SLEEP & EATING

Too little sleep or poor quality sleep can have disastrous effects on efforts to change behavior. Sleepiness and physical fatigue have a way of melting the most intense levels of determination, particularly that which is aimed at changing a thought pattern and behavior where historically there has been a great deal of struggle.

In today's fast-paced world, if you didn't sleep well or enough last night, that's often just too bad. Employment, caring for children, shopping, meal preparation, chores, church activities, meetings, volunteer work, clubs, and a host of other important commitments make mid-day naps a mere fantasy.

Changing eating habits and weight management are two of the most common personal battles folks wage in modern society. Learning to monitor and purposefully direct our thoughtlife, while implementing new healthful habits in place of old destructive ones, takes a considerable amount of spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical energy...it involves the whole person. Insufficient sleep also affects the entire person. Just like alcohol seems to remove inhibitions, lack of good sleep lowers our resistance to the old ways of doing things, particularly ones that are pleasurable, such as bingeing on chocolate or warm, cheesy pizza.

When we're tired, what we need is sleep. But so many of us respond to sleepiness with food instead of rest. Some of us have heard also that people often mistake thirst for hunger. What is the deal here? Are we really so out of touch with ourselves? Why is it that many turn to food when they need something else entirely?

It is normal to try and satisfy needs. When I need something, I want relief. I want comfort. But sometimes my need cannot be met right away or it can't be met at all. Other times I don't even take the time to figure out what I need.

One observation I've made is that eating is one thing I can do while still doing something else. I can't sleep and do other things. If I'm lonely, I can't visit friends or talk on the phone and meet my obligations at the same time. When I'm emotionally upset, I can't just chuck all my responsibilities. If I need time alone, I can't always get a baby-sitter and just get away for awhile. But I can eat while driving, eat while doing laundry, eat while working, eat while cooking and cleaning, and eat even while talking on the phone (when I'm really desperate). I can eat before, between, and after a day's activities, if not also during. Eating is sensual and momentarily satisfying, and it distracts me from the unpleasantness of hardship, personal failures, and physical discomfort such as fatigue and sleepiness. It seems any kind of day is more tolerable with my favorite foods in my mouth.

When I munch my way through a day, however, I frequently am less productive than I would have been had I allowed myself the two hour nap my body was crying for! This is usually because about halfway through the day I get so into the eating (and/or so depressed because of the eating) that I end up abandoning the housework or whatever anyway. Or I end up sleeping off the binge.

Have you ever made a list of your daily activities and tried to prioritize them? I have, and I've begun noticing that in the past I have routinely under-prioritized sleep. Since making corrections to my list, putting "adequate sleep" before even "exercise", I have, enjoyed more success in general. When I am feeling bright and alive, I am more consistent in my commitments and much less likely to be moved by temporal circumstances.