IF and sleep

intermittent fasting (IF) is defined as a pattern of eating in which one alternates between periods of fasting (typically consuming only water) and non-fasting.

IF has been known to:

improve insulin sensitivity
reduce inflammation
decrease risks associated with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and alzheimers.
slow the aging process
give your digestion system a break
reduce your overall caloric intake

i normally fast once or twice a week for between 16 and 18 hours. i usually eat my last meal around 700pm and won't eat again until lunch the following day. during my fast i feel alert, awake and high energy. i've also noticed better body composition since i've been fasting. i have done a couple 24 hour fasts. i have the same results as a 16 or 18 hour fast. i only start to get hungry going into hour 22 and 23. i break my fasts with a nice big meal loaded with plenty of protein.

i thought this was a good article for beginner information on IF.

besides all of the great added health benefits of IFing, it's just so convenient! i love not having to worry about what i'm eating for breakfast or being chained to mutiple pieces of tupperware.

now onto sleep...

I LOVE SLEEPING AND I'M REALLY GOOD AT IT!!! i get between 9 and 10 hours of sleep a night. the minute my head hits the pillow i am out cold until 700am-ish. i'm lucky that i don't have to be at work until 900am and my commute is just under 30 minutes. i have always been a good sleeper. i was never one to get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. there has never EVER been a television in my bedroom. since i was a kid, i've always been in bed early. i think those couple of things have helped me acheive such great sleep habits.

getting good sleep is so important. improved athletic performance, cutting your risk of getting sick, improved mood and energy, and overall cellular repair are just the beginning. here is great article by Mark Sisson about sleep.

"Sleeping “enough” improves insulin sensitivity, increases hGH levels, decreases cortisol (this increases testosterone as there is competition for upstream substrates that cascade into either testosterone or cortisol) decreases inflammation…It is freaky what sleep DOES and pretty scary what a lack of sleep will do." -Robb Wolf

on that note....