When readers email me questions I copy them into a word document and use them to create posts. As I was scrolling through lately I realized that some of the questions were ones I really wanted to answer, but were more appropriate to answer in a paragraph instead of an entire dedicated post. So this post is going to answer a long list of questions I’ve had hanging around, but wasn’t quite sure how best to answer them. I hope it’s helpful! **side note: I’m a health care provider, but not your health care provider, so of course check with your provider before taking my general advice and making it individual advice 🙂
Is it possible to get too much sleep and are there negative health affects to sleeping too much?
The right amount of sleep varies from person to person…some people need more while some need less. I’ve found I function best around 7 1/2 but get between 7 and 8 hours most nights. On average, getting 7 to 9 hours is a good range to shoot for. Test out different amounts to see where your body feels best. Will there be occasional days that you sleep 10 or 11 or 12 hours. YES. That’s okay and probably what your body needs at that time. But sleeping 10+ hours a night or feeling exhausted on less than 10 hours is something that should probably be looked into by your health care provider. The same health affects that come with too little sleep can happen with too much sleep (depression, decreased cognitive function, heart disease, diabetes, increased inflammation etc etc) –> I don’t say that for you to be like “omg I’m doomed for chronic disease” or to create fear, but instead to just gently say…if you find you need over 9 hours of sleep consistently to feel rested, go ahead and get some tests and labs done by your doctor. That can rule out thyroid causes, anemia, underlying inflammatory conditions, illnesses like mono, vitamin deficiencies etc etc.
Can you share your thoughts on collagen and what exactly collagen is?
There will always be a health trend. I feel like collagen is trending now. Collagen is an abundant protein in our bodies that is found in muscles, bones, blood vessels, the digestive system and tendons. It helps to turnover and replace dead skin cells and also gives skin elasticity and strength. You can also think of it as the binding substance for joints and tendons and other things in your body together. I feel the same way about collagen that I do about most supplements. Can it be a helpful addition to what you already do to take care of yourself? Sure. Is it harmful to take collagen? Doubtfully. I also bet though, that the healthiest people you know aren’t slamming collagen every day. No amount of collagen (or any other supplement for that matter) can replace the profound health benefits of eating intuitively, moving in a way that feels good, getting enough sleep, and establishing a good self care routine.
What is the importance of eating often from a hormone perspective?
When your body starts running low on glucose and blood sugar drops, the “fight or flight” response is activated which causes stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to be released from your adrenal glands. If hormones are working right and hunger cues are intact, your body gives you signals to eat before your blood sugar gets too low, things like decreased concentration, irritability, low energy, physical hunger, etc. By eating regularly you avoid a major blood sugar crash which is stressful on the body (and stress is the cause of everything because stress = inflammation) Therefore, cortisol isn’t continually pumped out in response to a perceived “starvation state” by your body and blood sugar remains stable, which helps alleviate mood swings, anxiety, depression and a host of other symptoms.
What do you do if you know you need to eat, but aren’t hungry and nothing sounds appealing.
Part of intuitive eating is eating out of self care. That means feeding yourself regularly. We will all go through periods of having a wonky or decreased appetite – my advice is to eat the foods that sound somewhat appealing, whatever that food might be and nourish yourself the best you can given the circumstances. Remember, your body ebbs and flows and that’s okay 🙂
How much water should we be drinking? Is there such thing as intuitive water drinking? Is there truth to the rule of drinking a glass of water before a meal to make sure you don’t overeat?
I think intuitive water drinking is a difficult concept to navigate because water has no taste so it doesn’t provide the same satisfaction, satiation and experience as food. And when we get super busy, I find people (including myself) forget to drink unless we stay mindful of it. I recommend at least 64 ounces of water a day. Drinking water to suppress hunger in my opinion is a form of dieting. I’d encourage others to be mindful of water intake, keep a water bottle nearby and drink throughout the day. Simple as that. And then practice intuitive eating the best you can and everything else will follow 🙂
If you have questions you want me to answer I’m happy to – leave a comment and I will get to them as best I can or turn them into blog posts. I love hearing from you 🙂
![Skin Issues [it’s not always about the food]](https://www.thereallife-rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/fullsizeoutput_e42-150x150.jpeg)
I love this information Robyn- I think you’re wonderful and have been so blessed in my ED recovery over the years reading your blog!! One question I have related to the fight-or-flight response and blood-sugar drop. I guess my feeling is that the body is an efficient and practical system, and it wouldn’t make sense for a stress response to activate just because it’s been a few hours since your last meal. Sometimes (or even often, e.g. depending on the job you have)this is just an inevitable part of life- why would the body go into physical ‘stress’ mode if you’re not actually stressed about the fact you’re a little hungry? Is it really efficient for the body to start pumping out cortisol every time you’re hungry for more than half an hour? I guess I just feel like I don’t want to have to be obsessive about needing to snack constantly. Thanks 🙂
Hi Liz – thanks for reading!
You make a good point – you don’t feel mentally stressed, but your body is physically stressed because it’s having to compensate. Being obsessive would cause stress too so that wouldn’t be helpful 🙂 Nothing is an end all be all…so yes of course there will be times when work or being in a car or waiting for the server to bring out your food happens and getting something to snack on is nearly impossible – that is life and OKAY Our body can handle those times, it’s why we have a stress response. But making ignoring hunger or going long periods of time (I generally say >5 hours) in between eating a consistent rhythm in your life (because our stress response isn’t meant to be constantly activated will cause physical stress. I hope that helps!
That makes sense- thank you for your reply! xx
Would love to hear your thoughts on the weight training craze. Cardio, for the most part, is discouraged and working towards deadlifting and squatting twice your body weight is encouraged. Is this something I should pursue? If I don’t now will I regret bit when I’m 80? Would live your thoughts.
adding this to my list!
I love your idea of having a way to answer a bunch of short questions! I hope you make this a regular-ish type of post. I’d look forward to reading it!
I agree!
glad you enjoyed it!
glad you enjoyed it!
I loved this! All very well said. 🙂 I agree with Ashley above that more of these Q&A-type posts would be great & very informative!
Thanks for being wonderful, Robyn!
glad you enjoyed it! hopefully will do more soon 🙂
Love how you’ve created a post out of other’s questions–because they end up being helpful for several people. This was super informative. I really had to coach myself through eating, even when I wasn’t hungry. And knowing that that IS a part of intuitive eating. Thank you, Robyn!
YES! A lot of truth to that Amanda 🙂
This was perfect.
glad you enjoyed Keaton!
Definitely would love more question/answer type blogs!
Here’s a question:
You talk a lot about hormones and thyroid levels, etc. I love it. I recently was tested for TSH, T4, and T3. All are within the ‘normal’ range but just barely—they’re all on the edge of being low. So, is there such a thing as a suboptimally performing thyroid that’s ‘normal’ but still not healthy? Just curious for your perspective—I certainly will talk with my doctor as well!
Adding this to my list Kristin! I think that’s a good question that I get a lot
Yes I’d love to know too!
Hi Robyn! I love love love your blog and it has really helped me along in my ED recovery to separate fact from fiction! A question I have: can not getting your period be related to very bad acne? The first thing I hear from dermatologists is to cut out *insert any food group here* to clear acne…but I’m hesitant with my ED history!! I just want to know if there could be a hormonal link between both my acne and amenorrhea, and if that’s the case, is there a test that can explicitly let me know? Thanks for reading and for always being my go-to for honest, health positive advice!!
they are certainly related – I’ll add the to my list! It’s a delicate dang with these things when it comes to navigating through it while ALSO keeping a healthy relationship with food and your body. Love this question!
I really appreciate this post Robyn; I appreciate your thoughts on collagen and the reminder that a good diet, good amounts of exercise and sleep, can’t be replaced with any extra supplements. I have enjoyed using collagen, but the best thing is an overall view of health. 🙂
Hi Robyn! This is a bit of an odd question, but I’m curious about your perspective and if it’s something you/your clients have ever dealt with. I’m trying to get more into intuitive eating, and one small struggle that has come up for me is food waste. For example, before if I went to a restaurant and ordered an entree, I’d normally plan on eating half (regardless of how hungry/full I was) so I can save the other half as leftovers. However, with IE, I may end up eating more like 3/4 before feeling full/satisfied, which doesn’t leave enough food to warrant taking that last 1/4 as leftovers, but also causes me to feel guilty about wasting what’s left. How would you suggest navigating that guilt around wasting food and leaving some on the plate even if it means it’ll get thrown out, while honoring your own hunger cues?
So thankful for your balanced view of living Robyn! You have been such a blessing and joy to follow these past couple years! Love your Q and A posting! So good!
Thanks for these thoughts, Robyn! I actually find I am an intuitive water drinker; I usually just follow my thirst and often find my water bottle is empty without my being even that conscious of it.
Love this Q & A style post! Where is the best place to leave questions for you for future posts?
Have you done a post on adrenal fatigue? I’m just curious of your thoughts about supplements to help with adrenal fatigue.
Curious about this too!
love this post love you!
Hi Robyn!
I have a question about amounts of foods.
I’m still working on digging my way out of unhealthy eating habits and my fear of food. I have managed to overcome my unhealthy relationship with exercise as a way to compensate for food i’m eating as a result of recovery from an injury, but the food aspect is something I can’t seem to leave behind me as of yet. I can’t deny that the 1200/1300 calories a day is something that i’m thinking about constantly as I plan my meals and think about what i’m going to eat at any given moment. Bad, I know, especially when the fitness routine I have going on probably (or definitely) warrants more than that. The problem is, however, i’m just not hungry and the thought of having to find something else to eat, just because I think I may not be taking in enough calories seems kind of scary/counterproductive as i’m not really listening to my body at that point. Do I still need to keep eating?
As of late I know i’ve definitely been more tired than usual and I haven’t been sleeping well. Are these signs of me not eating enough? Are the any other more obvious signs the body isn’t getting enough nourishment?
Thanks!
I used to have this problem as well. I used to be addicted to exercise and at the same time my appetite decreased too, which is actually a common thing for people who over exercise. Also when you go a long time eating 1200 cal/day your body loses it’s hunger signals and gets “used” to you eating the same amount every day. One of the first things I had to do was decrease my workout intensity which helped me listen to my body more and be more intuitive. Hope that helps a little 🙂
What are your thoughts on multivitamins? Is there a certain brand/type that you recommend?
I thoroughly enjoy your blog and perceptive on healthy eating. Keep up the great work. You are helping more people that you know.
All of your posts have been extremely helpful as I start to recover from female athlete triad. I have been recovering for about 6 months, gaining about 12lbs in the process, taking workouts from high intense 2-a-days, 6x a week to a low to moderate intensity 3x a week. It’s been 6 months, but no period. I’m extremely impatient and I’m constantly trying to get it jump started. How do I even know if I’m on the right path at all or if I need to do more to help?
Everything you have posted has been so comforting and helpful. Thank you!!
I’m so glad they have resonated Kelsey! It would take a thorough history for me to guide you in steps to take but I always emphasize that LESS is more in this case!! 🙂
Thank you so much for this wonderful information! I am new to your site (just heard your podcast on body love and LOVED it!!!) please forgive me if you’ve already addressed this. I have done intuitive eating the last 6 months and really love the concept. I’ve been on lexapro and Wellbutrin for the last year for bad anxiety-complex trauma. And I’ve gained a good amount of weight the last 6 months. Is there a way to tell if this is my body’s natural & healthy weight or if it is from the anxiety meds? Is being on these meds healthy from a hormone standpoint? Thank you so much for your time!
Hi Kristiana! Welcome and thanks for reading! I wish I could give you advice on anxiety meds and healthy set point and hormones but that is such an individual and complex question that totally depends on your individual circumstance that health that I wouldn’t be able to address that via comment. Feel free to email me if you’d like to work together or I would encourage you to check with your PCP. Again, welcome 🙂
The piece about intuitive water drinking resonated with me a lot! Drinking water for me started off as a practice of building a habit. I would always forget, but then always feel bad (headaches, aches, bad skin, etc) when I forgot to drink water. I started with a water bottle and keeping it in front of me, to remind me. Several years later now, it’s so deeply ingrained that I do intuitively drink water and crave it when I haven’t had enough.
My intuitive point is 1-2 Brita pitchers per day (so about 10-12 glasses probably), not including other drinks like coffee (2 cups), tea (1 cup) and wine (2 small cups, so probably 2-3 oz total). I bring a water bottle with me to the grocery store, to meetings, everywhere! It’s truly life changing to be hydrated! I do find I crave water and love the taste, as strange as it sounds!
It’s like an internal monitor that goes “WATER! WATER! me want!!” haha. I have the same thing with fruit – if I don’t have 4-5 servings of fruit per day, I feel “dehydrated” in a way.
Now I realize I do drink a lot more water than others… but it’s what works for me 🙂
One other thing I’ve discovered too, which has come with this intuitive journey, is that my dehydration sensation and my extreme loneliness/homesickness/sadness feelings ARE THE SAME. So when I’m very dehydrated, I get very crushingly sad and might even start crying, and feel like I’m about to hyperventilate. It is SO STRANGE, and sure threw my fiance for a loop when it happened last time. When I’m hydrated, I rarely get sad.