Recognizing Sleep Deprivation Symptoms
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
You can’t fix anything until you know there’s a problem – and realizing you have sleep deprivation symptoms will alert you to recognize a potential serious problem. These symptoms can indicate insomnia or a potential range of other diseases. Always consult a doctor to determine an appropriate course of treatment for any health issue.
Sleep deprivation symptoms include the obvious ones like extreme tiredness, sluggishness and sleepiness. Occasional fatigue or diminshed energy is normal from time to time, but once your sleeplessness interferes with your normal daily functions, you’re potentially dealing with sleep deprivation.
When you’re tired, you may experience loss of memory. It’s difficult to remember things when you’re sleep deprived. Further, mental confusion may occur, making you feel distracted, confused and lose clarity. The main reason for these mental shortcomings is that the brain is affected from too little sleep. Sleep invigorates and nourishes the brain preparing it for another day of mental processes such as remembering, talking, writing and thinking.
A little known symptom of sleep deprivation is mood fluctuation. The brain chemicals responsible for a level and pleasant mood rely on sleep. Being sleep deprived can cause anxiety, stress and depression. Sleep deprivation symptoms should never be ignored, as they can affect the way you feel throughout the day. A good night’s sleep increases your chances for a positive productive day.
If you attended college you have probably experienced the next sleep deprivation symptom: lowered immunity. Lack of sleep hinders the immune system’s ability to fight off disease. On campus, during finals week many students contract colds and illnesses because they’re using their sleep time to study causing extreme sleep deprivation. What’s more, being deprived of sleep impacts on your body’s recovery time, meaning you could be dealing with, for instance, a cold for ten days rather than five.
The first step to reducing sleep deprivation symptoms is self-explanatory, get more sleep! However, this is not eas easy as it sounds for some people. Those with insomnia or other sleep disorders have little choice but to deal with lack of sleep because they find it impossible to establish a natural sleep rhythm necessary for quality sleep.
To help alleviate sleep issues, it’s important to establish proper sleep hygiene. This means going to bed at the same time each night, putting dark curtains over windows and incorporating soothing sounds or smells into your bedtime routine. These small things can help train your brain to know that time for bed is time for sleep.
Many sleep deprivation symptoms will disappear quickly if good sleep hygiene habits are followed regularly. If insomnia continues to plague you, seek the advice of a sleep specialist or doctor to find other ways to help your body learn to fall asleep.
If you’ve recognized some of these sleep deprivation symptoms in your life there are methods and techniques that can help. No one should have to suffer with lack of sleep if it can be prevented. Ensure you get enough sleep for a healthier more fulfilling waking life.
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