I don’t remember where I read it but someone had once written your body won’t be able to tell if you get am extra 30 minutes of sleep, so just get up & get your workout on. So true, 30 minutes probably wouldn’t make much difference in whether or not I was tired.
But I’m a gal that needs 8 hours of sleep. NEEDS. On days I get less, even 7 hours, I drag through the afternoon, often reaching out for additional caffeine or making poor food choices because of my tiredness.
Over the past year, I’ve found myself waking up in the middle of the night and struggling to fall back to sleep. Most of the time, it’s over an hour that I’m laying there… staring at the ceiling, tossing & turning. Most of the time, it’s something that wakes me up. A noise, movement, silly things.
Enter last night:
3:15am-ish. Eyes wide open. I thought about the employee I forgot to connect with about the job they applied for. I thought the overly dusty floor I noticed in Carlos’ office and how I better sweep. I thought about the laundry I decided not to put away last night.
I thought about my sister’s wedding, and how I can’t believe we are all married now. I thought and thought and thought.
The last time I looked at the clock, it was about 4:45am. About 90 minutes of awakeness. My alarm was set to go off at 5:15 and when it did, I had to make a quick decision. Get up and work out, or sleep in until 6:30am.
Sleep or Workout?
Maybe my body wouldn’t be able to tell if I missed 30 minutes of sleep. But I know if I missed 90 minutes of sleep, sure I would have gotten a workout in but by the mid-afternoon, I’d be dragging and making poor food choices that would just counteract my workout anyway. So why not just sleep the 90 minutes and avoid the mid-afternoon crisis?
So I did. I slept in and woke up feeling somewhat rested, despite my stint of thinking while I should have been sleeping. And while I know I can’t make a habit out of sleeping instead of working out, I also know for today, I made the right decision.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I was with you this morning and I feel great for it. I usually leave the house at 4:30AM to go to the gym. I slept until 8AM. I actually saw the sun when I walked out of my front door. Amazing!! I may have to start blowing off one day a week but only on a sunny day!
Been there, done that. I cannot shut my mind off to sleep. I’ve always told myself I should learn to meditate or something during those times.
My boyfriend needs his 7 hours of sleep or he’s a crabby person
I’m a huge believer not to workout when fatigued because the workout ends up not being very good and you run the risk of hurting yourself.
Hope you catch up on sleep tonight!
The best advice I’ve ever gotten is to listen to your body. Better to get a good workout in when you’re feeling better than to drag yourself through a lousy one.
It’s so nice to know someone else goes through this! Sleep deprivation has proven to be the biggest challenge to my new healthier lifestyle. It seems to set the tone for the rest of my day.
My (temporary, I hope) solution is to sleep in when I can and then workout immediately when I do get up. Better than chugging a 5-hr-energy each AM (what I used to do)!
Great post!
Same song, different verse for me Sunday night. I think I got a total of four hours of sleep. At 2:20 a.m., I reset my alarm from 5:00 to 6:30 and skipped boot camp. Sorry I missed the workout but happy I eventually got some shut eye! Like Slimming up there said, always listen to your body.
I’m the worst at thinking when I should be sleeping! I hate taking so long to fall asleep, and I definitely am one that needs 8 hours too. 9 would be even better. I don’t think I’d ever choose working out over sleep, it would just be a terrible workout anyway. You made the right choice!
Girl, I hear ya! I am like you…if I don’t get 8 HOURS MINIMUM, I drag all day long. I’ll be lazy, and I won’t want to do anything.
I have been having trouble getting enough sleep. My husband and I tend to be night owls. He often goes out to study late at night. And then wants to spend time together. (Which, I want too!) But then I get to bed really late. Makes it really hard to get up in the morning. (On time—much less early!)
I’ve had this happening to me, on and off, for over a year now and have discovered the wonders of Melatonin. I heard about it from a naturopath on a radio talk show and it has worked wonders for me.
Great post! So much truth! I bet a lot of people needed to hear this, Jen. Great work (as always.)
Blah, I totally skipped my morning workout yesterday two. You’re the second person I heard of who did that on Wednesday. I swear the snow makes it harder to get up–no idea why. Of course, I usually count it a good night if I got 6 hours of sleep. I don’t know how you can get 8–I canNOT make myself go to bed before 11. It’s like there’s a five-year-old somewhere in me rebelling against bedtime and I just get so energized and distracted. :-/
Yes you did – way to take care of yourself <3
This is an important topic I feel a lot of people don’t fully appreciate. Sometimes we get into this paradigm of exercise=good and sleep=bad and take it to the nth degree. New studies have shown significant links between the amount of sleep we get and BMI. I just read a snippet on WebMD that lack of sleep affects hormones that control hunger, leptin and ghrelin. I’ve also seen some data regarding sleep/lack of sleep and its effects on gene regulation. Point is we can’t fight our biology. We need our sleep.
Both the things workout as well as a 7-8 hours’ sleep are necessary for your body. Lack of sleep may create some serious health issues like feeling dizziness full day, intestine problems. So better go to sleep than workout. One more thing you adjust your workout plans after coming back from office before dinner. It may also make your sleep habits better.
for me sleep is as important as working out..if I miss my proper 7-8 hours of sleep I’m usually more tired when I workout and I can’t give my best, I think it’s the best to take a break when your body tell you to..:)
Sleep when your body is sleepy, drink when it’s thirsty, eat when it’s hungry. OH! and move when you get that desire within to move! Do this, and you will find yourself healthier then ever before! And…. you won’t find yourself over thinking anything, unless you choose to!