do raw foodists really require less sleep?

[steflou]

I am new to the lifestyle and am trying to balance a full-time job, social life, and some physical improvments-weight loss, etc. There are not enough hours in the day! I read somewhere that raw foodists require less sleep-sometimes up to 2 hrs nightly (5 hrs as opposed to 7). Has anyone else had this effect? Can you also achieve it by being 85% raw? Any input appreciated.

[rawpriestess]

I require much less sleep when I am 100% raw, haven't tried the 85% raw thing, as it doesn't work for me.


I suppose when I am eating cooked, I am actually eating about 75% raw, but that was in another life. LOL

I think the more raw you are, the better, so just keep eating raw, as much as you can, and know that you will require less sleep eventually.

I love to do alot of things, and I often get caught up in the "time" element of it all.

So, I just do what I love, and allow the rest to wayne. As there is nothing to be gained from working too hard, now playing too hard, that's a GOOD thing.

So, play, enjoy your life, and eat raw food. What could be better than this?

[Graciebeliever]

I need less sleep and it has been deeper and more refreshing. I wake with a clear mind and NOT a food hangover.

However I will say this, DON'T short yourself the rest your body needs. There are days that I MUST lay down and either sleep or not move for a while and let the energy go to healing my body.

If you are going to change your eating to accomodate your busy life, then my humble opinion is you need to slow down and not do so much.. The moments spend in calm quiet preparing your Raw food is like a meditaion and it is a healing experience all on its own.

Find what is right for you but don't forget to stop and smell the MANGOS!!

[yeahbethany]

Depends. If you are not using stimulants (cacao, spices, etc), you may be more tired at first. Also, if you are very active, you will require more sleep. When you are detoxing, you will require more sleep.

Hope this helps!

[chamomile]

I do sleep less than I used to , and I am much more energetic during the day. It took a few months for these changes to happen.
Wheatgrass helps alot in this department.
Be patient as each body reacts differently

[Doe]

Cooked foodists require more sleep because of excessive toxins in the body and shoddy building materials to replace the cells that die off daily. Due to this they rarely get enough sleep it in today's society. They just feel bad all the time.

Raw foodists feel better when waking because of less toxins in the body and really great nutritional building materials. It is nice to wake each morning refreshed and ready to go.

However, even raw foodists are living organisms and do need an appropriate amount of sleep.

Teri S

[dreamrawalwz]

I've been sleeping 5-6 hours a night this past week. Usually I'm 8-9.

[RawChicky]

I only need about 5-6 hours to feel rested during the day even when I climb a lot that day. I used to sleep 8-11 hours when I wasn't raw.

[sport]

I am one year raw and still need my 8 hours minimum.

[Draginvry]

I haven't needed much sleep ever since I started sungazing (http://www.sungazing.com).

If you are short on time, the best thing to do is apply the Pareto Principle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle).

[IamLoved]

Now this is actually one thing that has bothered me about going raw. I have heard so many glowing reports about people bounding out of bed and having so much energy and not needing as much sleep and I keep waiting for that to happen to me. I am not as lethargic as I was when eating heavy sugar and starchy SAD foods, but I still need lots of sleep. I go to bed at 9-10 and get up at 7. And I don't bound out of bed. I still drag. I hope that as time goes by this will change. For now though I need my sleep.

[cnoellea]

I required so much less sleep and I was much more alert during the day. Then I fell off the wagon and have not been 100% since, but every day I'm getting closer. I'm only about 85% and still am sleeping loads less and feeling better in the morning!

[sport]

I do jump out of bed and have loads of energy but it requires 8 hours sleep to maintane it

[DavidZaneMason]

-My own experience is that I still get about the same amount of sleep (7.5 - 8 hours of sleep). What I don't have anymore is fatigue....or achiness....or headaches....or anything like that. I find it is much easier to get up when I want.....and sleep when I want.

-David Mason

[Rawmommie]

I sleep a lot less too...almost not enough. I will wake up at 2am and be wide awake. A good 5-7 hours and I'm completely refreshed (if I can stay asleep that long!) :rolleyes: I've been raw for almost 2 years.

[Doe]

missionarymamato5, please don't feel depressed about your sleep habits.

If you are using an alarm clock it is possible that you are being awoke during mid cycle of sleep, even if you wake just before it goes off. I noticed mine made a low click noise just once before going off. It was the click that was waking me up. We all go through sleep cycles about 90 min in length. Waking mid cycle can cause problems anywhere from dragging to actual heart distress. I read somewhere that an alarm that uses light that gradually gets brighter or even flashes is better than sound alarms.

According to studies everyone should have at least 8 hours sleep. Those who happily get by on less for years eventually find it was not the best thing to have done. 9 or even 10 hours does not mean laziness or abnormality if that is what a person needs at that time. Sometimes we have many more things going on than just toxins from food.

Teri S

[Lay-Lay]

I am 100% raw. I was doing a lower amount raw and I was always tired. When first going again I was very tired off and on for a month and half and now, WOW! I have tons of energy and require alot less rest. I usually sleep 4 1/2 hours.

[tinystrawberry]

4 1/2 hours? Wow! That's awesome :)

[Judy]

I am 100% raw. I was doing a lower amount raw and I was always tired. When first going again I was very tired off and on for a month and half and now, WOW! I have tons of energy and require alot less rest. I usually sleep 4 1/2 hours.

WOW, I want that too! Or no, I want what Juliano Brotman has, he sleeps less than 2 hours a day and seems to brim with energy. How to spend all that extra time... ;)
I guess it is true what they say. I've read about one woman (a Dutch journalist who went into raw foods and wrote a book about it) who needs 6 hours of sleep, feeling good during the day and before going raw she almost needed double the amount and usually felt crap (she used to be a party kind of type, drinking and eating nasty stuff, partying all night long). That is a drastic change.

In my case, I'm a newbie and into raw foods for about two months now. I've already noticed an increase in energy. I still sleep 8 hours a day, but I believe I used to need more and sometimes felt tired during the day. And nowadays this isn't the case (allthough I have to say, I need to go to bed on time, I go to bed too late and sit too much behind the computer :rolleyes:, this ruins the energy effect quite a bit!).

I am very curious what will happen!
Now I'm going to sleep. :o

[bobditty]

I've been raw for 4 days now and just woke up at 4am this morning (went to bed around 10:30p). I wanted to go back to sleep so I stayed in bed until 5a then decided to get up because there was no way I was going back to sleep. Day #2 and #3 of my raw diet I was exhausted, especially around 2p-5p. I could hardly work. I'm very curious what happens today and going forward. Hopefully I won't crash today at work!

I would be very estatic to need only around 6 hours of sleep a night but we'll see.

[Tirza]

I just read a couple of articles about getting enough sleep. One said that getting enough sleep would reduce the chance of cancer spreading. The other said that it was an aid in weight loss. Since BOTH of these issues pertain to me, I decided not to just scornfully blow it off.

The cycle of Circadian Rhythms was discussed. Why would we want to upset or reset this cycle? I do think there is something to this. I don't think we should be aiming to cut down on our sleep as if to gain another lifetime by staying awake another 1/3 of our lives. I just don't think it was meant to be that way, unfortunately. How I would love it! But....

I have always needed a fair amount of sleep and rarely let myself have it. I tend to be a night owl. Regardless of how I am eating, I wake up late, then I drag around sleepily in the mornings. The only difference so far with my improved diet is that I don't drag around with a food hangover. (I appreciate even that much.)

I am just always sleepy getting started. I can nap almost anytime I decide to, and sometimes when I don't, like anytime in the day. Then I kick into gear later in the day and can stay up and play on the computer or watch movies or read until 3 or 4 am. I feel that I should train myself to get up earlier and then I will go to sleep earlier.

But can this old dog be taught a fancy new trick like that? Maybe so...I went RAW!

Here is a portion:


"Good Night Sleep May Prevent Cancer Spread

According to Stanford University School of Medicine researchers, a good
night's sleep may even help fight cancer.

The quality and quantity of a person's sleep can have a tremendous
affect on the balance of hormones in the body. That fact makes the
sleep/wake cycle (circadian rhythm) a prime candidate for linking cancer
prognosis to a person's quality and quantity of sleep.

The circadian rhythm involves the hormones melatonin and cortisol.
Melatonin is produced by the brain during sleep. It is a strong�
antioxidant. Antioxidants remove damaging free-radical compounds. People
with an altered circadian rhythm produce less melatonin. That means that
their cells are less protected by the strong antioxidant affects of
melatonin and more prone to cancer-causing mutations.

Melatonin has also been shown to slow estrogen production. In many forms
of breast and ovarian cancer, estrogen causes cancer cells to continue
to reproduce. Workers on night shifts produce less melatonin and are
therefore more prone to cancer.

The second possible link involves the hormone cortisol. It normally
reaches peak levels at dawn and declines through the day. Cortisol�
helps regulate immune system activity. This includes the activity of
natural killer cells that help the body fight cancer.

Research has found that women with breast cancer whose normal cortisol
cycle was disrupted -- their peak levels occurred in the afternoon
instead of at dawn -- died earlier from their cancer.
The women with the disrupted cortisol cycle tended to sleep poorly, to
have lost a spouse, and to have cancer-fighting ability of their immune
system suppressed.

- Stanford University School of Medicine"