In the hustle-bustle of our everyday life, we often compromise on things that are essential for our well being for – a higher salary, a buzzing social life or being accepted in society. How often do we really spend a few minutes with ourselves to just be? How often do we exercise, focus attention on our mental health, have a skincare routine or eat right? Another very important thing that goes into looking after your health is sleeping for enough hours in a day.
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Most of us end up working late into the night, scrolling through Instagram or watching something on our laptops and push off sleeping on time. Because of work, we also need to wake up on time and be alert the next day so basically, compromise on restorative sleep. If you constantly feel sleep deprived, don’t worry, we’ve got all the solutions for you to combat this and lead a healthier and happier life.
Symptoms of sleep deprivation
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Sleep deprivation is very common phenomenon in today’s world. Adults and teenagers alike are prone to suffering from this. Sleep loss alters normal functioning of attention and creates a hindrance in performing our daily tasks to the best of our ability. It has been seen as important reason in car crashes, plane crashes and accidents in power plants. It can also be the symptom of an undiagnosed sleep disorder or another medical condition. Also, a thing to keep in mind is that you accumulate sleep debt when you fail to give your body the required amount of sleep. Some of the symptoms of this could be:
- Yawning
- Mood swings
- Fatigue
- Tiredness
- Irritability
- Feeling of low mood
- Difficulty learning new concepts
- Foggy memory
- Inability to concentrate on everyday things
- Lack of motivation
- Clumsiness
- Carbohydrate cravings
- Reduced sex drive
Effects of sleep deprivation on your body
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We’ve already spoken about the symptoms that people complain about when they’re lacking sleep but here is how it can really affect your body. And boy, are these scary.
- Sleep deprivation is said to emulate the same effects that alcohol has on your body- you may experience slurred speech and uncontrollected reflexes of the eye too. Slight shakes and tremors in the hands are also common when you haven’t had enough sleep. Another thing you may notice is an increased sensitivity to pain- heat and pressure pain is heightened when we’re sleep deprived.
- It also prevents the body from strengthening the immune system to fight infections. This means that a person suffering from sleep deprivation may take longer to recover from an illness and may also be at a higher risk of it developing into a chronic illness.
- Sleep deprivation is also known to increase your risk of chronic respiratory diseases like sleep apnea.
- It can even affect the weight of the person when they aren’t sleeping enough. And this is because two hormones in the body- leptin and ghrelin which control the feelings of hunger and fullness are affected. It also causes an extra release of insulin which leads to increased fat storage and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Not sleeping also puts you at a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases because sleeping helps the heart vessels heal as well as keep the blood pressure and sugar levels along with inflammation under control.
- There is also a hormonal imbalance with sleep deprivation and can result in warped levels of testosterone in men.
Cures For Sleep Deprivation
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We’re sure after reading all the effects sleep deprivation could have on your health you want to improve your sleep cycle and give your body the rest it requires. We’re here to help you do just that. You could try some home remedies first and if they still don’t work then medical help can always take care of your crisis.
Avoid Caffeine
If you’re having trouble falling asleep then the first step you should take is eliminating caffeine from your diet. If coffee is bae and you can’t function without your morning cup of coffee then a good rule to keep in mind is that you should not have coffee after noon. This makes sure the caffeine is well absorbed by the time you get into bed.
Stop Smoking And Chewing Tobacco
We all know the multiple health hazards that chewing tobacco has and poor sleep is one of them. You may think it’s difficult at first to cut it out from your life but if you replace it with good habits and stick to them then your sleep might improve.
Keep Your Bedroom Space Only For Sex And Sleep
Read up on how to make your bedroom an environment to have great sleep. The ideal situation is if it is dark, cool and peaceful. Don’t make your room a multipurpose room with a television, laptop and other clutter. Improve the interiors of your room to help you get a more sound and undisturbed sleep.
Exercising Goes A Long Way
Exercising comes with a lot of benefits for your physical and mental health and sleep pattern improvement is one of them. Exercise will make your brain and body power down and make it easier for you to fall asleep at night. Obesity and being overweight can cause problems in your sleep patterns as well so exercising can help with that too. Studies show that fit middle aged people sleep way better than people who are overweight. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t work out at least two hours before sleeping because it can mess with your down time.
Temperature
It may sound silly but sleeping in comfortable temperatures can help you sleep better. The ideal is between 18 and 20 degrees for people.
Alcohol
Alcohol is a difficult one to maneuver around alcohol because they say it can help you sleep better in the beginning but the quality of the sleep isn’t as good. So even though you might fall off to sleep on time you may end up waking up groggy and not well rested- which defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?
Meditation
Meditation can help in keeping your mind at peace before sleeping. You can listen to some calming sounds, put on some night cream and use face oils or relaxing pillow mists that can help you sleep better.
Strategically Take Naps
The best way to nap is to take a short two hour breaks in the afternoon. If you can this would be very helpful to give your body more rest. If you can’t, fight the urge to drink coffee in the afternoon because it will further add to you not being able to sleep at night.
Hopefully these techniques help you sleep better and give you a more wholesome self-care regime. Stay tuned for more content on wellness!
Also Read: 11 Self-Care Hacks For Every Girl Who Is Barely Adulting!
Also Read: 7 Self-Help Books That’ll Make Life, Love And Work Easier
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