The 5:2 Sleep Fest

There has been a lot of talk recently about the 5:2 diet and how it is a way to improve your health into old age and, that as an added consequence, participants lose weight (the natural side effect of being on a calorie restricted regime). I do not intend to go into depth about it in this post - but if you want more information then here is the TV programme that started it all.

The basic principle of the 5:2 fast is that you eat normally for 5 days of the week and restrict your calorie intake on two (non-consecutive) days of the week. This has proved to be one of the easiest type of fast to follow on a regular basis and, for the long term health benefits of a calorie restricted diet to be achieved, this needs to be a lifestyle change - not a short diet fad.

Since the awareness of this diet I have come across many articles proposing the 5:2 principle applying to other areas of our lives. For me, one of the most interesting was the use of technology for a young family and going without the internet for 2 days out of 5 to promote more family time. I am aware that I use too much technology and am quite nervous at the thought of being technology free for two days a week!

This got me thinking about applying this idea to sleep but following last week's theme of pampering ourselves to sleep, I thought about the 5:2 sleep fest, not fast!

In this fast paced world we are slowly becoming more sleep deprived and this is having a long term impact on our long term health. Alarmingly studies have shown that these effects start when achieving just 6 hours or less sleep a night.
So if you are someone who is aware that they are slightly sleep deprived and would like to refocus on their sleep levels then how about considering a routine where for two evenings a week you make a conscious effort to relax, unwind and go to bed with enough time to get a full 8 hours sleep?
This should help restore your sleep levels and help write off recently accumulated sleep debt.
The other 5 nights would then mean a 'normal' bedtime. Please note the word normal there - this does not mean staying up later than usual, just as on the 5:2 diet a non-fast day means to eat normally, not over indulge!

Really enjoy those two nights and pamper yourself into unwinding and relaxing. Just as when fasting for only 24 hours you can tell your 'Hungry Self' that you will eat tomorrow, you can tell your 'Busy Self' that you will do the chores, the projects etc tomorrow. You will also have the added bonus of being more rested and so be able to perform any tasks or projects more efficiently and quickly.

Setting a target of 2 early nights a week also seems more achievable and focused than a general sweeping statement of 'I must get more sleep.' and using the 5:2 principle you can chose which nights of the week you do this to fit in round your lifestyle.

So why not give it a go and see if you can have a 5:2 Sleep fest too!

Sweet dreams!