Sleep Matters: I'm Too Tired to Tango! (or Do Any Other Kind of Activity)

Written by Dietitians at Diabetes Control for Life

How often have you said you’re too pooped to pump iron? Or to walk? Or to go to your tai chi class?

Actually, “I’m too tired” is a common — and sometimes justified — excuse for skipping physical activity. But if you find you’re too tired for physical activity much of the time, you probably should evaluate your sleep patterns to see whether lack of adequate sleep is the core problem. If so, you can take steps to improve your sleep and increase your energy level so you can stick with your activity program.

This Active Living article is about sleep, which is essential to healthy living.

• It describes how much sleep people need to function properly and why so many of us don’t get enough sleep.
• It recommends ways to develop good sleep habits.
• It tells you that some sleep problems, such as chronic insomnia and sleep apnea, are conditions that require medical attention.

How Much Sleep Is Enough?

A person has to sleep enough to function properly both physically and mentally. Sleep researchers tell us that, on average, we need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. In general, many adults don’t get enough sleep. Is it surprising that we’re tired all the time?

Why We Don’t Get Enough Sleep

One reason many people are pooped is poor sleep habits. For most people, getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night means going to bed at 10 p.m. or earlier so they can wake up at 6 a.m. rested and ready to start the day.

For many people, this seems too early. A lot of people like to stay up to watch the late news or late-night talk shows as a way to wind down. Although they may not want to miss these shows, that extra hour or two of sleep may help them feel more rested and energetic the next day.

Other folks get absorbed with their computer, surfing the Internet for hours at night. Not only do they end up staying up past a reasonable bedtime, they become so mentally stimulated that they can’t go to sleep when they do go to bed.

Still other people catnap on the couch during evening TV programs and find themselves rested and wide awake in the wee hours of the morning.

No wonder we’re tired in the morning.

Lack of Sleep — And Its Effect on Weight

Being sleep-deprived can hinder a person’s weight loss success beyond making exercise a challenge, which can interfere with your diabetes control goals. For instance, lack of sleep can affect appetite.

What do many people do when they’re tired? They reach for foods or drinks loaded with calories, sugar, or fat to give themselves a lift. These extra calories may give them a short-lived boost, but so does washing one’s face. And over time these habits will have a negative effect on weight loss.

Research also suggests that chronic lack of sleep plays havoc with certain hormones such as growth hormone (GH), insulin, cortisol, and leptin. Lack of sleep decreases GH, the hormone that controls the body’s proportion of fat and muscle. Low GH levels can increase the possibility of gaining weight, or make weight loss difficult. A study of healthy young men found that inadequate sleep is associated with a rise in blood sugar levels, which is followed by a rise in insulin levels. And lack of sleep decreases leptin, which can lead to an increased appetite and overeating.

Sleep Suggestions

What we need to do is practice good sleep habits. If you believe that you aren’t getting enough sleep, try some of these suggestions:

• Develop a sleep ritual. Find a routine that relaxes you and follow it every night. Take a warm bath. Drink a cup of chamomile tea. Do relaxation exercises. Listen to soothing music. Read a chapter of a book. The ritual will signal your body that you’re getting ready for sleep.
• Stay away from alcohol or caffeine in the late afternoon and early evening. People think a glass of wine should help them sleep, but in fact, alcohol affects the quality of sleep. People who’ve had a couple of alcohol drinks in the evening often find that, although they fall asleep, they awaken during the night and may stay awake.
• Avoid eating large meals late at night. Many people find that this contributes to reflux or heartburn that keeps them awake. On the other hand, a light snack or glass of milk may actually help people sleep.
• Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
• Create the right environment for sleep — a dark room and comfortable temperature.
• Put pets outside your room if their snoring or stirring wakes you up at night.
• Use earplugs, run a ceiling fan, or try some other type of white noise to block out sounds that keep you awake.
• Make your “to do” list before bedtime so that you can put your worries aside for the night.
• Stick with your activity plans. Maybe you said you’re too tired for physical activity. You may be in a vicious cycle of not getting enough sleep, then not having enough energy to do your activities. Physical activity reduces stress, which is the main reason many of us don’t get enough sleep. Being physically tired is necessary to get a good night’s sleep. So get back into your physical activity routine, starting slowly if necessary, and work up to a level that will help you sleep.
• Be sure to finish your physical activity at least three hours before you go to bed. When you exercise, your body produces chemicals called endorphins — the chemicals that make you feel good when you’re exercising — and endorphins can keep you awake. Besides, physical activity earlier in the day can give you the boost you need to get through the rest of the day.

Medical Issues That Can Keep You Awake at Night

For some people, their sleep problems are due to medical conditions that require thorough evaluation and treatment. Chronic insomnia and sleep apnea are two of the most common sleep disorders.

Chronic Insomnia. Most of us have an occasional bout with insomnia. We can’t fall asleep, stay asleep, or get back to sleep when we wake up. Chronic insomnia, on the other hand, is a medical issue. Chronic insomnia can be due to conditions such as depression, pain from arthritis, menopause, heartburn, or side effects from medication. So if you have trouble sleeping every night, or you go to sleep, then wake up and can’t get back to sleep, see your doctor. The underlying medical condition probably needs to be diagnosed and treated before the insomnia will go away.

Sleep Apnea. Sleep apnea is a common condition. People with sleep apnea stop breathing frequently throughout the night. Some of them wake up gasping for air, but others just wake up very tired despite sleeping the whole night through. So sleep apnea is different from insomnia in that many people who have it don’t know that they do. They find out only when another person tells them about their gasping for air and snoring.

Sleep apnea is more common in people who are overweight. And smoking and drinking alcohol can make it worse. People with this condition are more likely to have high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes than those without it. They are at a higher risk for heart failure and stroke. And they’re more likely to be involved in traffic accidents if driving while sleepy.

If you think you may have sleep apnea, or have been told you do, see your doctor. The condition can be treated in several ways. For people who are overweight, the first line of treatment is weight loss. Another treatment is use of supplemental oxygen during the night to help the person get a good night’s sleep and boost his or her energy level. This extra energy helps a person trying to lose weight stay more physically active.

Do you have sleep problems most of the time?

Try this habit for a week and indicate below whether it helped you sleep. If not, consider trying another one or talk to your doctor about your sleep problems.

Summary

• Adequate sleep is essential to healthy living.
• Exercise is a critical component of a diabetes control program, but lack of sleep and fatigue make it hard for a person to keep up with his or her program of physical activity.
• For some people, getting enough sleep is just a matter of going to bed earlier. For others, using good sleep habits and rituals will help them get a better night’s sleep — for instance, taking a warm bath, drinking herbal tea, listening to relaxing music, or reading a book.
• When a person tries relaxing bedtime rituals but they don’t work, he or she may have a sleep disorder that requires medical attention. If you think you may have chronic insomnia or sleep apnea, see your doctor about treatment. You can invest your newfound energy in a program of physical activity that will help you sleep better in the future.