist about your inability to fall asleep or stay asleep—then you can earn your 15 sleep points each day by practicing at least three of the sidebar suggestions from the National Sleep Foundation each night or by practicing the bedtime yoga routine described at the end of this chapter.
The Detrimental Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Health and Weight Loss Include:
  • Weakened immune system
  • Increased carbohydrate cravings
  • Decreased alertness and ability to focus
  • Increased risk of depression and irritability
  • Increased body weight
  • Decreased ability to react Increased risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease
  • Increased risk of obesity
  • Increased bitchiness
  • Increased risk of nodding off during sex
Researchers have found that most Americans believe they are getting enough sleep at six hours. We believe, despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, that our bodies have “adjusted” to getting less sleep and that we are “fine.” We say we’re fine but then we go to the doctor for antibiotics for endless infections; we suffer flu, muscle stiffness, and aches and pains; we buy diet supplements to counter our carb cravings; we go to physical therapists to recover from injuries caused by “clumsy” accidents and to psychiatrists for mood-improving pharmaceuticals. And the thing is? It’s all connected. There’s really good science to support the idea that we are not fine on less than seven to eight hours of sleep. We are sick because we are tired.
And if that weren’t enough, there’s a growing body of evidence that suggests that we are FAT because we are tired. Okay, we also eat too much and don’t exercise enough. But part of why we eat too much and don’t exercise enough is that we’re TIRED. The best sleep research concludes that seven to eight hours a night is a healthy amount of sleep for most people (less than 5 percent of the population can thrive on seven hours or less), which means almost everyone has accrued a sleep debt which should be repaid.

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