The Dietary Death Spiral

I haven't been sleeping well due to a couple of things...mainly stress.  My job has gotten really busy lately and so I'm finding it hard to turn off my brain at bedtime.  Yes, I do all of the things you're supposed to do...I don't check my phone before bed, I avoid the "blue light" from tv and other electronics for 30 minutes before I sleep, my room is cool, etc.  But all that aside, I'm feeling really lethargic and so, to feel more energetic, my mind is telling my body that I need to eat more.

Not getting enough sleep inhibits the release of hormones that increase our metabolism, the "internal fires" that allows us to burn more calories.  So, not only do I want to eat more, but I'm craving comfort foods AND my metabolism is slowing down.  That's the worst...diet...plan...ever.

So how do I get out of this Dietary Death Spiral?  First of all, I have to do some more stress relieving things to help me get better sleep.  Yoga, meditation, deep breathing, etc.  Next, I need to create an action plan for when I'm awake to feel energized.  I know drinking water helps, but plain water won't ease my "false hunger" so I'm going to fill up my desk drawer with peppermint teas and I'm going to put fresh lemon or other "uplifting" flavors in a big glass of water that I have at my desk to sip on during the day.  And do this for more than just 20 minutes on the first day!

I'm not sure if that's enough, but it's definitely a good start.  Now if I can just stay awake long enough to finish this blog...