"This is why my pants don't fit,"

said the girl who decided to blog at 2:00 AM.

From the December 2005 issue of Psychology Today:

Unfortunately, mounting evidence suggests persistent sleep debt -- being just shy of optimal rest each morning -- can not only weaken immune response and cognitive abilities, but it is also linked to the onset of adult diabetes. Now comes word from scientists that skimping on sleep may make a person fat.

According to a study at Eastern Virginia Medical School, people who sleep just 16 fewer minutes per night than the average person are significantly at risk of being overweight. As inconsequential as those moments sound, it adds up to nearly two hours of lost sleep per week. After controlling for other lifestyle and health factors, researchers calculated that missing two hours of sleep each week is associated with a 10-point increase in body mass index -- or the difference between a healthy weight and obesity.

As you can see from the fact that I'm blogging in the middle of the night (and for no good reason; the babies aren't keeping me up tonight, at least), I get significantly less sleep than the average person. 16 minutes fewer? Puleeze. 16 minutes is for sissies. I'm hardcore, baby.

But I'm also having trouble squeezing into my pants lately. How depressing. I used to think I ought to start exercising, but now I wonder if I shouldn't just try to sleep more. Sleep sounds like the more appealling option -- you'd think I'd jump at the chance! -- but honestly, I think it would be equally difficult to overcome inertia in either case: Exercise is no fun at first; it takes a few weeks of consistent work for those endorphins to kick in enough that I look forward to it. Sleep is lots of fun, but so is a quiet house where I'm the only one stirring and my life and my thoughts are truly my own. If I give up my nocturnal "me time," I won't have any "me time" at all. (That's a slight exaggeration, since the kids usually do nap simultaneously and I'm alone then. But in the middle of the day I have the obligation to be productive around the house -- whether or not I actually am, lol -- so it's only in the wee hours that I feel truly free.)

*Sigh.*

So, my little minions.... The New Year is approaching, and with it all those silly resolutions. Which one should I make? Assuming I only have energy to commit to one (and even that may be stretching it, lol), what should I pick? Exercise or sleep?

I have to do something. I can't afford new pants.


~RCH~