Sleep? What good is that?

Sleep...Who needs it?!? Right?
Well, I had an "Ah-Ha!" moment this week and it had to do with my sleeping habits. It's probably common knowledge to most...but sometimes, I'm a little behind with what is obvious to everyone else. :)
So, this is what I realized...if I don't get enough sleep...I'm tired all day! Can you believe that?!?
But...seriously. There are some weeks that I am hungry and have the munchies all week. And, it's usually for carbs and sweets. I normally would just blew it off, thinking, "Oh, it's probably just PMS." But, it's hard to use that excuse when I just finished my cycle. So...I pondered...then I fell asleep...and then I pondered somemore. That's when I made the connection! All week, this week, I have been going to bed later than normal. A lot later. That is the culprit!
This is why I made that connection. When I was pregnant with Sydney, I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. I didn't know much about it other than, it usually targets overweight people. So, I read up on it. One of the major side affects that people with Sleep Apnea suffer from is weight gain. And, the reason for that is, we try to stay awake by eating. And, what kind of food gives us an energy boost...Sugar. And, once you start eating sugar...you crave sugar. It's a vicious cycle, that if you can't recognize it and control it, things get bad quick. That's what happened with me. Having Sleep Apnea causes weight gain...being overweight causes Sleep Apnea...how do I win?
Anyway, this is why I consider it an "ah-ha" moment. I recognized that I was eating to try to stay awake and I was craving sugar. Which means, I'm not getting enough sleep. DUH!
I forget that I'm not in my 20's anymore and my body works differently now than it did then.  I can't get by for very long on little rest. In fact, my body works differently now than it did a year ago, even. The key is to pay attention to your body...this is something that my trainer is constantly telling me. She says, "Listen to your body, it knows what it needs." One analogy that she gave me that helps is...when we train, excercise is like the "architect" it sets up the blue print. When we rest, that's the "builder"...they take the blue print and put it together. If we don't rest, we don't allow our bodies to build. I hope I explained that right, she made it sound much better. But, what it boils down to is...our bodies will tell us what we need. It's ok to take a day off, even though our minds tell us to keep going. It's ok to take a nap, if that's what we need.
One thing that I struggle with when it comes to napping is, the mindset or stereotype that napping is for kids. I feel lazy or unproductive if I take a nap. But, realisticly, I am unproductive if I'm tired... not to mention, moody and irritable.
I love night time! I just love the peacefulness of it. So, I like to stay awake as long as I can to enjoy it. But, by doing that, it is really hurting my productiveness during the day. I have to remember that, I am no longer single or newly married, living the life of a Retail Manager needing to stay at my store all night to do a floorset. I am a mom that needs to be attentive and alert for my kids and for my household responsibilities. I don't want them to get the shaft or less of me because I am always tired.
So, I have set a goal for myself. And, that is to get a least 7-8 hours of sleep every night. And, if my body needs a nap...so be it...take a nap and enjoy it.
All in all...sleep is extremely important to the overall health of our bodies.
There are a lot of habits of mine that I need to adjust to suit my current lifestyle. But, I am taking it one at a time. I have to allow myself the time needed for it to become natural and routine. Then I will work on the next one. Slowly by slowly, everything is falling in to place and making sense. Just remember to be open-minded and recognize weaknesses, that is the only way to grow and become better.