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Whole 30 and Sleep Issues - HELP!


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I am toward the end of my third Whole30.  Every round, I have sleep issues.  I can fall asleep just fine but I wake up around 4am - sometimes after only 5-6 hours of sleep.  I feel energetic and ready to take on the day when I wake up but I feel that I am not getting ENOUGH sleep (based on the 7-8 hour requirement that I've always heard). There have probably been 2 or 3 nights during this round of Whole30 that I slept 7-8 hours (and honestly, I was more groggy on those mornings).  I have tried (individually) Sleepy Tea, melatonin, natural sleep aid from Whole Foods, and magnesium (Natural Calm).  Is it possible that my body only requires 5-6 hours of sleep?  If so, I am okay with this.  I've just always read that "healthy adults require 7-8 hours of sleep per night"... and I am feeling pretty darn healthy these days so what gives?  My energy levels remain stable and high throughout the day until I think to myself, "I only got 5 hours of sleep last night" then I start feeling run down (so I know that part is mental).  Any advice on the sleep requirement or suggestions on promoting a longer night's sleep are welcome and much appreciated!

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On January 26, 2018 at 2:00 AM, Whole30ish said:

I am toward the end of my third Whole30.  Every round, I have sleep issues.  I can fall asleep just fine but I wake up around 4am - sometimes after only 5-6 hours of sleep.  I feel energetic and ready to take on the day when I wake up but I feel that I am not getting ENOUGH sleep (based on the 7-8 hour requirement that I've always heard). There have probably been 2 or 3 nights during this round of Whole30 that I slept 7-8 hours (and honestly, I was more groggy on those mornings).  I have tried (individually) Sleepy Tea, melatonin, natural sleep aid from Whole Foods, and magnesium (Natural Calm).  Is it possible that my body only requires 5-6 hours of sleep?  If so, I am okay with this.  I've just always read that "healthy adults require 7-8 hours of sleep per night"... and I am feeling pretty darn healthy these days so what gives?  My energy levels remain stable and high throughout the day until I think to myself, "I only got 5 hours of sleep last night" then I start feeling run down (so I know that part is mental).  Any advice on the sleep requirement or suggestions on promoting a longer night's sleep are welcome and much appreciated!

I would personally spend a bit of time googling about sleep patterns and seeing about debunking or confirming the 7-8 hour recommendation for myself.  It's totally possible that you're an outlier that really does only rquire 5-6 hours of sleep and occassionally a goodsleep to catch up.  If youre not feeling groggy or under slept, your performance in work, family, gym and whatever else you ahve to do is good and you're not taking an hour nap after work because you're exhausted then I'd roll with it. 

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23 minutes ago, SugarcubeOD said:

I would personally spend a bit of time googling about sleep patterns and seeing about debunking or confirming the 7-8 hour recommendation for myself.  It's totally possible that you're an outlier that really does only rquire 5-6 hours of sleep and occassionally a goodsleep to catch up.  If youre not feeling groggy or under slept, your performance in work, family, gym and whatever else you ahve to do is good and you're not taking an hour nap after work because you're exhausted then I'd roll with it. 

Thank you SugarcubeOD.  This made my day!  I just did some "research" (Googling) on this topic and dug a little deeper this time.  Found a bit of information that says it's not a one size fits all (for the 8 hour sleep requirement) and that QUALITY sleep is what we need to focus on versus QUANTITY of sleep.  A great article on Bulletproof.com actually says that 5-6 hours of GOOD sleep is all that we SHOULD need.  I know the quality of sleep I get on Whole30 is much better than my normal.  I guess it has always been drilled into my brain that 8 hours is what everyone needs so it has been frustrating these past 20-some days thinking I was deficient in my zzzzz's!  I should know better to ignore the "conventional wisdom"!

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