Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Well-rested - cleanse day 2

I'm doing a five-day food cleanse followed by a six-week diet with Liz Vequist in an effort to start feeling fit, active and inspired. The cleanse started on Monday, October 5, 2015.

*****

Day two of the cleanse and everyone seems to be talking about their withdrawal symptoms: headaches, unregulated body temperature, stomach cramps, crabbiness, etc. 

I have none of these, at least none beyond my standard range of normal. I get headaches so often that I keep a log and was recently at a neurologist to figure out the cause. My body temp is so off that I went to my g.p. earlier this year to ask if I had started menopause. (I haven't.) And crabby? Shoot, I'm crabby almost constantly because I have a job and responsibilities and bills to pay. 

In the absence of noticeable signs of detoxing, I started wondering if I was doing something wrong. "Am I eating too much? Is my cheating on the "no caffeine" thing really affecting me? Should I have listened to the kick-off call audio recording - did I miss something important?" 

While scouring my brain for immediate signs of the efficacy of the cleanse, I realized I am experiencing a positive, rather than negative, form of detox. (At least I think I am.) 

I've been able to fall asleep for each of the last two nights without any sleep-aids. And, for the last two mornings, I've woken up well-rested. 

Did you hear me? I feel well-rested!

This is NOT typical. My husband snores and I have what the Buddha called a "monkey mind." In an effort to get some rest, I often  take OTC sleep meds at least an hour before my intended bedtime. If the sleep aids don't fully work, I supplement them with white noise recordings, or sleeping in a room separate from my husband and away from what he calls his "purring." 

What's the reason? Is it the miracle of just one day of the cleanse, or maybe a coincidence? I asked the Fall 15 Cleanse Facebook group. 

"Maybe it is a reduction in caffeine?" someone asked? I have switched to half-caf. Still only drinking one cup a day. Could the effect of the one cup I drink a day be so dramatic as to effect my sleep nearly 16 hours after I ingest it? 

"What about the Epsom salt bath? That''s supposed to relax muscles which should make sleep easier." Definitely a possibility. 

I then wondered if it is the effect of getting sugar out of my system, which allegedly has the same motor revving qualities as caffeine. 

Whatever the reason, I hope it continues. And it is definitely something I'll be watching for the remainder of the cleanse, and beyond as I elect which new behaviors to keep as part of my standard m.o. 

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Awesome! Hope day 3 goes well!