endurance, the chemistry of siestas, and whole 30

[wvhorsetrainer]

HI folks, My husband and I are on the reintro phase of our second whole 30. After we determine what, if any, sensitivities we have, we plan to go back to eating pretty close to template for a while-he's thrilled with the weight loss, and I have this superhuman endurance I need to get through an insanely busy "busy season."

Here's my question: I am a professional horse trainer (anyone who says the horse does all the work is a steenkin liar ;-) On hot days, both the horses and I prefer not to be broiling through the workouts, and my human clients take up a lot of the nice, cool timeslots that fit into normal life schedules.  I realize I need more sleep than I'm getting.  what do siestas do to the whole sleep/ hormone/ food cycle?  If I were to sleep say from 1-4 pm, and then from midnight to 6 am, how would I eat to support that?

Any other suggestions from folks who have been there, done that?

 

Thanks so much! --Kirsten

[MeadowLily]

There are several members who have to work the night shift and switch it all up every week.  I don't know how good they feel on any given day.  I think you'll get the best quality sleep from sleeping 7-8 hours every night.  You can't get to bed before midnight?  They say the best REM sleep happens before midnight. 

 

http://www.medicaldaily.com/7-health-consequences-going-bed-past-midnight-247247

[Guest Andria]

The sleep pattern you are suggesting is definitely not ideal.  Science knows for sure that messing with your sleep-wake cycle can negatively impact your health.  In other words, those who work night shifts and sleep during the day are at greater risk for a whole host of problems including but not limited to heart disease, diabetes and some forms of cancer.  

 

Additionally, naps disrupt our deep sleep cycle at night.  The longer you sleep in the afternoon the shorter your deep sleep cycle will last and you will awaken unrefreshed the next morning.  This will lead to sleep deprivation, decreased physical and mental performance, and difficulties with your mood.

[kirkor]

For research: http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/10/polyphasic-sleep/

[Tom Denham]

I don't have any thoughts on how to eat around the sleep schedule you are asking about except to encourage eating substantial meals when you eat and then not snacking until your next substantial meal.

 

I am personally working on napping during the day to make up for the fact that I rarely sleep all night. I frequently wake up after 4.5 hours of sleep and have trouble getting back to sleep. I often eat a bite in the middle of the night. I don't wake up hungry, but become hungry after being awake about an hour. I spend 8.5 hours in bed, but am not sleeping enough of those hours. My naps are often just 30 to 45 minutes, but I think they may help. I am in the early stages of this experiment, so will need several more months before I know what I think. 

[TrayS]

Michelle at Nom Nom Paleo wrote a post about she deals with night shift. I know your situation isn't exactly the same but maybe you'll find it helpful.

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/55156756199/surviving-the-night-shift