Sleep Archives - The Life of a Diabetic

Creating Habits to Create Change

February 20, 2019February 20, 2019 Chris Stocker 1 Comment

The only way to create a change in your lifestyle is by creating good habits. I’m tired of saying:

✅ I want to lose weight.

✅ I want to have better blood sugars.

✅ I want to be more successful.

✅ I want to buy a Tesla.

✅ I want to buy a new home.

✅ I want to run a 5k.

✅ I want to do a lot of things.

I’m not going to lose weight by just “going on a diet.” Because what happens when I go off of the diet? I put the weight right back on.

Having better blood sugars, meaning, having my time-in-range be in the 90% mark like I want requires a lifestyle change, not just a simple tweak.

How to Create Lifestyle Changes

So, how do I create these lifestyle changes?

By creating good habits, actually great habits.

I’ve read so many different books, articles and listened to plenty of podcast episodes about some of the habits of the most successful people in the world. And there tends to be a lot of things in common.

The most common thing amongst all of them is that they create the habit the same way.

Just keep doing it over and over and over.

I’ve written here in the past about using a method called the Diabetes Power List, where I write out 5 things that I need to do every single day to help me achieve my goals. These are not tasks for the day, but much more of macro items.

For example, wake up at 6 am. Eat less then 75g or carbs a day, etc.

By waking up every single day at 6 am for 15-20 days, it will become a habit. There are a lot of theories out there for how long you need to do something before it becomes a habit. But, this is what I am talking about when I talk about creating good habits.

Must Stick with It

Sticking with something for 2-3 weeks, every single day and then it eventually just becomes a habit. It becomes part of your daily routine and your life. For example, when I finish taking a shower, I brush my teeth, it’s just a habit, it’s just what I do.

So, what are some of these habits that I want to create in order to help me achieve the wealth, health and mental goals that I want to reach?

Wake up every day before 6 am.
20 minutes (minimum) of cardio before morning coffee
Meet 3 new people every single day
Create 1 piece of content every single day
Do not go over my daily carb goal (I’m not putting the number here, because I don’t feel like having a carb vs no-carb discussion here.)
Dedicated family time, no phones, no emails, no distractions.
Go to bed before 11:30 pm.

Life throws curveballs at you all the time, but habits are just that, habits. You do them without even thinking about it. It’s not something that you make an excuse for, as to why you can’t do it. You just do it because that’s just what you do every single day.

Here’s to creating better habits.

Sleep Study Wasn’t So Bad

February 4, 2019February 4, 2019 Chris Stocker 1 Comment

Last week I wrote about an at-home sleep study that I had to do. It was supposed to be an overnight sleep study in the sleep office, but the insurance denied it, so at home it was.

Before going to pick up the sleep study equipment, I actually had an endo appointment in the same building. Very convenient, I know.

After the appointment, I went downstairs to pick up the equipment.

It was not as bad as I was expecting. I thought that I was going to have to hook up all kinds of wires and plugs and be attached to a million different things.

Nope.

It was very simple.

Time for an At-Home Sleep Study

January 28, 2019January 28, 2019 Chris Stocker 2 Comments

Tomorrow night is my sleep study. This sleep study was initiated way back in August when I saw my endo and we talked about my loud snoring and waking up to gasping for air in the middle of the night.

The sleep study referral was sent out and the office made contact with me to schedule an appointment. The day of the appointment for the over night study (which at that time, I had no idea if it was overnight, at my own house, or any general information about what goes on during a sleep study).

That was not very good customer service and patient management if you ask me.

That appointment ended up being cancelled by me because I didn’t know if there was a deductible, co-pay, what it entailed, nothing, so, I cancelled.

I’ve Been Scared into Wanting to Sleep More

September 27, 2018September 27, 2018 Chris Stocker 3 Comments

In an article published in MedicalNewsToday titled Why a Regular Bedtime May Benefit Your Heart and Metabolism there is some news from a Scientific Reports study that makes me rethink my sleeping habits.

Well, I can’t even really call them habits, but it’s not much of a habit. It’s a, go to bed at 10 tonight, then maybe 11 tomorrow, but then 2:30 the next night, then back to midnight type of thing.

I’ve talked about my horrible sleeping patterns in the past and why I switched to a Nectar mattress in order to get better sleep and how it actually helped with my blood sugars. But then every time I read an article like this, I’m just reminded of all of the risks that come from sleep deprivation.

What I found interesting in this study is that it talks about “social jet lag” which is the difference in sleep and waking times between the weekend and weekdays and that people who sleep in on the weekends could be at a higher risk for things like heart disease, obesity and of course (like everything else it seems), diabetes.

Here is a quote from the article that really stood out to me:

Overall, volunteers with irregular bedtimes had a higher body mass index (BMI), higher levels of blood sugar, higher blood pressure, and higher levels of hemoglobin A1C, and they were more likely to have a heart attack or stroke in the following decade than individuals with regular sleeping patterns.

Sleep is something that over the past couple of years has scared me. And, it has nothing to do with having a low in the middle of the night and not waking up. That is actually not a big fear of mine at all.

My biggest fear about sleep is just that I’m going to stop breathing one night. I also now fear that all of these nights of bad sleep will catch up to me.

I used to always say, “I don’t need sleep, I’ll sleep when I’m dead”

Well, maybe all of that lack of sleep will get me there a lot earlier than what I previous thought it would.

I have feared for several years that I have sleep apnea, but I’ve never wanted to go and get tested because I know what the outcome and answer is going to be. But, I’m at a point in my life where I am willing to accept everything that may be wrong with me and do what I need to do in order to take care of it.

Losing weight is obviously at the very top of that.

I also know how sleep and my weight have a direct correlation to each other. On night’s that I don’t get great sleep, I tend to eat like crap the next day. I drink much more coffee and I don’t get exercise.

It’s a viscous cycle that must be broken.

What tips do you have for better sleep habits?

Share this article on Facebook or Twitter now and keep the conversation going.

Like what you read? Then sign up for The Life of a Diabetic newsletter to get all the week’s posts delivered directly to your email every Saturday morning.