My daytime anxiety is much better (say: virtually absent), but I still have a lot of nightmares. (My biggest ‘symptom’ of grief.) It takes ages to fall asleep, because I keep myself awake (I’ll probably write more about this in the future), and today I had to get up early because my partner (Alex) is going to New York and he has a morning flight.
Long story short:
I did not sleep much.
I was a little slow, but the sleep deprivation seemed to not affect me too much. Until…
Sleep and Hunger
(Lack of) sleep impacts two main hormones responsible for hunger and fullness. This is what happens when you don’t sleep enough:
- Ghrelin* – a hormone that signals hunger – increases, making you feel more hungry
- Leptin – a hormone that makes you feel full after eating – decreases, so the food you eat doesn’t (fully) still your hunger
As I was eating a pizza (as my third meal of the day) at 10.30am, this started to click.
Sometimes, when you keep being hungry despite eating all of the food, what you really need is a nap.
*When I first learnt about this, while studying psychology, it was accompanied by lots of giggles. “Sorry, I need some food. My gremlins are acting up.”
Today, as I’m fighting with ghosts and gremlins, I try to be kind to myself.
I’m happy I got up early to spend some time with Alex before he left. I made good use of the morning by going for a run before it got too hot here in Amsterdam, and I’m going to bed nice and early tonight.
If you’re struggling with cravings, let’s check in:
Are you really hungry? Are you emotional? Or are you just tired?
Self-knowledge is power.
Wishing you lots of quality sleep (and maybe a pizza too),
Flora
Change Your Mind with Flora 