The 2.5-Hour Night
Day 13. And I’m knackered.
Two and a half hours of sleep. Then another two hours a few hours later. Then a 90-minute crash nap in the early evening because my body just gave up.
Not exactly thriving conditions.
Physically, I felt exhausted and hungry most of the day. Not ravenous hunger—not the break-the-fast kind. More like a constant grumbling. A low-level moan that just wouldn’t shut up.
Weight? Still 13 stone 6 (186 lb). No change from yesterday. Mood? Surprisingly solid—I’d give it an 8 overall. But I definitely felt fragile. Like one big gust could tip me over.
Nothing specific made today harder. It’s just been one of those days where your whole body’s whispering: “Please, just give me something.”
The Physical Reality
I stuck with the protocol:
- Loads of water throughout the day
- Aqualibra (herbal tea)
- Black coffee
- Electrolytes
- Vitamin K2 and D3
Did what I could with what I had.
No real new insights today. No dramatic shifts. Just a challenging day that required a fair bit of grit.
The hunger wasn’t sharp. It was persistent. A background noise I couldn’t turn off. And the exhaustion made everything feel harder—like walking through deep water.
The Mood Paradox
Here’s the interesting bit: despite feeling physically drained, my mood held steady.
I wasn’t irritable. Wasn’t snapping at people. Wasn’t spiralling into “why am I doing this” territory.
I just felt… fragile. Like I was one inconvenience away from crumbling.
But I didn’t crumble.
That’s the thing about fasting when life throws you a curveball. It’s not about perfect conditions. It’s about showing up anyway.
The Biology Behind It
When we don’t sleep well, biology takes the wheel.
Ghrelin—the hunger hormone—gets cranked up. And leptin—the one that tells us we’re full—goes quiet.
So that constant grumble I felt all day? That wasn’t weakness. That was my body doing exactly what it’s wired to do when sleep-deprived.
Good sleep is your fasting secret weapon.
When you sleep well:
- Hunger hormones stay balanced
- Energy levels stabilise
- Mental resilience improves
- Fat adaptation feels easier
When you don’t? Your body screams for quick energy. And fasting feels like pushing a boulder uphill.
The Practical Takeaway
If you’re in a similar patch—tired, fragile, hungry—remember this:
Real health is not a straight line. It’s about meeting your body where it’s at and showing up anyway.
The reminder I’m leaving for my future self (and anyone else reading this):
When it gets hard, pause and ask: “Is this real, or is there a reason?”
Today, the reason was clear. Poor sleep.
It doesn’t mean I’m failing. It means I’m human.
The 15-Minute Walk Trick
If you’ve struggled overnight and wake up exhausted, try this:
15-minute walk in sunlight. No sunglasses.
That natural light can help set your body clock and improve sleep hormones later in the day.
Full transparency: it didn’t work for me today. But on previous days, it has made a noticeable difference.
Your body needs light signals. Especially when your sleep rhythm is off.
🎯 Key Takeaways
15-minute sunlight walk — Can help reset circadian rhythm after poor sleep (even if it didn’t work for me today)
Poor sleep cranks up hunger — Ghrelin rises, leptin drops, making fasting feel harder
Mood can hold steady even when body struggles — Mental resilience doesn’t require perfect conditions
Real health isn’t a straight line — Meeting your body where it’s at is the real work
Good sleep is your fasting secret weapon — Hormone balance, energy, mental clarity all improve
Ready to Start Your Own Rhythm Reset?
If you’re navigating post-fast glucose spikes, refeeds, or any other metabolic surprises, the 14-Day Rhythm Reset walks you through the body’s repair logic — not just the textbook version.
👉 Get the 14-Day Rhythm Reset Guide (free)
💪 Want ongoing support? Join Rhythm Club for £30/month (includes FREE app access, community, and weekly accountability calls)
🔽 Read the Video Transcript
0:02Day 13 of my journey.
0:05Today’s been a toughy.
0:08I woke up absolutely knackered. Just two
0:11and a half hours of sleep followed by
0:14another two a few hours later and then a
0:1790minute crash nap in the early evening.
0:21So yeah, not exactly thriving
0:23conditions. Physically, I felt exhausted
0:27and hungry most of the day. Not a
0:30ravenous break the fast kind of hunger,
0:32more like a constant grumbling, a
0:35low-level moan that just wouldn’t shut
0:37up.
0:39Despite that, my mood was surprisingly
0:41solid. I’d give it an eight overall, but
0:43I definitely felt fragile, like one big
0:47gust could tip me over. Nothing specific
0:50made today harder. It’s just been one of
0:54those days
0:56where your whole body’s whispering,
0:58″Please, just give me something.” But I
1:01stuck with it to support myself. I kept
1:04the hydration flowing, loads of water,
1:08some Aqualibra, black coffee, plus
1:10electrolytes, and my vitamin K2 and D3.
1:15Did what I could with what I had. Um, no
1:18real new insights today. No weight
1:20change. still sitting at 136.
1:23Just a challenging day that required a
1:26fair bit of grit.
1:29The reminder I’m leaving for my future
1:31self and anyone else in this
1:33is when it gets hard, pause and ask, is
1:37this real or is there a reason? Today
1:41the reason was clear. Poor sleep.
1:45It doesn’t mean I’m failing. It means
1:47I’m human.
1:49When we don’t sleep well, ghrelin, the
1:51hunger hormone, gets cranked up. And
1:54leptin, the one that tells us we’re
1:55full, goes quiet. So that constant
1:59grumble
2:01wasn’t being weak. It was biology doing
2:04its thing.
2:06Good sleep is your fasting secret
2:08weapon.
2:10If you’re in a similar patch, tired,
2:12fragile, hungry, remember, real health
2:16is not a straight line. It’s about
2:18meeting your body where it’s at
2:23and showing up anyway.
2:25If you’re not sleeping
2:29and you’ve struggled overnight, in the
2:31morning, try 15inute walk in some
2:34sunlight
2:36without sunglasses. That natural light
2:40can sometimes help set your body clock
2:43and can improve sleep hormones later in
2:46the day.
2:49Not that it worked for me today.
2:52If you like this video, please hit like
2:55and subscribe. It really helps to get
2:58the message out to people. And um I will
3:01see you guys tomorrow, day 14.
⚠️ Important: This is educational content based on evidence and personal experience. It is not medical advice. Speak to your GP before making changes to your fasting pattern, diet, or medication.
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