Did You Know?

With the onset of a new era, the world is now moving at a pace that is faster than ever. We often hear people complain, “there is so much to do, but so little time.” What is the one thing that seems to be in a constant zone of neglect and compromise in that case? Well, for most of us it is our sleep.

Sleep Deprivation is a common problem in today’s society, affecting most of us at some point in our lives, whether it is a child or an adult. The feeling that there is so much to do and so little time, is the primary reason why most of us do not prioritise our sleep.

We tend to take it for granted as we take on more than we can. The result of which seems to revolve around stress, anxiety, and an unorganised schedule and lifestyle. It is bound to creep into several other areas of our lives, causing deterioration on an extremely personal level without us realizing it.

Why do we take our unhealthy sleeping patterns so lightly? Why do we treat our sleeping routines with such consideration? Is it an easy way out? Well, it may be in the present, but we are definitely compromising on our future health by adopting an unhealthy sleeping routine.

What most of us seem to forget is, “Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury.”

What is Sleep Deprivation?

Sleep deprivation occurs when an individual is not able to get as much sleep, as they need to feel awake and alert throughout their waking hours. For most people, the need for sleep generally varies between 7 to 9 hours. Getting these 7-9 hours daily, and consistently, can do wonders in regulating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and keeping your mental health intact as well.

Sleep Deprivation:

A Case Study In order to understand the consequences of depriving your body of the sleep that it essentially needs, let's discuss a case study, wherein you can try to analyse it for yourself. The paragraph below is a monologue by an XYZ individual, who is facing sleep deprivation and describes its negative impact.

“Recently, I was doing two internships simultaneously both of which I loved working at. I had to go to the office from 11 AM to 7, while at night I had to work from 9 PM to 3 AM (Online). After a month I realised there were some undesirable changes within me. I was always sleepy, be it anywhere. I used to get angry even more easily than earlier. I started forgetting important work that was needed to be done. Finally, I wondered why all of this is happening. I gave it a thought and sleep was the first thing that popped up in my mind. Initially, I was under the impression that I can work it out. Afterwards, I understood that making this work means laying off on all the other things which were of equal importance. Things like taking out time to talk to your parents, friends or going out with cousins. I am certain that you also have dealt with the consequences of lack of sleep. It may have affected you in many ways but predominantly with your relationships be it with friends, parents or partners or in your career. Which is why I think sleep is more paramount to relationships and career then what we generally consider.”

Effects Of Sleep Loss

1. Sleep deprivation can make you less attractive

You may have frequently heard the term ‘Beauty Sleep’. It’s a common notion that a good night’s sleep and proper rest enables one to look fresh and stay active. This is the reason why so often we are told by our elders and peers to get a good night’s sleep before an important day/event in our lives (be it marriage, exam or a job interview. In fact, most often, when we meet someone for the first time, a first impression is made even before we begin to talk as our body language and appearances give it away. Sleep deprivation can hamper your physical appearance and body language drastically. In a romantic relationship, it is more likely for you to get attracted to the other if they look physically attractive. It is possible to lose interest if your partner is not looking good. It is well known that the way you appear and carry yourself also impacts the impression you create on your bosses, colleagues and clients.

Tip: It is really a simple and easy one. If you want to look more attractive, you need to sleep. Even coffee, energy drinks, and cosmetics cannot hide that. You may be able to supress your sleep, but not take away or hide your sleep deprivation. Also, avoid energy drinks or alcohol before your big day. Energy drinks may temporarily wake you up mentally, but the physical effect of sleep deprivation will still be visible.

2. Sleep Deprivation can affect your emotional and physical health

When you are sleep deprived, the amygdala, and the part of the brain that ties emotions to memories – doesn’t work properly. You are more likely to overreact to situations in which you otherwise wouldn’t. This may lead to more conflict with your family, friends, partners or colleagues. Smaller problems may start to seem bigger. Some study shows that people are more likely to feel sad, anxious or depressed when they don’t sleep well. It also impairs attention, alertness, concentration, memory, reasoning, problem-solving, and response time. It even affects your physical health and may put you at risk, including issues like the common cold, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Thus both ‘mind and body’ are affected by the alterations of sleep quantity and quality and it may have a negative impact on your relationship.

Tip: Remember, Mental Health can affect Physical Health and vice-versa. Also, you tend to be more patient and have a greater ability to concentrate when you’re rested. You can also work it out by getting professional help. We highly recommend Cognitive Hypnotic Psychotherapy for working with sleep issues. You can generally begin to notice observable changes from the first session itself. It can help you with issues like anxiety and depression and their impact on sleep.

3. Sleep Deprivation can hurt your sense of humour and personality

Making someone laugh is considered a common and most effective way to attract others towards you. Yet, many of us don’t realise that our sense of humour tends to fluctuate depending on the amount of sleep we are getting. Humour requires high-level cognition as it uses attention, memory and divergent thinking. It can’t be achieved when we’re lacking sleep. Lack of sleep also influences our personality. It makes us lose focus and makes it harder to concentrate. It makes it difficult for us to recall or make meaning out of what others have said.

Tip: You may make a proper schedule and follow it effectively. Keep a designated time for your sleep. With the proper schedule, you can also go for exercising. Don’t make small naps your regular habit.

4. Sleep Deprivation might lead to: lesser relationship happiness and more problems

Ask these questions to yourself – How close do you feel to your partner? How secure do you feel in the relationship? How well do you understand your partner? After having the answers to the above questions, finally, ponder upon how much sleep you both get? Evidence shows that spouses with fewer sleeping problems tend to be happier in their relationships. And it only takes one person who is short on sleep to increase the unnecessary conflicts within your relationship. A couple that is sleep-deprived will tend to fight more and have bad arguments. You might notice that your tendency to forget about the things, which are really important, increases. You may start to lose interest in sex if you are not having adequate sleep. All these factors are connected with each other and one can trigger or impact another. Finally, there may have a feeling of loneliness or be left alone.

Tip: Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows. Make it a pact to turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime and spend that time together instead. If you don’t fall asleep in 20 minutes then go to some other room and come back when you feel sleepy.

5. Sleep Deprivation impairs good decision making

Research shows that if you’re woken up around four times in one night, for ten minutes each time, it’ll have the same impact on your mood as if you would with only four hours sleep. This, in turn, affects your decisions. When you feel tired and low on mood then you may tend to get irritated faster and take decisions you may regret. Similarly, when you feel really good and fresh, you think twice and clearly about the decisions you have to make. I am sure you can think of such instances and know which one is better. You are also more likely to engage in risky and impulsive behaviour. Having such deficit in the relationship arena, especially in romantic relationships might impair your ability to assess your relationship, your partner and certainly your future. It also has a major impact on your effectiveness and productivity at work.

Tip: It affects your prefrontal cortex part of your brain, an area of your brain in charge of executive functioning. Thus, you should take care of your sleep to be able to make sound judgement, sound planning, and thoughtful decision-making. These skills will help you thrive; succeed at work and in a relationship.

6. Sleep Deprivation might mean less gratitude

Sleep Deprivation does not just affect your emotional well-being, but also directly impacts how you treat your partners, friends, parents, clients, colleagues and cousins. Researchers studied this and realized that it only takes one partner in the relationship to be short on sleep for both the partners to feel a diminished sense of gratitude toward the other. Yes, that’s right: your partner’s poor sleep can make you less appreciative of them, even if you aren’t lacking sleep yourself. It also diminishes our capacity to empathise with others, which is really an important element to a relationship. This means that you are less likely to see things from others' points of view.

Tip: Not only you should rest but also ask your partner or whom you stay with to get the proper amount of sleep to avoid unnecessary issues. You can limit daytime naps, screen timings. Also, can find out ways to relax before you go to sleep. Now the question arises is how much sleep do you need to set it all right? I will answer it just by saying that it depends on you. Everyone needs a different amount of sleep. Therefore you can best decide it for yourself but it should not be less than 6 hours.

Summary:

Your mental and emotional health—your personal and professional relationships with others —depends on you getting plenty of high-quality rest. You should try to get as much adequate sleep as you can get. I want to convey this to you, as I left the night internship, I felt the effects of it. I was able to focus more on the things I wanted to do and certainly, my productivity increased.

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