The FastDay Forum

There is an interesting review article in this week's Nature about sleep and weight (and other health indicators): http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v4 ... 97S8a.html

Interesting - thanks for posting!

Thanks MaryAnn, an interesting article.

Sorry Izzy, I don't have any sleep issues but hopefully others will be able to suggest something helpful.

Oooooo, this is interesting. I have been staying awake late too much recently (too many good books), and have put on weight... I wonder if its related?

Have you tried relaxation/hypnosis CDs Izzy?

[wildmissus]

Hi Izzy,
Re the Dominic thread, I downloaded the Mindfulness book onto my kindle. I eventually gave myself a kick up the backside to read it and DO it. It is an 8 week course where you do 2 x 10min approx 'meditations' a day. Mindfulness is about being rather than doing and living in the now rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. During the meditations I do fidgit and my mind wanders but the awareness of that is what it is about.

I had a blazing row which OH last night which would normally leave me sleepless, however, I did my meditation (although it was a struggle) and my mind was really clear and I settle of to sleep no problem.

I am hoping it will help me with better sleep but also with more mindful eating on non-fast days.

Thank you for the birthday wishes BTW.

I find some of the relaxation cds annoying too Izzy, I think it comes down to finding what suits you. You could even record yourself reading something that calms/relaxes you. I personally love the sound of the waves or rain. Meditation is good because it helps you be more centred, in balance within yourself, so that things happening around you don't affect you like Wildmissus experienced (Happy Birthday, Wildmissus!). It takes a bit of practice but is definitely worth the effort. And if you're not the type to sit/lie quietly, you can do a meditation while going for a walk or even exercising or dancing.

It's possibly due to relaxation

I sleep terribly, even when I'm really tired, I can head to bed 10.30ish and read for a while, start dropping off, light off, head hits pillow and gone, out like a light

Then I'll wake up, feel like I've had a good nights sleep, roll over and look at the clock ........ 12.30am, I've been asleep for an hour then very often see the clock every hour thereafter.

Some say it's age, but I'm not quite 60 yet, but one interesting theory came from nursey when I was having my annual MOT. When I go on our annual visit to some friends who live way out in the sticks (we live in a small village but not like them they're remote) I sleep like a log
She reckons it must be the only time I totally switch off and feel properly relaxed, same happened when we started going on cruises but at home

I sleep like a baby but I've only just managed to come out of the 'obese' category.

Not fair!

There is an interesting review article in this week's Nature about sleep and weight (and other health indicators): http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v4 ... 97S8a.html

Thanks so much for posting that MaryAnn - OH tried to tell me that he had read something on this subject ages ago but I never checked on the science behind it. Could certainly be a consideration for me as In the past few years I have really developed into a night owl, (research on computer or reading in bed), and don't go to sleep until one or two in the morning - just like now - I had better go to sleep!!!

I've seen things like this article before - I have been an on-off insomniac for years (sometimes I'll go for a good few days/weeks sleeping terribly then it'll even out.) The worst time was in the lead up to my wedding - we were moving house and I also started a new job as well as getting married, all within 3 months. I thought that the fact I wasn't eating very much (wedding dress!) was playing a part as I have never been able to sleep when I'm really hungry. So one of the main things I was concerned about doing this way of eating was the hunger at night. Amazingly I have not once struggled to sleep on any of the 6 fast days so far (although I'm sure it will one day!) - I've felt so hungry but the feeling of overwhelming tiredness has been stronger and I've slept really well. Things have calmed down now since those mad times, though - I imagine my sleep woes could have been much worse if I'd known about 5:2 then.

Not much consolation when you're beside yourself unable to sleep, to know that it is also really bad for your health and weight! Used to drive me mad reading articles that recommended people 'get more sleep' to be thinner, more intelligent, less likely to spontaneously die etc - just what you want to hear when you like awake night after night desperate for sleep! Interesting reading though.

Apart from worries, the two things I found were stopping me sleeping were: alcohol after 8pm and looking at PC or iPad just before going to bed.

For the first, I can do the occasional nightcap if it is very occasional but otherwise I go to sleep easily and then wake up in the small hours and lie there wide awake.

For the second, If I've been looking at a screen last thing, I give myself a few minutes watching TV or reading book/paper and this seems to help, otherwise I lie there for ages trying to drift off. Very boring.

Thanks for the article, MaryAnn! I have not had long nights lately, and am not really losing weight. Tonight I will try to sleep earlier and see if I can keep that up.
For me, I find it difficult to actually go to bed.

Thanks for sharing the article! I love my sleep and now I don't have to feel guilty about sleeping late

Yes, being on the internet is bound to make it hard for me to drift off. Unfortunately my brain tends to respond to important things to do by not sleeping well the night before. So for job interviews, exams, important journeys etc I almost always find it difficult to sleep the night before. Brilliant. Being in a strange bed can be tricky, too. The night before my wedding I didn't sleep - AT ALL. I felt so weird and spaced out on the day itself but the adrenaline carried me through. Over that weekend with going away/wedding night etc, I slept in four different beds over four nights (my parents, hotel, our house, holiday accomm) and got around 12 hours sleep in total in that entire time. Looking back it was definitely just a comination of all the changes happening in my life.

Now the thing most likely to keep me awake is having had a huge meal -a chinese meal the other week kept me awake for hours with heart racing, gurgling tummy etc. Couldn't wait to get back to fasting! In fact that was one of the major triggers for doing this - I felt I was overloading my system with food and was excited to try fasting as it felt like the opposite.

I know why they use sleep deprivation as a torture method - those who have never really experienced night after night of it will have no idea how truly awful it can make you feel.