I woke up this morning feeling like I got enough rest for the first time in awhile… well, granted the two night before I stayed up too late and I finally got a full 8 hours last night, it’s not that surprising haha

There is still a difference, though. Even when I would get 8 hours of sleep, I don’t feel rested 9/10 times. This could be for various reasons- chronic illness that makes it very tricky to determine if I rested enough because of the accompanying fatigue, maybe I just have a sleep issue that inhibits my quality of sleep; maybe I actually am one of the few in the population that need over 8 hours of sleep; or, it could be the constant pain and discomfort I feel in my neck even when laying down that negatively impacts my sleep.

There are so many possibilities.

However, I noticed a difference this morning. Often when I get up, I go right back to sleep because not only did my alarm wake me from dreamland, but also my body often hurts. This morning, as I got up to brush my teeth and hair, I noticed that I felt sort of lighter, and less bogged down. I didn’t feel the desperate need to go back to sleep.

“Carbohydrate intake and sleep. Studies showed carbohydrate levels in the diet were associated with changes to sleep behavior and sleep architecture, including time spent in slow-wave sleep and in REM sleep. Several of the studies included in the review linked low-carbohydrate diets to increased time spent in slow-wave sleep—a deep and physically restorative sleep stage—and high-carbohydrate diets to less time in this deep-sleep stage.”

–Dr. Michael Breus
https://thesleepdoctor.com/2016/06/27/eat-matter-sleep/

I am not sure what to attribute this to, but I will say that I have eaten significantly less refined carbohydrates, grains, and refined sugars in the past week. I have also eaten way more protein:

“Protein intake and sleep. Research found that increasing levels of tryptophan from dietary protein sources improved symptoms of insomnia. Tryptophan is an amino acid that boosts sleepiness. Dietary sources of tryptophan include many protein-rich foods, such as eggs, poultry, dairy, nuts, seeds, and soybean. The presence of carbohydrate increases the efficacy of tryptophan in the brain. One study showed that tryptophan in combination with carbohydrate significantly reduced the amount of time participants spent awake at night.

Research also found that evening-timed increases to dietary tryptophan reduced next-day sleepiness and increased next-day attention levels, probably as a result of improving sleep.”

–Dr. Michael Breus
https://thesleepdoctor.com/2016/06/27/eat-matter-sleep/

In other news…

I am noticing that my body is getting firm again, like it was when I worked out regularly in college; but it is still bulkier. I know that 21 has come and gone years ago now, but I intend to achieve a strong body that is resilient whatever my age; and, even if my pants size never is as small as it was at 21 again.

No one can be forever 21.