What I learned from monitoring my sleep patterns for a month

#1 - It's a real pain in the a@@ to keep track of all that stuff for an entire month.

#2 - I averaged 7.5 hours of sleep per night.  The most I ever got was 9.25 and the least was 5.25.  In general, my sleep quality was better when I got more sleep.

#3 - I went to bed between 11:00 pm and 1:30 am, with an average bedtime of 12:15 am.  In general, I got more sleep when I went to bed earlier.

#4 - It took me an average of 30 minutes to fall asleep.  This is somewhat subjective, since I couldn't really monitor when I got to sleep.  I based it off of the last time I looked at the clock after going to bed.  The longest it took was 2 hours.  I fell asleep faster when I went to bed before midnight.  The five nights that it took more than an hour to get to sleep, I went to bed at midnight or later.  The shortest times to sleep were when I went to bed shortly before midnight.

#5 - The longer I slept, the better I rated the quality of sleep, in general.

#6 - The more pain I was in, the less sleep I got.


#7 - In the day-to-day game of weight gain/loss, I lost more when I slept more and gained more when I slept less.  Although from day to day, I gained or lost up to 2 pounds, overall, I didn't gain or lose significantly during the month.

#8 - There was a slight trend of worse sleep on days with more alcohol, but it wasn't as significant as I'd expected.

#9 - I looked at the four nights where I rated my sleep "poor" and found no common denominator.  I exercised each of the days, but did different exercises and different times of day.  My mood, pain, and energy levels were moderate to good on those days.  Some days I got outside, some I didn't.  I went to bed from 11 pm to 1:30 am.  So, it was disappointing to be unable to find any reason that would lead to poor sleep.  Even the phases of the moon were different!   Similarly, the nights I rated the best didn't have any obvious commonality.

#10 - I did not engage in self-care activities such as meditation and journaling nearly enough over the month to determine if it would help with sleep, mood or weight loss.

My conclusions from this month were pretty limited:

1)  Aim for bedtime before midnight.
2)  Limit alcohol consumption.

My next experiment will be to try to journal and meditate every day for a month and see if it has any effect on sleep, mood and weight loss.  I'm going to give myself a break from monitoring my own behavior for a week, and start the experiment in March.

9 weeks into the exercise program and 1 year into the "new me" experiment

January 25, 2013

February 10, 2014

 A year ago, I was told that I had the beginnings of some medical conditions that were related to my weight and my diet.  Not wanting to enter the world of prescription medications, I began to work on making myself healthier.  In the past year, I've made a lot of changes in my life.  I've been feeling really blah with the winter weather over the past few weeks, so I decided it's time to take inventory of all that I've accomplished, in order to motivate myself to continue being good to myself.

Diet changes:
1.  I've eliminated, for the most part, sugar, artificial sweeteners, and high fructose corn syrup.
2.  I've eliminated, for the most part, gluten grains.
3.  I've eliminated, for the most part, white potatoes and corn.
4.  I've eliminated, for the most part, fried foods.
5.  I've significantly reduced my consumption of alcohol.
6.  I've significantly increased my consumption of fruit and vegetables.
7.  I've added coconut oil as a staple of my diet.
8.  I've learned to love sweet potatoes, baked or oven fries.
9.  I've eliminated, for the most part, processed meat (although a little bacon is eaten every now and again).
10.  Chia seeds have become a staple of my diet.
11.  I now snack on nuts and fruits, rather than chips and cookies.
12.  I've eliminated dairy, except for a little grass fed butter on occasion.
13.  I'm consistently taking Vitamin D supplements, and have done much better with taking multivitamins.



Exercise changes:
1.  I began walking and riding my bike, gradually increasing the distance and speed.
2.  Two months ago, I added in strength and interval cardio training.  I'm on a 6-day a week schedule, and haven't missed too often.


Results:  I didn't start taking measurements until I'd already lost 20 pounds, so these are the results since then.
1.  I've lost 53 pounds, 3 pant sizes, and 2 shirt sizes.  My shoes from last year are even too big.
2.  I've lost more than 8 inches from my hips.
3.  I've lost more than 7 inches from my waist.
4.  I've lost more than 4 inches from my bust.  My bust measurement has actually be increasing a little in the past couple of months since I've been working out.  I think because my better muscle strength keeps me from drooping so much.
5.  My % body fat had dropped about 10%.
6.  My % muscle has stayed consistent, or increased slightly.
7.  My lab tests have normalized.
8.  I have more endurance.
9.  My muscle and joint pain is significantly less.
10. My mood is much better.
11.  I can walk up to 4 mph on the treadmill without my Achilles tendons hurting (2.8 mph used to be my limit).
12.  My husband has joined me in this journey, and he has lost over 20 pounds and has significantly improved his blood sugar control (he's diabetic).
13.  I've reduced, but haven't been able to eliminate, my use of anti-inflammatory medications.

I'm pretty happy with myself for all that I've done to keep myself healthier.  I rarely feel like I'm sacrificing anymore, other than when I get an occasional craving for pizza.  Feeling better makes it all worthwhile.

Currently, I'm working on figuring out the optimal sleep cycle for myself.  My goals for the next year are to maintain my current eating and exercise patterns, perhaps going back to complete elimination of corn products (I've found they really don't agree with me).  I would also like to get myself into a schedule of regular emotional/spiritual self-care, such as journaling, doing self-Reiki, and getting bodywork.

The sun is supposed to come out this week and the weather should warm up.  I expect that will improve my mood greatly.   I'm looking forward to getting outdoors more and continuing on my journey of being the best me I can be.

Exercise plan - Week 9 Photos:

7.5 weeks of Exercise

Just a quick update.  It seems that my body is changing shape, even if the weight isn't falling off.   Still down about 5 pounds from 2 months ago, which I consider a win since Christmas and New Year's were mixed in there, and the yucky winter weather is keeping me indoors much too much for my liking.  I've managed to exercise nearly every day I've had scheduled, and I'm starting to increase the weights I do when it's strength day and the speed I walk at when it's cardio day.  

My Sleep Experiment

I am going to do an experiment on sleep suggestions/ideas that I posted in my previous blog.  Using myself as the test dummy, I am going to observe my sleep habits and my other activities and track to see if there is any correlation between them.

My list so far of things I'm going to track daily:

Time to bed
Time to sleep (after going to bed)
Time waking up
Number of times to get up/wake up in the night
Total hours of sleep

Weight
Rate quality of sleep on a scale of 0 to 10
Rate how I feel when I wake up on a scale of 0 to 10

Medications taken

Exercise - amount and time of day

Caffeine and alcohol intake - amount and time of day

Water intake - amount and time of day

Journaling - Meditation - Self-energy work

Weather conditions

Time spent watching TV/playing on computer

Time spent working

Time spent outdoors

Mood/Energy Level/Pain Level

My diet

Other health conditions

I'm going to track these things for a month, then see if I find any correlations.   For this first month, my intention is to just observe what I'm doing, without making any major changes.  I imagine, however, that by tracking things, I may also end up experimenting with different things to see whether there are changes.  After the first month, I will choose one or two things to consciously work on changing, based on the factors that seem to be affecting my sleep and my health.

Sleep Blog - Part 2 - Insomnia/Sleep Quality

As I wrote in my previous blog, a good night's sleep is critical to good health.  This is true whether or not you have an 11 pm or earlier bedtime.

What are the potential problems associated with inadequate or insufficient sleep?

- Decreased cognitive ability
- Slower response times
- Performance detriments
- May impact metabolism in a way that causes obesity
- Worsened symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases (IBS, IBD, GERD, liver disease, colon cancer)
- Increased risk of colon cancer
- Depression
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Inflammation
- Gastrointestinal Diseases
- Cancer
- Increased allergies



(References:  
World J Gastroenterol. 2013 Dec 28;19(48):9231-9239.  Sleep, immunity and inflammation in gastrointestinal disorders
BMC Public Health. 2014 Jan 9;14(1):19. Influence of health behaviours on the incidence of infection and allergy in adolescents: the AFINOS cross-sectional study.
)

Some suggestions to get a better night's sleep:

1.  Keep your room as dark as possible when sleeping.  (We bought blackout curtains for our bedroom)
2.  Keep your electronic devices at least 3 feet away from the bed (I haven't mastered this.  I keep my phone by the bed so I can see what time it is when I wake up).
3.  Keep your bedroom organized, neat, and clean.  (We do pretty well at this).
4.  Sleep nude or in light nightclothes.  (I need at least a light shirt...my neck gets cold)
5.  Keep your room cool (below 70 degrees), but not too cold.  (We sleep best when we turn down the heat to about 65 at bedtime...not that cold in the summer).
6.  Use white noise machine if noise bothers you (my husband has a CPAP, that does it for me)
7.  Don't sleep with pets and kids (no problem with that here).
8.  Sleep regular hours.  Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. (Here's one I need to work on).
9.  Keep household lighting dim from dinner until sleep.  
10.  Avoid TV and computer before bed.  Turn off electronics one hour before bed.  (Here's another I can work on).
11.  Do relaxing activities (not work related) in the evening
12.  Develop a calming bedtime routine.  Turn off bright lights, relax with a bath or shower, read quietly or write in a journal.  Meditate or listen to soft music.  Get relaxed before bed.
13.  If you cannot sleep, get out of bed and do something else until you feel the urge to sleep (I will get up and write in my journal in a dimly-lit room).
14.  "Download" your thoughts and worries into a journal before going to bed, so that they won't keep you awake.
15.  Exercise during the day, but finish vigorous exercise at least 3 hours before bed.
16.  Exercise your mind as well as your body during the day (intellectual stimulation helps you sleep better).
17.  Avoid napping.
18.  Avoid caffeine after noon.
19.  Avoid alcohol, especially in the 2-3 hours before bed.
20.  Do meditation or visualizations in the evening.
21.  Finish dinner 3-4 hours before bed.
22.  Before bed, take a relaxing bath, listen to calming music, or read an uplifting book.
23.  Limit what you drink before bed to avoid having to get up in the middle of the night.
24.  Turn clock away so you don't check it when you wake up in the night. (I can't do this.  I get up and look if the clock is turned away).
25.  If back pain keeps you awake, sleep with a pillow between your legs or under your knees.
26.  Get a pillow that keeps your neck in neutral so you don't wake up with an neck ache.  (I've been through what seems like hundreds of pillows...if anyone finds one that works, let me know).
27.  Reserve the bed for sleep and sex.  (check)
28.  Get out in bright light in the morning for 5 to 30 minutes. (My dogs make me do this)
29.  Keep a nightlight in the bathroom to keep from having to turn on a bright overhead light if you get up during the night.  (There's an easy one I can do).
30.  Nicotine is a stimulant.  Don't smoke in the 4 hours before bed.  
31.  If you have chronic insomnia, get evaluated by a doctor.  Conditions such as depression, asthma, arthritis, and acid reflux can cause insomnia.  Some medications can also cause insomnia.



References:  The Hormone Diet by Natasha Turner, ND
                   The Immune System Recovery Plan, by Susan Blum, MD
                    http://www.mayoclinic.org/sleep/art-20048379
                    http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-benefits-10/slideshow-sleep-tips
                    http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/healthy-sleep-tips
                    http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/getting/overcoming/tips

Week 5 Update - Exercise Program

I struggled getting my exercises done this past week.  Cold, dreary weather makes me want to stay in bed.  I managed to do 6 days of exercise, though.  I substituted a day of cardio for my yoga day, though.  So this week I should probably do yoga twice.  My body needs to stretch.

Didn't lose weight this week, but did lose another 1/4 inch off my waistline.  I think I'm standing straighter and looking stronger.  Apparently getting fit, strong, and thin isn't a quick and easy thing to do.  But I'm willing to keep it up, since I'm seeing progress.  Now if only spring would come, so I could have warm days to walk outdoors.

Also, can you tell I got a massage between Week 4 and Week 5 as well as between Week 2 and Week 3?  My shoulders are straighter after a massage!!

Sleep - Is getting to bed by 11 better for your health?

Sleep:  "Going without makes you tired.  Having too much makes you lethargic.  Getting the right amount makes you feel good.  Going back to sleep makes you feel blurry.  Getting up straight away makes you feel good -- and noble.  Nothing better."  (The Rules of Life, by Richard Templar)

I have been going to bed between midnight and 1 am for many years.  Since I'm my own boss, and generally don't start work until 10 am, I still get 7-8 hours of sleep most nights.  Recently, though, I've had a few things come up that have made me rethink my sleep schedule.  First,  I've been reading books about the immune system, hormonal balances, and weight loss.  I keep finding references to the "ideal" bedtime, which is before 11:00 pm, preferably by 10:00 pm.  Second, I've started exercising in the mornings, and feel like I'm losing a lot of day by not getting up earlier.  Thirdly, I'm finding as I get older it takes me more time to get going in the morning, so I feel like it would be nice to have a little more time awake before facing the world each day.

Susan Blum, MD, MPH in the Immune System Recovery Plan, recommends going to bed by 10 or 11 to give your body the best rest.  Natasha Turner, ND, in The Hormone Diet, also recommends that you are in bed by 11, and 10 would be even better.  Dr. Christiane Northrup states that going to bed by 10 is good for your adrenals:  "Get plenty of sleep: Sleep is the most effective approach to high adrenaline levels. Many women require eight to ten hours of sleep to function optimally. Try to go to bed by ten P.M. Getting to sleep on the earlier side of midnight is much more restorative to your adrenals than sleep that begins later in the night, even if you sleep late the next morning to get in your full amount of sleep."

This particular paragraph was found on a multitude of web pages:  "Most people need at least 7-and-a-half sleep hours per night. If you find that you have problem sleeping, you should make sleep a priority in your life. Schedule the time for sleep and keep this schedule fixed no matter what. You must to go to sleep before 11 PM because our systems--particularly the adrenals--do a majority of recharging and recovering between 11 PM and 1 AM. The gallbladder dumps toxins at the same time. If you are awake between 11 PM and 1 AM, the toxins go back into your liver, which then dumps them back into your system and disrupts your health."

I am not quite sure of the physiology involved in being awake versus asleep and the functions of the gallbladder and liver, since they are both autonomic, and I'm not sure why being awake would make the toxins go someplace different.  Plus, I think that the liver's function is to filter out toxins, not "dump them back into your system."  So color me skeptical on that claim.

Throughout the Internet, there are recommendations to go to bed before 11:00 pm, because your adrenal glands recover between 11 pm and 1 am, and they won't do that if you're awake. My research points to the Chinese Acupuncture Meridian Clock as the possible source of this theory. 

“I encourage all of my patients to go to bed at 11 p.m. so that they are sleeping soundly by 1 a.m.,” says Susan Wadden, an acupuncturist in Shoreline, Wash.

Each organ system in acupuncture has an assigned two-hour time frame. One o’clock in the morning is when when the liver time cycle begins. Between 1 and 3 a.m. is the optimal time for the liver to cleanse itself. This cleansing, which plays a big role in whether we feel rested when we wake up, happens most efficiently when a person is in a deep state of sleep.

- See more at: http://www.thehealersjournal.com/2013/05/04/acupuncturist-health-tips-to-remember/#sthash.4X64SkHb.dpuf

 Since adrenal fatigue can cause a multitude of physical ailments, some of which I've been flirting with over the past couple of years, I did a PubMed search to see if I could find any research to back up the claims that going to bed earlier is healthier for your adrenals.  Or is healthier in general.  I didn't read all the papers, just the abstracts.  But this is what I found:

I found a study suggesting that diabetics that stay up late, sleep late, skip breakfast and fare poorly.  The researchers felt that skipping breakfast was probably the major contributor, not the staying up late.  (The Relationship Between Breakfast Skipping, Chronotype, and Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes,Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. 2013;119:155-90. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-396971-2.00007-5. )

A Japanese study found that people who went to bed later were more likely to have depression.  Again, though, the bedtime wasn't thought to be the problem as much as the shortage of sleep that resulted from the later bedtime.  (Bedtime and Sleep Duration in Relation to Depressive Symptoms among Japanese Workers., Behav Sleep Med. 2013 Oct 24.)

No other studies were found in my quick search to indicate that there is a direct relationship between health and bedtimes.  I did find, however, several studies that indicate that chronotype (whether we are early to bed or late to bed types) is genetic, and that the tendency to go to bed early or late is difficult if not impossible to change.  I also found that there is a journal that is dedicated to the study of chronobiology, called Chronobiology International.

A recently published study suggested that there were measurable differences in the brain tissue of people with different chronotypes, and suggested that work schedules should fit in with chronotypes as much as possible in order to avoid the problems associated with late chronotypes, such as sleep disturbances, depression, and overuse of stimulants. ("Early to bed, early to rise": Diffusion tensor imaging identifies chronotype-specificity, Chronobiol Int. 2014 Jan 7. )

Another study found differences in personalities between "larks" and "owls," with morning people being more future oriented and night owls being more present oriented.  They suggested that self-control was a mediating factor (I need to read this study, because the abstract seems to suggest that morning people have more self-control, which is interesting to me....maybe that's why so many of the morning people feel superior to us night owls).  (Explaining why larks are future-oriented and owls are present-oriented: Self-control mediates the chronotype-time perspective relationships.Chronobiol Int. 2013 Oct 16.)

Another study suggested that a morning chronotype is fairly constant throughout life, but people with an evening chronotype sometimes shifted to morning over time.  It also found a 1.3 times higher mortality rate for evening people versus morning people.  It found that "eveningness" has become more prevalent among the population recently.  (Long-term consistency of diurnal-type preferences among men.  Chronobiol Int. 2013 Oct 4.)

Web references suggested that you most likely cannot change your chronotype by force of will, although your body may change naturally over time.  One article I particularly liked on Mark's Daily Apple, gave a good overview of chronotypes and how to adapt.  Again, the suggestion was that it is better to arrange your life around your chronotype than to try to change your chronotype to fit the world's schedule.  Even Dr. Oz's blog suggested that the ideal bedtime is based on when you have to get up and how much sleep your body requires, not that any perfect time for everyone exists.

Now the quandary for me:  should I try to adapt my bedtime to the 11 pm crowd, potentially saving my adrenal glands and improving my health?  Or should I just go with my body's current 12-1 bedtime and adapt my life around that?  

My theory for right now is that, since 11 pm is only an hour or two earlier than I currently go to bed, I probably could make that change.  I fall on the in-between scale on the Chronotype Test, not completely an early or a late person.  So, my next experiment on me is seeing if I can get my bedtime to the point where I can wake up refreshed without an alarm at 7 am.  

In my next blog, I'm going to review all the suggestions for getting to bed and getting to sleep, and then choose a few to try.