Do you know what sleep deprivation disorder is? It is a problem where a person is unable to get adequate sleep. In many scenarios, sleep deprivation is related to some health conditions. Thus, addressing those health conditions will automatically cure sleep deprivation. In other cases, a person needs to stick with some modifications for getting sound sleep. For example, doing regular exercise and taking on a healthy diet. Below are some of the tips which can prevent you from sleep disorder:
- Try to follow the same schedule for sleeping every day and also get up on the same time.
- Avoid taking naps during the daytime as it will make you less sleepy during the night.
- Don’t take coffee or alcohol before sleeping. These things are stimulants which can keep you awake during the night.
- Do exercise daily, but try not to do exercise at least 3 hours before bedtime, as it may keep you awake at night.
- Avoid heavy diet during daytime.
- If you are unable to sleep, then try to read books or do something which can make you feel drowsy.
- Make your sleeping place calm and comfortable. You can try a twin size mattress as the large size will allow you to sleep in any posture. But first, you should know the twin size mattress dimensions in inches.
What causes sleep deprivation
Some people, especially teenagers and adults, don’t pay attention to sleep as they consider it as a waste of time. Instead they invest that time in entertainment, money-making jobs and education. Other people may not get adequate sleep due to their job shifts, family obligations or stress. Continuous sleep-wake pattern, nighttime arousal or waking up early may lead to sleep deprivation. Some other causes of sleep deprivation are prolonged depression, sleep apnea, severe illness or imbalance in hormones.
Treatment
Treatment in such conditions is only needed when there are some physical or psychological issues with the patient. A therapist can help you in coping techniques for keeping your mind in a restful condition. There are two types of treatments available for sleep deprivation patients, behavioral treatment and medications.
Behavioral treatment
This treatment doesn’t involve any kind of medication.
Relaxation techniques: This technique does muscular relaxation which help in calming the body. Regular meditation, breathing exercises, mindfulness training can also help you in getting sleep.
Medications
When all the above techniques are not effective, people can go with medications. Some of these medicines are over-the-counter while others are available only with a prescription. Make sure not to depend on these medications too much. Limit your doses and focus more on non-medicinal practices as these medications may have side effects on your body.
Here is some good news for you. All the negative effects of sleep deprivation goes away once you start getting sound sleep. All the above medications and non-medicinal treatment is just to bring back your biological cycle. Once done, you can stop taking medications.
Pay off your sleep debt
The number of hours you lack in sleep is counted as sleep debt. For example, if you are supposed to sleep for 7 hours and you slept for only 5 hours, then your sleep debt is 2 hours. If you continue to sleep for 5 hours for 5 days, then the accumulated debt is 10 hours.
The only way to recover from such a condition is to sleep as much as possible to clear up your sleep debt. As per the scale, it may take a few days for you to recover fully from sleep deprivation.
Avoid eating sugar before bedtime, as sugar is also a culprit for keeping you awake for a longer time.
