Today I want to talk about sleep and routine!
Routine is back! Well, hopefully! I know that I thrive on routine and so does Anna. Right now, Jane is just along for the ride and is pretty happy most of the time.
But honestly, I feel like my sleep schedule is still a little off from the holidays and sleeping in… I am trying to get back to going to bed at the same time and waking up when my alarm goes off.
The reason this came up is because of an article that I recently read that shared that those whose sleep schedules change on the weekend experience the same effects that shift workers experience - increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.
The study shared that 85% of the participants went to sleep and woke later on their days off and that this cased a higher metabolic risk. Sleeping late on days off was linked to lower HDL cholesterol (the good kind), higher triglycerides, higher insulin resistance and higher body mass index. This association persisted after controlling for physical activity, caloric intake, alcohol use and other factors. So what that means is that the lifestyle of the person didn’t make much effect on the outcomes.
So, even though we are tired and feel like we are doing our bodies a favor by sleeping in on the weekends (when the kids allow), we really may not be doing ourselves much benefit…
I want to challenge you! This weekend lets work on staying in our sleep routine! I am interested if we will notice a difference on how we feel on Monday morning when life is back in action and we need to get up early to get the kids ready for the day.
Let me know if you are up for the challenge responding with your usual sleep times!