Is a lack of sleep holding you back in life?

[nelsonic]

Answer this question:

Q: Do you ever do things when you are tired (besides resting/sleeping) that you would not do when you are fully rested?

When I am fully rested, I feel like I have more willpower to resist distraction and am able to focus on my work. I can easily avoid eating processed-sugary-junk and stick to drinking water.

When I'm tired it's like I'm a different person. I resort to "sweet things" (the worst are chocolate or cookies) to boost my energy that I would otherwise be able to avoid. but I know it's a slippery slope and I will just be even more tired when the temporary sugar rush wares off (usually quite fast!). So I know if I'm craving sugary things, it's a clear sign that I need to sleep, not eat!

Relevant Academic Reading

• [ ] The nature of self-regulatory fatigue and “ego depletion”: Lessons from physical fatigue: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4788579
• [ ] Interactions between sleep habits and self-control: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4426706
• [ ] Short and sweet: Associations between self-reported sleep duration and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among adults in the United States: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5380400/

[nelsonic]

Non academic (plain english) article: https://www.nhs.uk/news/mental-health/does-a-lack-of-sleep-lead-to-a-lack-of-self-control/

[Leojunkes]

Very good explanation, and go help many people. I liked your texts very much.