Abject violation of sleep laws = still losing fat and getting ripped. page

[Knifegill]

I do my darnedest to follow PB, and it's cured most of what ails me. But I'm a night-shifter, and basically switch from nocturnal to diurnal every other week! This kind of stress, on top of almost daily IF and frequent workouts, ought to freak out my hormones, right? But I'm fine! Is it because this is one of the few bad things I do? Is it because I'm actually a nocturnal person and have an easier time flopping schedules than true diurnal people?

I doubt anyone knows anything concrete, but here's my actual schedule for those who might like to dig a little:

Tues. through tues., eight day stretch of ten-hour night shifts, 9:30pm to 7:30am.
On my last day, instead of going to bed, I typically just stay awake the whole day and go to bed that night, hammering myself back into diurnal habits like a sledgehammer.
Six days of this, then staying awake another day to swing back into nights.
And, except for those transition days (where I really do feel very tired by 24 hours of being awake!) I'm bubbly - downright spongebob squarepants!

Been doing this for quite awhile, like six months I think. Is it going to catch up to me? Any ideas? Other people working my schedule look like miserable zombies. My coworkers are almost angry that I'm so cheerful.

[jakey]

IMO, the sleep and cortisol bits of the PB, which are also touted in other corners of the weight loss world, simply have little effect on weight loss! you can be running on a sleep deficit and stressed out as all hell, and still lose weight. i'm not saying it's optimal, don't get me wrong. but i read a lot of people focusing on either blacking out their rooms, or eliminating all stress (i don't even know how you do that), or bathing in cold water, or staring into the sun, or 'earthing', in misguided attempts to lose bodyfat. focus on food!!!!

[Saoirse]

w0rd jakey.

i also don't think that sleep is as big of a deal as everyone makes it out to be. as long as you're falling asleep not too long after you lie down, and wake up feeling at least somewhat rested, you're probably fine. grok didn't sleep an exact 8 hours per night in total darkness. i think there were lots of all-nighters to hunt sleeping game, sneak up on rivals, shoot the shit in front of the fire, or sneak a liaison with a friendly grokette.

[KG]

Just be careful that you don't burn yourself out; you may feel fine now, and you know yourself best, but try to mitigate as much damage as you possibly can before it catches up to you. If you have any signs of fatigue, reduced performance, mood changes or what have you, then cut back on the workouts / IF to get yourself back up to speed.

[CaveWeirdo]

This is very encouraging. I think I might have been needlessly worrisome about my bizarre sleep patterns, which are so ridiculously variable. I must learn to accept the fact that I will naturally sleep 5 hours some nights and feel great the next day, and then sleep 10 hours sometimes and ignore the alarm clock the next day, for no obvious reason. I must accept it as one of my eccentricities that despite a wonderful new primal lifestyle, I will still be a night-owl and stay up reading/writing/interneting until my eyes go squiffy sometimes.

The most important thing is that once I manage to drop off I am an immovable object right through the night, and that is very very good for me!

[Saoirse]

i think it's important to follow your bodily cues. if you're tired, that's a message. GO TO BED! of course, i don't always obey this either, even when i can.

[Fernaldo]

I think it's important to get a good night sleep but more along the lines of amble recovery from lifting heavy. As far as weight lose goes, I'm not sold that's it related or necessary to lose. My sleep varies from 5-8 hours during the week and I am consistently shedding fat. My stress levels are also varied and seem to have no affect. Although, I am doing leangains and maybe just maybe Martin has created such a bad-ass program that IT JUST DON'T MATTER!!!!

[jammies]

For me, the big problem with being tired is that I have very little willpower and crave crap food. So I think if you feel good and it doesn't negatively impact your food choices you may be okay.

There are data showing shift workers have some additional health issues though. But it seems as if you are doing well.

[Dan208]

I'm not sure if this ties in anywhere, but when I was going through my EMT training about 7 years ago, I was under A LOT of stress and I lost around 20lbs. From everything I've read, stress causes you to get fat, sooooo........

[Chaloney]

There are data showing shift workers have some additional health issues

these data show an association, not cause and effect.