- Working overtime
- Playing games without time constraints
- Watching movies continuously
- Staying up late
- Too much trouble to think about
Sleep deprivation may reduce your concentration the next morning, making you unable to do the job optimally. However, there are some common causes you can’t sleep at night properly. Therefore, you can try some steps below on how to overcome sleep deprivation.
1. Reduce Carbohydrate Intake
Your daily food intake inarguably can affect the quality of your day. If for a few days you sleep less than you should because of job demands, you have to change your diet to keep your best performance. You should try to reduce carbohydrate-rich foods and increase the consumption of fruits and foods high in protein.
This will make your body feel more fresh and vibrant. If you are wondering why that can happen, the explanation is quite simple. Carbohydrate intake will make you tend to be sleepy during the day that eventually will reduce your ability to perform optimally.
2. Reduce Caffeine Intake
Perhaps you are used to starting the day with a cup of coffee. It is unquestionable that coffee helps increase concentration and makes the body feel energized. But continuous coffee consumption throughout the day can cause problems. Caffeine in coffee will keep you awake for a long time.
The more caffeine accumulates in your body, the longer you are awake. So you should not be surprised if you have trouble sleeping at night. The wise choice is to drink coffee in a reasonable amount, i.e. no more than four cups per day according to The European Food Safety Authority.
3. Turn off Electronic Devices
Electronic devices are a serious distraction in bed. Light from the screen of a cell phone, laptop or television can cause sleep disturbance.
It is because exposure to light will make the brain confused to determine whether it’s time to sleep or not. As a result, the brain will stop producing melatonin, a hormone that stimulates the body to sleep. If melatonin production is disrupted, your sleep cycle will also be disrupted. So the conclusion is obvious, turning off electronic devices will make you sleep more soundly.
4. Tidy Up Your Bedroom
Surprisingly, a messy bedroom can cause you to have trouble sleeping. A study shows people who tend to hoard items so that their rooms become messy usually have sleep problems. The tendency to have trouble sleeping is due to the anxiety of losing the items they store. So it is important to tidy up your room. You can use cabinets to keep your items organized.
5. A Better Air Circulation
A bedroom with clean and fresh air will certainly make you feel more relaxed and easy to sleep. That is why good air circulation is very important for the bedroom. You can open your bedroom window periodically to make it easier for the air inside to change with the outside air.
You can also use certain devices to clean the air in your bedroom. Do this regularly and your room will be more comfortable for sleeping.
6. Repositioning the Clock
A wall-mounted clock serves to make it easier to know the time. But this clock can also cause disruption to your sleep, especially clocks made of sparkling material. Light reflection from the clock can distract the brain at the time you will fall asleep. The ticking of the clock can also cause discomfort. Therefore, if necessary move the clock to a non-disturbing position or you can replace it with a digital clock.
7. Do Your Business as Usual
Lack of sleep will have negative effects on the body. Your body becomes stiff, tired and weak. In addition there is a decrease in concentration due to decreased brain performance. So it is understandable that you can not do the job as well as you do under normal circumstances. But you should keep trying your best to run business as usual.
Naturally the human body has a biological clock that determines the sleep cycle, hormone production, body temperature, and various other body functions.
This biological clock helps you sleep every night and wake up the next morning. When your sleep cycle is disturbed, it will be difficult to sleep and wake up at the right time. Nevertheless, by sticking to a routine your body will still get a signal when bedtime has arrived. Thus your sleep cycle will return to normal. You can also try these several ways to fix interrupted sleep.
8. Sleep Early the Next Day
If you have been suffering from sleep deprivation for several days, you better sleep early the next day. You can sleep an hour earlier, or an hour and a half earlier, than your normal schedule. This will help you get back to your normal sleep cycle. After all, there are dangerous effect of not having enough sleep.
9. Take a Nap
The simplest way on how to overcome sleep deprivation is by taking time to take a nap briefly. A 30-minute nap will help restore the freshness of body and mind. You will feel good and concentrate better for the next four hours. You can use these tips to get a good nap.
10. A Better Blood Circulation
Drowsiness is caused by a lack of oxygen supply to the brain. Therefore, by increasing the supply of oxygen to the brain you will avoid the drowsiness. Certainly for this to happen it is necessary to have a smooth blood circulation to the brain. You can try some foods that are believed to have efficacy for blood circulation.
Spicy foods, which contain pepper, chili, or ginger, can dilate blood vessels so that blood flows better. In addition, warm ginger tea has long been used to overcome drowsiness. Put them into your breakfast menu. You will dispel drowsiness and become more enthusiastic in carrying out your activities.
11. Avoid Activities that Drain Your Emotions and Thoughts
When you are sleep deprived, your brain’s performance decreases. So you should stay away as much as possible from activities that require more concentration, for example analyzing blood from patients suspected of having HIV or making big decisions about financial problems. You should also reduce activities that require creativity because it will make your brain more tired.
All you need are activities that keep you physically active. By actively moving, the circulation of blood will become better so that the supply of oxygen to the brain is not reduced. Thus you will avoid the drowsiness.
12. Exercise
In addition to muscle building and fat removal, exercise can restore your normal sleep patterns. Research shows people who exercise at least two and a half hours a week sleep more soundly at night and feel more energized during the day.
Well, those are steps on how to overcome sleep deprivation. You need to try some of them. Sleep deprivation is undisputedly bad for your health.