Everyone has probably experienced a time wherein they procrastinated and had to cram an assignment or a paper because it is immediately due the next day. It is also a common occurrence in college to see students walk around like zombie with coffees in their hands because it’s finals week. Everybody has experienced what it’s like to be sleep deprived at least once in their lives and while it’s not good to do, it’s basically normal at this point and era. However, like any other things humans do, doing too much of this would eventually lead to negative effects.
Effects of Sleep Deprivation
Normally, lack of sleep wouldn’t really bring anything serious as an effect. Nevertheless, lack of sleep still has negative effects and it usually is measured in terms of how long the sleep deprivation happened.
Occasional sleepless nights – If you haven’t sleep for just a day or avoided sleeping for a day but not continuously, the effects tend to focus more on the behaviour and attitude. You’ll be more irritable and tired the day after you avoided sleep but it’s nothing serious. Physically, you can experience headache and a sore body because you haven’t exactly given your body the rest it needed.
Several sleepless nights – For a lot of adults who work or college students, several sleepless nights may seem like a good thing to do especially if they have a presentation for a meeting to cram or an exam to study for but it actually is not. Mentally, your brain will have a difficult time catching up or being alert, leading to you becoming less sharp and unable to concentrate. This then increases the chances of you going into an accident. There is only a certain amount of time that the body and brain can tolerate being not asleep so make sure you don’t reach it.
How to Sleep Better
Skip the Caffeine – If you want to try and sleep better, it would be good to skip the caffeinated drinks like coffee, soda, and tea. Instead, try to rehydrate yourself after drinking lots of caffeine with water.
Avoid using gadgets an hour before bed – You might be tempted to use your phone before sleeping but it will only keep you up. Put your phone or tablet in a drawer an hour before sleeping so that you won’t be tempted to use it.
Use sleep patches – If you’re having an extra difficult time sleeping, these patches work to help you fall asleep so get one and put on one you before sleeping.