Intro to Napping: And finally, a nod to weight maintenance

While we're still on the subject of napping (sort of), I wanted to leave you with this final tidbit from Take a Nap! explaining how a lack of sleep affects metabolism, leading to weight gain.

Sleep-deprived people become more susceptible to obesity, and consequently, arteriosclerosis and diabetes. A University of Chicago study found that subjects restricted to six hours of sleep a night for as few as four nights already showed increases of insulin in the bloodstream similar to what happens in a prediabetic state. When we deprive ourselves of sleep, the brain sends a signal that we are entering a period of overdrive and need extra energy to support our mental and physical functions. This causes us to crave high-fat, high-glucose body fuel--in other words, junk food--another reason why Americans can be both the hardest workers on the planet and the most overweight.

And practitioners of the Zone, Atkins and South Beach diets take note: Inadequate sleep causes decreases in the hormone leptin, restricting the body's ability to break down carbohydrates.

How do you like them apples? I think this also can explain the Freshman Fifteen... along with copious amounts of alcohol and Lucky Charms. Or maybe that was just me.

In any case, this information supports the idea that sleep effects the whole body. According to SleepDeprivation.com, inadequate sleep impairs:

• Our ability to think
  
• To handle stress
• To maintain a healthy immune system
• To moderate our emotions
• To stay awake while making sandwiches (Kidding)
  

But I don't think this is news to you. Obviously, when you don't get much sleep, you feel like crap, can barely function and cry at the drop of a hat. Or again, maybe that's just me. But I doubt it.
Side note: Actually, I am notoriously horrible after not sleeping much. The stories I could tell... If I'm woken prematurely, HEADS WILL ROLL. Not kidding. There may or may not be warrants against me in three states.

To close the napping conversation, I wanted to leave you with a couple napping quotes I came across over the last few weeks. Enjoy!

"No day is so bad that it can't be fixed with a nap."
Carrie P. Snow

"You must sleep some time between lunch and dinner, and no half-way measures. Take off your clothes and get into bed. That's what I always do. Don't think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day. That's a foolish notion held by people who have no imagination. You will be able to accomplish more. You get two days in one - well, at least one and a half, I'm sure. When the war started, I had to sleep during the day because that was the only way I could cope with my responsibilities."
Winston Churchill (Are we sure this wasn't former President Bush? No.)