Why you might be sleep deprived and what to do about it

Web Team | 9th May 2019

The occasional sleepless night is not something that you should worry yourself about. However, sleep deprivation is another matter altogether.

 

Sleep deprivation is harmful in that it can affect your productivity at work, school, and in other important life events. It can also negatively affect your mood causing you to regularly find yourself conflicting with colleagues, family, and friends.

 

Unhealthy sleeping habits and lack of enough sleep can also cause you to become over-reliant on prescription medication. The medication may, in turn, pose serious health risks in the future.

 

Even though this is alarming, note that it does not take much to control, treat, or deal with sleep deprivation. Reduced sleep quality occurs due to a combination of factors, many of which are already prevalent in our day-to-day lives. The first step to treating the condition involves identifying the trigger factors to help find sleep hacks.

 

Reasons why you might be suffering from sleep deprivation

 

It often is traced back to more than a single factor, a combination of habitual, environmental, medical, and psychological factors.

 

  1. Sleeping Environment

 

Creating a healthy sleeping environment is one way that can help and can be done through:

 

Reduced lighting

 

Your environment should not include the use of tech devices at night. This means getting rid of laptops and smartphones which emit a blue light that can make it impossible for you to fall asleep.

 

The blue light has an impact on your circadian rhythm. Exposure to it causes your brain to assume that the sun has gone up. If you have to watch TV at night, wear glasses that can filter out the blue light.

 

However, the best option is to not watch TV at all. Form new habits such as reading a book before dozing off. Another popular option is the installation of blackout curtains in your bedrooms. The curtains help in blocking the light coming from security lights or nearby streetlights. If this is not an option for you, invest in a sleeping mask that will adequately cover your eyes.

 

External Noise

 

Another factor that can contribute to the development of an unhealthy environment is the presence of external noise. Closing the doors and the windows is a great first step. But as many people will tell you, this is not sufficient on its own.

 

A white noise machine helps to reduce the amount of external noise finding its way into your room. Alternatively, consider placing a ticking clock or fan in your bedroom. The noise produced by the two can soothe you to fall asleep.

 

Sleeping Surface

 

Where you sleep plays a crucial role in determining the quality of sleep that you will get. The only way to guarantee better sleep is to invest in a quality memory foam mattress. The memory foam mattress from Casper is one example.

 

It is a mattress in a league of its own. Its craftsmanship, design, and comfort are unrivaled. These are attributes that have seen it receive the top rating in the UK mattress segment.

 

In addition to being rated as the best mattress in the UK, it has also received numerous endorsements from the who is who in the celebrity world. Elite celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Harries, and Victoria Secret’s model Kylie Jenner are on record endorsing the Casper foam mattress and its accompanying Casper Pillow.

 

A pairing of the two will help get rid of your sleep deprivation. What are the benefits of considering them over their competition? Their mattresses come with a 100-day trial period. What this means is that you have a total of three months to try out the mattress and decide whether you like it or not. If you don’t, you can return it for a refund with no questions asked.

 

Room Temperature

 

Room temperature also matters when it comes to how well you sleep at night. Sleep experts recommend that you maintain a cool temperature in your bedroom. The temperature is meant to mimic the conditions of your body during night time hours.

 

This is yet another situation where you may need the services to buy provigil online of a fan to cool down the bedroom. For people who experience dry noses and throats when the temperatures become too cool, the recommendation would be to consider buying a humidifier.

 

It is also important to note that a snoring partner may also be contributing to your sleep deprivation.

 

  1. Alcohol Intake

 

Granted, downing a few beers before you sleep can help you fall asleep much more quickly. But there is also a risk it may also have an adverse effect. In the long run, it may have some serious side effects on your sleeping patterns.

 

Past studies have indicated that alcohol is the leading cause of sleep apnea and may also alter the production of melatonin.

 

  1. Insomnia

 

The condition is normally characterized by memory, performance, and concentration issues. Another common symptom among many insomnia sufferers is daytime sleepiness.

 

Research indicates that close to a third of all adults have trouble sleeping, in part due to symptoms pertaining to insomnia.

 

With insomnia, environmental factors are mainly to blame. Factors such as psychiatric issues, anxiety, stimulating medications, and underlying medical conditions.

 

The only way to combat insomnia is to come up with a comprehensive sleep schedule. In your schedule, make sure that you do not take nicotine or caffeine a few hours before you sleep. You will also need to reduce the number of times that you nap during the day.

 

Lowering your stress levels, by taking part in relaxation therapy, meditation, and breathing exercises can also help.

 

  1. Late Night Eating

 

Presently, there is inconclusive evidence to prove that late-night eating can cause sleep deprivation. There is, however, one study which found out that consumption of high carb meals a few hours to your bedtime can help you fall asleep much more easily. Another study indicated that low carb diets can assist in improving sleeping patterns.

 

So far, scientists have already proven that hormone production is adversely affected when you consume a large meal before your bedtime. As such, it is recommended that you consider swapping out late-night snacks and caffeine for healthier food items such as tart cherries, kiwis, yogurt, cheese, trail mix, and crackers.

 

  1. Exercising on a Regular Basis

 

Failure to exercise can cause sleep deprivation and insomnia. Exercising on a frequent basis, on the other hand, helps a person to fall asleep much more easily.

 

Exercise has been seen to help people fall asleep with ease, including those suffering from severe insomnia. Having said that, it is recommended that one exercises during the day, as opposed to training or exercising at night.