If you believe that working late until past midnight and getting up early in just 5 hours is a smart way to manage things, then think again. You must be paying a heavy price for it. You don’t realise when sleep deprivation kicks in. However, its symptoms can be noticed in your behaviour, inability to handle difficult situations and unnecessary anger. Lack of sleep is more common than you think. In fact, most people don’t realise that they are suffering from lack of sleep until the situation becomes really serious. We’ll take a look at lack of sleep symptoms and remedies.
Lack of sleep-Symptoms
Do you have difficulty concentrating on work at hand or do you feel tired in the office all day? Once in while, you may feel tired if you party whole night or stay awake for any reason and come to office the next day. However, do not take this tiredness or fatigue lightly if you feel so quite often.
Here are symptoms of lack of sleep
- Feeling sleepy or drowsiness all day
- Frequent mood swings
- Increased anger
- Inability to handle difficult or slightly stressful situations
- Increased negative emotions such as anxiety and sadness
- Impaired performance at work
- Forgetfulness or temporary memory loss
- Weight gain
- High blood pressure and heart disease
- Heart attack
- Low sex drive
- And more
How to minimise or reverse the effect of sleep deprivation
Avoid stressful situations– It simply means that you must not commit more than you can deliver. Try to finish your work before the actual deadline to avoid any last-minute rush or stress.
Do not keep your cell phone in your bedroom– It has been proven that waves emitted from cellphones interfere with our sleep waves. Though some people remain unaffected by keeping their phone in their bedrooms, others start suffering from lack of sleep. Keep your phone away while you are sleeping.
Waiting is better than rushing– Always try to reach your workplace before time. This will be less stressful as waiting is easier and less stressful than rushing.
Take power naps– 15-20 minutes of power naps at your workplace can work wonders for you. Though at most workplaces, a 15-20 minute nap should not be a problem, make sure that you manage it tactfully i.e without causing any harm to your job. You can often work more effectively after taking a nap, than working in a drowsy state.
Take coffee when you really need it– Caffeine will help you fight sleepiness effectively, so make sure that you take coffee when you really need something to maintain your alertness. Also, do not consume caffeine late in the evening as it may interfere with your night sleep patterns.
Sleep music
Do you remember lullabies your grandmother sung to you to make you fall asleep? While those are meant to make a child sleep, somewhat similar is the purpose of sleep music, which is fast catching on. It has been scientifically proven that music with a rhythm of about 60 beats a minute helps people fall asleep. Essentially, this type of music slows your heart rate, lowers your blood pressure and relaxes your muscles. These are the pre-conditions for sound sleep. The effect of sleep music help many people sleep quickly and for a long duration.
Sleep meditation
Those who want to get to the root of the problem by going the extra mile, may try sleep meditation or Yoga Nidra. Many people believe that sleep meditation and deep sleep are the same. They are different. During deep sleep, your consciousness is suspended, while during sleep mediation you are completely relaxed, but your conscious mind is at work. Practising this technique will help you achieve natural sleep effortlessly.
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