Sleep... are you getting enough?

So I recently joined an online group called "Hello Mornings".

Its a bible study focused on waking up early in the morning and spending time with God before you go on with anything else in your day.

My problem with this is... I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON!

Seriously I take over a half an hour to get out of bed after my alarm goes off. I have tried setting it earlier, setting multiple alarms and even placing it across the room. Nothing works for me. I will inevitably turn it off and lay back down until the last possible minute. I contemplate not doing certain things (like my makeup) just so I can stay in bed longer.

So I have to find a way to be a better morning person- that way on the 29th when my group starts I won't have a problem getting up early.

I have taken sleep supplements before and they really do help. They put me in more of a deep rested sleep. So I may try that again after the 29th if I'm still not doing well on my own. But I really want to master this for a whole life change. Not just to get by for a few weeks.

Plus getting more sleep can help in my weight control. Read this excerpt I found from the Scientific American website:

"Perhaps some of the best-documented effects of sleep deprivation on weight are based on two powerful hormones: ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is involved in sending hunger signals and leptin helps to tell you that you are full. In one study, after just two consecutive nights of four-hours' sleep, test subjects had a 28 percent higher ghrelin (hunger) hormone level and 18 percent lower leptin (satiety) hormone level in their blood compared with subjects who had spent 10 hours a night in bed."

Lets do some education:


So I went to Google and asked how much sleep I really need. What I found is that no one can tell me that number. It varies from person to person. Age is a factor, gender, lifestyle, genetics... everything. And it can vary from day to day. I know I definitely need more sleep on that certain week out of every month that I hate.

The National Sleep Foundation says that there are 2 factors for determining how much sleep you need at night. 1. There is a basic amount of sleep that you need to function normally. 2. You have to add in the factors that take away from you perfect night of sleep. Like being deprived on previous nights, or sickness, or your environment.

All kinds of things go into this calculation. Therefore you can't say from a day to day basis what you need.
But here is a chart that they put together that you can use as a goal for what you should be getting on average. You may need more or less, again its just an average.

Here are a few tips from the Sleep Foundation: 

I encourage you to document your sleep habits for 1 week. How do you feel when you wake up? What are your emotions like? How tired were you during the day? How easy was it to get out of bed? Once you have a better understanding of how your body responds to sleep and what YOU need then you can start making a plan.

1. Schedule your sleep. Set a reminder on your phone for an hour before bedtime (yes I said it, even adults can have bedtimes) and stick to it!

2. During that hour focus on relaxation. No playing Just Dance on the Wii. Instead do some Yoga.

also stay away from caffeine and try not to eat during those last couple of hours before bed.

3. Don't bring distractions into the bedroom. No TV, reading or being on the computer when you are supposed to be laying down to sleep.

4. Make sure you are sleeping comfortably. Bed, pillows and sleepwear. Nothing that's going to be waking you up because you are uncomfortable.

5. Make sleep a PRIORITY! I'm always finding myself wanting to finish up one more thing. You have to learn to just put it down and go to bed. Treat it like a very important meeting that you cannot miss.

I Have less than a week to get my sleep pattern under control and start feeling better in the mornings.

As always I'll keep you posted on my progress. :) Be Blessed!