8 ways to handle your lack of sleep

Every single one of us had to deal with sleep deprivation at some point in our lives. If it’s not due to an exam cramming study session, then it might be caused by the pile of documents your boss made you drown in, an endless stream of negative thoughts or something as simple and sadly as common as noisy neighbors.

We are all bound to spend hours awake in the dark, not necessarily doing something productive, but definitely praying for the time to slow down and for the sun to never rise. Alas, none of these prayers happen to ever be answered, and that’s how you find yourself groggily rushing out of your house, not so ready to face the day, trying at all costs not to fall asleep during important meetings.

Sleep deprivation happens to everyone, but depending on how you deal with it, it may or may not affect the quality of your day.

Here are 8 ways to handle your lack of sleep:

Energy-boosting food and drinks

Most of us already know that, but it is essential to mention the importance of the help given by energy-boosting food and drinks. Let’s go through a short list of those magical treats that will chase your sleepiness away!

• Coffee

  

  Image courtesy: www.pinterest.com

  Of course, we all expect coffee to make it to the top of the list. One or two cup of coffees are more than enough to keep you awake for 6 hours. No more need to worry about ending up face first on the table during your boss’ speech! Try avoiding consuming too much caffeine though, it may have negative side effects on your body. Instead, try taking EarlyBird Morning Cocktail or something similar to jumpstart your day.

• Energy drinks

  If you’re like most college students, then you definitely know the benefits of energy drinks and how they can save you from messing up during your exams. And just like coffee, since they as well happen to contain caffeine, try to limit your consumption as much as you can.

• Oatmeal

  During the past few years, this light aliment has been figuring in every single nutritional list for its highly beneficial effects on the human body. Not only does it help reduce stress, but it is also a way to make sure your blood sugar levels are steady. Nice way to help you stay awake during boring meetings!

Avoid sleep-inducing food before important tasks

Greasy meals such as pizzas or fries tend to make your body feel heavier and slow your brain as your stomach gets busy with the digestion which requires a lot of energy. Try to go instead with light food like salads or green smoothies that will both boost your energy and improve your mood! It is understandable, however, that this change cannot be brought instantly. Therefore, while you work in making these changes for a better sleep, also try to improve your gut health, so that your stomach doesn’t get upset digesting all kinds of food you eat.

Learn to manage your temper

It may take you a while but learning how to keep your temper in check will avoid you more problems to struggle with later on. You don’t want to snap at your boss out of sleep deprivation! The first step would be to learn how to breathe deeply before reacting on an impulse. You may want to check up some meditation advice later on!

Power naps

If you can’t sleep at night for whichever reason, you can definitely do it during the day! Taking naps will enable you to compensate for the lack of sleep as well as improve your mood and give you more energy to deal with the rest of the day. Alternatively, if you find it difficult to sleep at night, you could find ways to combat that. The use of melatonin supplements could be one way to do this, or you could visit late night dispensaries and find cannabis strains that can help you fall asleep better. Find other ways that can help you sleep deeply and restfully at night, so you need not feel tired in the day.

By the way, you can take naps in your car, or in an empty class if you are still a student. If you’re at home, getting an adjustable bed will help make sure you fall asleep faster.

Related Articles: 15 Pros and Cons of Adjustable Beds

Exercise

This one is cliché for a reason. Unlike what you may be suspecting, a good run won’t exhaust you and make you even sleepier, quite the contrary! Exercising will make your blood flow faster, thus keeping you alert and making you react faster. It also keeps your body in a great condition, which will help you focus more at work or in class. The production of dopamine and adrenaline is a good way to be in a lighter mood. Additionally, you could try substances that are said to boost your focus and creative flow as well, such as psilocybin. You may know that taking this mushroom in large quantities induces a completely different state of mind, which makes it a wonderful tool to tap into our consciousness and heal traumas (if used right). However, psilocybin and pscyhedelics have other benefits as well, those that become apparent when the substance is ingested in smaller quantities, known as microdoses. Along with improved focus, there may be many other benefits such as stress relief, alleviation of anxiety, and an overall increase in awareness. These are all great boosts to your exercise routine, which can in turn help you get a good night’s sleep as well.

Try to lay down without necessarily sleeping

Staying up a bunch of nights might end up having a negative impact on your body. After being tense and solicited the whole day, your muscles need to relax, and the best way to do that would obviously be to get some well-deserved sleep. However, you might not want to fall asleep for a mountain of work is waiting for you, right? You can in that case try the option of working while still laying down on your sofa or your bed. Adjustable beds would be the best solution in such a situation, for they enable you to lay down only partly, thus preventing you from falling asleep.

Be careful

When sleep deprived, you may want to avoid involving yourself in situations that may endanger your well-being if not fully focused. For instance, try to ask a friend of yours to drive instead of doing it yourself.

Embrace the lack of sleep

Lastly, as weird as it may sound, embracing the lack of sleep will help you deal better with the sleep deprivation. As soon as you will accept your situation of a person who hasn’t had a full night of sleep, you will find out that you will get through your day more smoothly, as you will be less inclined to snap or lose focus when working. You have to believe that you will one day or another be able to sleep like you’ve been hoping to, but for now, you can’t help but give up blissful nights of sleep.