Why Sleep Should Be Considered a Nutrient

If the time change has you feeling like your whole world has been altered, and not for the better, know that you are not alone! The notion of sleep is not one that we KNOWINGLY take light of. But the application of it... well, a lot of us are not so great at that.

But why is this important? Because clinical and in vitro studies have directly linked sleep patterns and circadian rhythms to:

🌕 metabolism

🌖 pain and the perception of pain

🌗 energy intake

🌘 nutrient intake

🌑 gastrointestinal symptoms

🌒 hormonal stress responses

🌓 perceived energy levels

🌔 specific food cravings

And each one of these can, in turn, affect your sleep and circadian rhythms. In fact, a growing body of evidence indicates that your personal patterns of sleep affect you at a cellular level. This means that the way your DNA is coded and transcribed can be altered by how much and even when you sleep. We know that nutrition (when broken down into micronutrients, their role in cellular health and its genetic blueprint) is the foundation upon which our bodies repair, heal, and thrive. Nutrition is what creates the environment that supplies the energy necessary for cell division, facilitates the delivery of messaging in the cellular network, and even what those messages say. But who knew that sleep - outside of the obvious feelings of fatigue - would serve as a “nutrient” to the cells?

As early as 2004, and many times over, sleep and it’s effect on leptin levels has been clinically studied. Leptin, one of the hormones responsible for appetite control and satiety, has been found in multiple studies to decrease in individuals who slept less than 8 hours. One study demonstrated an increase in hunger, specifically high sugar foods, and an overall higher intake of total calories for the day. The reason being, “it appears that sleep restriction may alter the ability of leptin to accurately signal energy balance and to produce an internal misperception of insufficient caloric intake when caloric requirements are adequately met.” (Speigel, et al. 2004)

The break down - who can sleep when their body “thinks” it’s hungry? And how do you stay awake when you’re sleepy?

Knowing that food isn’t the “nutrient“ you’re craving, eating as a result of sleep deprivation isn’t the best strategy. Rather, let’s examine one of the reasons (and its solution) you could be sleep deprived.

Poor Sleep Hygiene

In today’s society, this is usually the first and most guilty culprit. The demands of life can be so high that it’s impossible for the brain and the body to transition to sleep at a reasonable hour. We have our constant connection to the world in the form of hand-held electronic devices that stimulate us beyond what any of us need or deserve. If we’re not engrossed by a screen, our minds are still processing, planning, thinking and re-thinking about the day, tomorrow, even yesterday. We expect that we should be able to realize that it’s late, hit the sheets, fall asleep immediately and bounce out of bed 4.2 hours later, fully reenergized and ready to take on the world... Umm... Not likely.

The solution: Barriers.

Create barriers that keep you from pushing yourself past the point of sleep acceptance. Sounds funny, doesn’t it? That we would not accept sleep? It seems more like sleep evades us. But that’s exactly what you’re doing. I assure you, your body is sending you the message. But you‘re not receiving it because your mind is in a million places. To accept sleep, you must physically prepare a space and time that permits you to safely engage in the act of sleep. Part of this is separating from electronic devices of all shapes and sizes. This needs to be done no less than 30 minutes before you desire to sleep. And because this not easy to do, you will need to replace the stimulus with one that is less of an assault on the senses and mind. Make sure that the lights in your dedicated room (hopefully this is your bedroom) are as dim as possible. Engage in a series of stretches or light movements that allow you to focus on the sensations of your body. And consider meditation, breathing exercises, or light reading - from an ACTUAL book! Each of these “barriers” send messages to the body that it is not only time to sleep, but that it is safe and appropriate.

So, if you’re taking this Monday a little harder than usual, it’s okay. It will get better. But if your sleep patterns and/or circadian rhythms were not so great even before the time change, NOW is the time to examine them and take some steps to move toward a sleep hygiene that restores the body and helps to optimize it, rather than simply “getting by.” And considering that sleep hygiene is only one of the many factors that may be influencing your sleep, it might be time to seek out a professional who can help you identify your sleep obstacles and their solutions.

Let’s chat about ALL your “nutrient” needs.

Chloe

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Karine Spiegel, Rachel Leproult, Mireille L’Hermite-Balériaux, Georges Copinschi, Plamen D. Penev, Eve Van Cauter; Leptin Levels Are Dependent on Sleep Duration: Relationships with Sympathovagal Balance, Carbohydrate Regulation, Cortisol, and Thyrotropin, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 89, Issue 11, 1 November 2004, Pages 5762–5771, https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2004-1003