Friday, June 26, 2009
Sleepless in Narbonne
There's one particular phenomenon that's been going on in my body since becoming vegan which I haven't said much about, mostly because I don't have a good scientific explanation for it, which I hate. So I'm throwing it out to the floor: can anyone find a decent explanation, backed by empirical data, for why I need less sleep as a vegan? It's been getting more extreme with each passing month; my body refuses to stay unconscious for more than three hours at a time, and for no longer than six hours in a twelve hour period. I've resorted to napping in the afternoon for thirty minutes becasue I'm deathly afraid of not recovering well from the training volume that is ramping up week after week, but actually I'm not tired with or without the nap (though I have to say that a siesta after a morning of heavy training and a hearty lunch really does feel good; not to mention how very southern-European I feel)
Possible explanations I have read all revolve around the animal kingdom: herbivores sleep much less than omnivores, and omnivores sleep less than carnivores, who typically sleep for more than half the day. Theories behind the explanations revolve around how the energy-intensive process of digesting meat requires more shut-eye time. But these are parallels, anecdotes, observations. I am looking for something more solid to put my mind at rest when it's awake and racing at 4am. I need to know that I'm not going to keel over into a comma induced by overtraining and confounded by sleep deprivation anytime soon.
I'll be interested to hear what you discover. I've cleaned up my diet over the past few months and now, even though I'm more active than I have been in the past, I'm sleeping an hour or two less than I was previously.
ReplyDeleteHi Darren,
ReplyDeleteThat's another theory I've been toying with (that a cleaner diet; i.e. a diet with fewer toxins in it) would translate into less sleep required), but I ate a largely organic diet before becoming vegan and didn't notice anything like this. It could be one direction to look in, though...
I've noticed the same phenomenon when fasting over an extended period of time. Within a few days of a fast you are sleeping for fewer hours and still feel rested when you awake.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I think the 'toxins' conjecture is a little over-wrought, it makes sense that any organism is going to maximize efficiencies. If it takes less time and energy to digest and process a vegan diet, it stands to reason that your body would need less sleep in order to recover. Would like to see the data on that one.
Sleep is not only about recharging your batteries though. There are powerful psychological benefits to healthy sleep patterns.
All that being said, Rachel you should bear in mind that sleeplessness is a sign of both stress and depression. Especially if you go to bed and then wake up at three in the morning.
I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss the fact that you have very recently experienced two highly stressful changes in your life. You have just ended a significant relationship and you have relocated at the same time.
Changing jobs or moving, and ending a long-term relationship ranks right up there with a death in the family in terms of stress.
It is possible to experience mild depression and not really be aware of it. I don't think it's any cause for alarm, but as you noted, healthy sleep patterns are a cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle regime.
It is easy to get caught up in the discipline and schedules of training and neglect other areas of our life. When work and relationships are going through difficult periods, what athlete hasn't secretly - and not so secretly - rejoiced in the knowledge that you can forget all the mundane worries of life in a hard workout session.
In the end, a recognition that life ebbs and flows and has peaks and valleys is a healthy thing. As is the search for a balance between our work and our relationships and our lifestyle.
Some very good points, Vince. I am 99% percent that the change in sleep patterns is not psychological; while I have gone through some major changes in recent months, I can truly say I have never been happier in life than I am right now. In terms of stress, I am experiencing no negative stress beyond the daily 'small stuff'. I continue to search...
ReplyDeleteerbivores sleeping less than carnivores s is a survival adaptation because if they slept longer they would risck becoming eaten(ex giraffe)
ReplyDeleteI have noticed the exact same thing. Since becoming vegan I require three to six hours of sleep per night, and sometimes I can get away with about an hour and a half of sleep and a few twenty minute naps the next day.
ReplyDeleteI recently had a bit of a dietary relapse, and stuffed myself with all sorts of "normal" foods for about four days. I immediately began sleeping eight to ten hours a night!
I can't find a scientific explanation for it either, though some of the theories do make sense. I would like to see if we could get a lot of vegans who experience this to speak out, maybe it would inspire a study.
Read Unlimmited Power by Tony Robbins. In the Energy chapter he talks about changing to a vegan diet and going from sleeping 8 hours a night and needing 3 alarm clocks to wake him up, to only needing 5-6 hours of sleep a night and feeling refreshed in the morning.
ReplyDeleteI'm really interested in this too! I have been vegan for 5 months now and have so much more energy and need much less sleep! It is weird, but I am loving it as my social life has never been better!
ReplyDeleteI've also just realised, I haven't been ill with a cold in all that time (whereas I normally get at least three bad ones a year so statistically should have had at least one!)
ReplyDeleteI always needed 8hrs on standard diet, and also cooked vegan, but my diet was full of processed vegan food. On raw vegan for 13yrs with a lot of nuts/fat/fruitsugar its been 6 hrs.
ReplyDeleteI recently switched to eating massive amounts of greens, and am waking up after 4hrs, feeling refreshed and awake, and am finding it impossible to sleep more.
On standard diet, I got frequent chest/throat infections, about every 6wks. That stopped when I became vegetarian. I'm still not immune to viruses like chickenpox though even on raw vegan. :(