Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I am currently out of town for work related training and last night I gathered with some nice individuals I have never met. We drank wine and had conversations about numerous topics until 1am. It was a great time, however, this is very unusual for me as I am normally passed out at 930pm. I do, however, feel like what I lost in sleep I gained in the enjoyment of fellowship, granted I haven't started feeling the effects of only sleeping 5 hours yet, but I digress. My thinking is that it is even more beneficial since I am missing being apart from my wife and two boys. Obviously continuing this pattern for the remainder of my stay would not serve as a benefit to my health, however, I wonder if occasionally choosing fellowship over sleep is actually necessary.

We all face these dilemma's following the guides of a paleolithic lifestyle with the knowledge and experience in the benefits of sleep. Do we choose something that may be potentially enjoyable or bring us satisfaction knowing that we will definitely lose sleep and possibly feel the adverse effects the days to follow? I have frequently answered no to that choice because of the fear of "what may be" from lose of sleep. However, I may begin to shift my thoughts on this decision based on my experiences last night. Again, doing this several times a week or even several times a month may not be wise but I wonder if, on occasion, choosing the red pill provides more benefit that we would have gotten from the extra 1-3 hours of sleep we lost.

Do you think you can derive more benefit from the occasional late night social gathering that from sleep lost?

flag	asked Mar 26 2012 at 12:09 hemanvt 8,695●2●16●71

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I think gathering and fellowship trump almost everything. Eat right as much as you can as often as you can and then when you decide to hang out, go out to dinner, eat out with good people, it's all good and you don't have to worry. Smiling and enjoying yourself with people is very good for you I think. – ben61820 Mar 26 2012 at 12:22

FED at LiveCaveman.com · Answer 1 · 2012-03-26 18:31:46Z UTC

If living like a hunter-gatherer with regards to diet works, living like a hunter-gatherer with regards to socializing may also be worth considering.

You may find this passage from "Limited Wants, Unlimited Means - A Reader on Hunter Gatherer Economics and the Environment" interesting...

"The trance-dance is the focus of Bushman ritual life; over 50 per cent of the men have trained as trance-performers and regularly enter trance during the course of the all-night dances. At some camps, trance-dances occur as frequently as two or three times a week and those who have entered trances the night before rarely go out hunting the following day. Accounts of Bushman trance performances have been published in Lorna Marshall (1962) and Lee (1967). In a camp with fiver or more hunters, there are usually two or three who are actively hunting and several others who are inactive. The net effect is to phase the hunting and nonhunting so that a fairly steady supply of meat is brought into camp."

So the lesson is, if you stay out late with your friends, great! But, only if you can take the next day off!

Corbab · Answer 2 · 2012-03-26 14:03:59Z UTC

As with diet and everything else, an isolated incident won't hurt you a bit. Sure, you lost 4 hours of sleep out of a lifetime, but you gained so much more for it. As long as you don't make it a nightly thing and rise the next day like a zombie, you have nothing to worry about.

JeJ · Answer 3 · 2012-03-26 19:05:22Z UTC

Humans have always partied. Getting together is fantastic- you get to bond, learn new things, express yourself, and it makes you smile.

I can't recall an event with friends that I have thought back on and said "Man, that was the difference maker, I should have got more sleep that night. I regret that good time". Even just going to bed on a regular old day, I value the time lying in bed when everything is pitch black and just talking to my boyfriend about the happenings of the day. Do I consistently get 30mn+ less sleep because of it? Yes. Do I still think that late-night chatting is more important to my life than the sleep I could have had? Absolutely.

Your body can handle losing a bit of sleep, probably more than you think you can. I mean, if you've ever had a newborn, or lived with one (my family fostered, so my Mom and I alternated newborn-duty) you know pretty quick that you can function with sleep interruption pretty darn good, to a certain point. We bounce back. We have to! It's just fine.

greymouser · Answer 4 · 2012-03-26 13:27:53Z UTC

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Since you didn't wake up on the beach to watch the sun rise with an attractive someone laying next to you, then no, sleep is wayyyyy better. :-D

answered Mar 26 2012 at 13:27

greymouser
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My wife may have issue with that which would lead to much more than a lose of sleep...lol. – hemanvt Mar 26 2012 at 13:36

Eric · Answer 5 · 2012-03-26 19:38:58Z UTC

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I would say it is ok on ocassion.

answered Mar 26 2012 at 19:38

Eric
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Wuism · Answer 6 · 2012-03-26 23:10:42Z UTC

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All sleep and no play make Jack a very dull boy

answered Mar 26 2012 at 23:10

Wuism
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Can gathering and fellowship trump sleep from time to time?

6 Answers