Sleep Longer, Exercise Harder
photo by pedrosimoes7
This morning I woke up, just like every other morning, exhausted and cursing the rising sun. I need a lot of sleep, and that doesn’t really jibe with the whole 9-to-5 thing going on at work. Still, even though I can’t get the nine (or more) hours my body says it needs, I try to at least snooze for seven or eight.
Well, a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says getting sleep may do more than help you put a coherent sentence together before 10 a.m. German researchers who studied the eating and sleeping habits of 15 men learned that after a couple nights of getting four hours of sleep, the men were less physically active—and worked out at a lower intensity—than they did when they logged eight hours. The finding that shocked the researchers: the tired men didn’t eat more.
Personally, I don’t think sleep affects how much I move around during the day or whether I give my all during a workout. Eating like absolute crap, on the other hand, tends to have an effect on my physical activity. It’s kind of like this: I’ll eat an unhealthy lunch. Then I’ll give in to a major sugar craving. Then I’ll whine and moan about going to the gym. I put it off till tomorrow. Open bag of chips. Dig in.
When I’m eating healthier, I’m more likely to stick to my gym mission. Now, whether I eat less healthy on days when I’m exhausted and groggy…? That’s another study for another group of Germans.
How about you: Does sleep affect your activity level? Or, like me, does something else?
13 comments
Lack of sleep greatly affects me…everything from being able to concentrate, to sticking to a healthy routine. When I’m tired, I definitely reach for more junk food and am less motivated to exercise…I definitely need a solid 9 hours.
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Sleep affects everything…my concentration, my appetite, and especially my patience level. I need 7-8 hours or I’m not a happy camper!
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Sleeping s my favorite thing to do! I NEED at least 7 hours or I’m no good.
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wow interesting! i dont think sleep affects my workouts.. but it DOES affect my mood!
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Sleep makes a HUGE difference to me. It doesn’t change the way I eat but changes the way I function. I have a really limited diet so without sleep I don’t even come close to having enough energy. Lack of sleep is actually known to make my gut problems worse. Interesting post.
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Sadly, I have gotten so use to only having about 6 hours of sleep so I probably wouldn’t even know what to do with more! Even on the weekend when I don’t set an alarm I wake up after about 6 hours of sleep…
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i never manage to sleep enough, but it’s something i’m working on….in bed around 2, up around 7. le sigh…
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Tracey Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Bed at 2, up at 7 sounds like torture to me! As long as you can function though…
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Ugh, sleep! It’s an amazing thing, but its also complicated at times. I know if I don’t get enough sleep I definitely eat more than I should.
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Man, my sleep makes or breaks it for me! Not just with my workouts but my whole mood!!
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I LOVE sleep. Unfortunately I only get 6 – 7 hrs and I really like more… it definitely does effect my day the next day…
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I love to sleep and would probably do far too much of it if left to my own devices. However, I totally agree, when I’m tired, I make far worse food choices and find it hard to resist the empty calories in the office candy bowl. Oh yeah, and I get more moody too
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Tracey Reply:
January 19th, 2010 at 11:17 pm
Struggler–I second the moodiness connection!
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