We’ve all had one of those mornings. The kind where you just can’t seem to get out of bed, and the snooze button draws your hand like it has gravitational pull. For some, however, every day is a battle with the alarm clock. The effects of sleep deprivation go far beyond a few too many snoozes and a hurried morning, however. The symptoms are real, and their consequences can be dire.
Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation
The first step toward fixing your lack of sleep is recognizing that it’s a problem. If you’re feeling sympathetic with any of these ten symptoms, it might be time to consider a change:
- Inability to handle stress
- Poor memory
- Struggling to concentrate
- Increased appetite
- Vision problems
- Poor decision making
- Reduced motor skills
- Trouble in your relationships
- Immune system breakdown, higher blood pressure, lower body temperature, and an irregular heartbeat
- Mood swings
Effects of Sleep Deprivation
As though the presence of those symptoms isn’t concern enough, there are other dangerous effects of sleep deprivation that can affect more than just you. If you identified with those ten symptoms, but aren’t sure if they’re really that important, read on. It’s more important for you to sleep well than you know. Sleep deprivation can…
- Cause major accidents. In fact, it had a major hand in the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear meltdown. It also causes 100,000 auto crashes and 1,550 crash-related deaths every year.
- Make it hard for you to learn. It impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning, and problem solving.
- Put you at risk for heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and diabetes.
- Destroy your sex drive. Sleep deprived individuals report significantly lower libidos.
- Put you at greater risk for depression.
- Age your skin. It increases the body’s production of collagen-destroying cortisol.
- Contribute to weight gain. Those who sleep for less than six hours a day are 30% more prone to obesity.
Keys to Getting Better Sleep
Reversing the effects of sleep deprivation is as simple as improving your sleep. To improve your sleep, follow these important tips.
- Keep a regular sleep schedule. Set a regular bedtime, wake up at the same time every day, and try to make up for any lost time with short naps instead of later sleeps.
- Control your light exposure. Get more sunlight during the day by opening the windows and taking outside lunch breaks when possible. At night, turn off your television, computer, and backlit devices, and make sure you’re sleeping in a very dark room.
- Create a relaxing bedtime routine by reducing noise, keeping your room cool, and making sure your bed is comfortable. Most mattress stores carry memory foam mattresses, which can better support your joints and skeleton, alleviating body aches and improving your sleep. If possible, try to reserve your bed for sleep and sex only. If you associate your bed with stressful things like work or errands, you’ll find it more difficult to wind down at night.
If you’re noticing that symptoms of sleep deprivation are creeping into your day, see what adjustments you can make to get a better sleep. The effects of sleep deprivation just aren’t worth provoking.
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