Sleep is important. It helps you concentrate better, be alert, have a clearer mind, and you’d be well equipped to solve time-pressured problems. When you find it difficult to fall asleep or you can’t get enough sleep, you may have some problems carrying out all these activities.
Not only that, but sleep deprivation can also increase your risk of serious medical problems like diabetes, heart problems, weak immunity, and poor balance. Because of this, it’s a must that you find ways to fight sleep deprivation.
Read this article to find out how you can do that!
5 Ways How to Fight Sleep Deprivation
How do you fight sleep deprivation? Here are 5 ways to do that:
1. Take a break on using electronics.
Break free from using electronics at night, or if you can’t, try filtering out the blue light.
When you use your electronics, you’re subjected to light as it flashes the screen alive. When bright enough, this light goes straight to the back of your eye, where it gets processed. And because your brain has detected light, they’d put off the release of melatonin. Melatonin is in charge of you feeling sleepy.
Now you can see that we’ve said blue light specifically. This is because your eyes aren’t that good with blocking the blue light. It passes through your eyes better than other colors of light.
So when the release of melatonin is blocked, you’d feel less sleepy, awake even. And where does that get you? No sleep.
Thus, you have to take a break on electronics when you want to go to sleep. We recommend about 30 minutes before you sleep to get you into the mood.
2. Make a habit of having a bedtime routine
Having a bedtime routine is good because it tells your brain that “Oh, it’s time to sleep!” When you do your routine, you’re actually helping yourself relax, setting the mood up for sleep.
Here’s one example of a good bedtime routine– take a hot shower to help you relax and make you feel clean and fresh.
Afterward, do your skincare routine– apply moisturizer, toner, and the likes. Skin care is self-care. Self-care is “Me time.” It gives you a boost of self-confidence, and it gives you the opportunity to pamper and simply love yourself. It relaxes you.
Another good idea is to drink tea and read a book before bedtime. To avoid sleep delay, make sure to use a relaxing warm light to put you in the mood for sleep.
These are just examples of a working bedtime routine. Make a habit of having a pattern. Find out what relaxes you, and what helps make the transition to sleep better.
3. Discover the best sleep position for you
Before determining the best sleep position for you, you first have to address external factors. This could be that your pillow may be too hard, too soft, or too lumpy.
The same goes for the mattress as well; It may be that the mattress sinks too low or it feels too hard. It cannot support your body weight and, in turn, is making you lose sleep. It could also be the sheets; Is it itchy? Does the fabric feel too warm?
These external things may factor your loss of sleep—making you toss and turn, looking for that comfortable position. We recommend getting a supportive yet comfortable mattress; some pillows can lift your neck and head, and some sheets that are good to feel.
Now, let’s go back to finding the best position. The best position is where your breathing is light and free, the spine is aligned, and your weight is distributed. This keeps you from feeling sore the next morning and help you “sleep like a baby.”
Finding this position may take several attempts. But once you found that position that works best for you, you’ll be able to sleep in a snap.
4. Have a regular sleep time.
When you sleep at the same hour every time, you wake up around the same time as well. This is what we call sticking to a sleep schedule.
We have mentioned a bedtime routine before, and this is part of it. When you train your body to rest at a regular time, your circadian rhythm follows. Your body will get used to sleeping and waking up at a certain time. Your internal clock will soon be in sync with your bedtime. As a result, you can sleep better, faster, and easier.
5. Nap wisely and moderately.
It’s normal to feel tired during the day, especially when you’ve done something that takes up a lot of energy. The obvious solution is to rest and take a nap.
When you nap too much during the day, they can disrupt the night routine you’ve worked hard to make a habit of. You’re left with too much energy to burn, yet no activities to burn it with—since it’s already bedtime.
So what do you do if you can’t nap too much, but you still need that boost of energy during the day? You nap wisely.
You can try the coffee nap. A quick rest is when you take a nap sometime between 15-20 minutes. It’s important that you don’t go over the 20-minute mark, lest you want to wake up groggier than when you first slept. This is because after the 20-minute mark is when your body starts to transition into a deep sleep.
And we don’t want that. You just need that quick, power nap, right? Now comes the coffee. You may think, “I thought you wanted me to sleep, so why the coffee?” or something along those lines.
The thing is, coffee takes about 20-30 minutes to take effect. So if you drink coffee right before your power nap, you would feel the effects of the coffee AND the power nap when you wake up! You’d wake up alert and rested, and ready for work! Great!
Final Thoughts
Sleep deprivation takes a toll on you. It makes you feel weak, lowers your immune system, and makes you process things at a slower pace!
Now you know some tips and tricks to fight off sleep deprivation. It all comes down to building a routine, knowing what to avoid, and scheduling your time smartly. Lucky for you, we’ve already provided you all the tips you need on how to fight sleep deprivation!
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