When 8 hours of sleep is actually 5

I remember the weeks and weeks when I thought I was getting 8 hours of sleep. In reality, my body was only getting 5, with hardly any REM, and even that was restless and shallow.

I’d lie awake half the night, tossing and turning. By morning, it felt like it was already 5 PM. The day wasn’t about living; it was about surviving. And survival meant food. Endless food.

When sleep is disrupted, the hormones that control hunger and fullness get messed up. Leptin (fullness) drops, ghrelin (hunger) rises, and suddenly it doesn’t matter how much you eat; your body keeps asking for more. Add to that the stress of just staying hungry, and you have the perfect shit storm.

For me, that meant raiding the fridge, grabbing snacks everywhere I went, and chasing sugar just to stay awake. I couldn’t understand why I was always hungry, even after eating.

The truth? I wasn't giving my body what it needed to produce sufficient melatonin, your sleepy sleep hormone.

Once I started working with my body instead of against it, everything changed. I turned my bedroom into a sleep cave with blackout curtains. I stopped eating late so my body could rest rather than digest. I made sure to get morning light to reset my rhythm.

That’s when the morning carb cravings calmed down. The food fight in my head wasn’t in charge anymore. I could go through the morning without constantly thinking about what I would eat next.

Those weeks of broken sleep taught me something I’ll never forget: if you want complete relief from cravings, you can’t ignore sleep. When your body finally rests, your appetite does too.