Advice? Anyone?

Here's the problem: When I'm supremely tired, I eat. It's as if my body has an instinct to carb-load for fuel when I haven't slept enough. Like I could run off of sugar and fat when there's not enough rest to recharge. I realize that the best solution is to get my 7-9 hours nightly, plus an occasional afternoon nap, but in real life, it ain't always possible.

I stock apples and bananas, but my exhaustion drives me like a zombie after brains to pasta, candy, and granola bars. I try drinking water before eating--no dice.

On a related note, I noticed last night, as I notice on occasion, that I may require more downtime than the average bear to function properly. OTOH, perhaps I am more concerned about doing things well than the average person, and therefore put more energy into each thing I do. I don't like to slam through tasks, assignments, social time, or life. My motto is decidedly not "Work hard, play hard." It might be more like, "Work hard, but not all the time, then relax and have some unstructured time, which may include play, rest, contemplation, and/or cooking."