The Effects of Sleep Deprivation.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever done this.
I know I have.
We’re constantly fed this misinformation that working hard means burning the midnight oil. Click To Tweet
We’re told that the rewards we reap are going to be worth our pain. To an extent, there is truth to it.
Sleeping late or waking up too early once in a blue moon to complete a project or get pending chores in the home finished helps.
But what if it becomes a habit?
A Culture of Insomnia
Cutting hours from one’s required amount of sleep is just one of the many ways we deprive ourselves of valuable sleep.
When I call sleep valuable, people often roll their eyes. How can periods of inactivity be invaluable?
Think about it.
When you’ve walked a great deal, doesn’t being able to sit or lie down feel like a million bucks?
Your brain is constantly active, even when you’re gazing at a blank wall. Click To Tweet
Sleep is when your body gets to relax.
There are other ways we destroy our quality of rest as well.
Mobile phones are the biggest culprits (be assured, I’m not your mom writing this article). Having it lying around when you sleep might not be causing your brain to melt but it does prevent many (if not most) from relaxing. A buzz here, a notification there, and the constant lure of the internet with its many wonders.
Then, there’s a thing like noise from outside, whether it be sounds of the traffic or a street light that shines right through your window. Uncomfortable beds and mattresses, as well as the related ache and pains, trouble the tired as well.
How poor sleep can undo our workplace performance.
Experts believe we are in the golden age of sleep. From sleeping in huddles in the jungle to the lavish ebony and gold bed of Tutankhamen, we live in a dream world now where we no longer need to sleep on hay with coals underneath the bed. We have the best mattresses and bedding, linen and even audio aids to help us sleep.
Despite the stress we battle with all the exertions of an average day, we’re still sleeping poorly. Click To Tweet
Turns out, this habit of skipping sleep has its ill effects that if piled up can easily outweigh whatever profit you find through it. The many dangers of having low sleep can perhaps never be completely listed.
Here are some adverse effects poor sleep can have on your day at work.
- Insufficient sleep is likely to make you groggy, irritable and less attentive. These can all be responsible for road mishaps throughout the world.
- You cannot perform tasks you could have otherwise carried out in a few minutes. This is because your brain is working at an abjectly low capacity. It has not been tested properly, and it has to fight a lot of metabolites and toxins to get things done.
- You have trouble recollecting what you read through or heard. Without proper sleep, your brain hasn’t had a proper chance to shift stuff from short-term memory to long-term memory.
- Your body language, skin appearance and area around the eyes all changes significantly enough to be noticeable to people around you. It gets passed off as being badly groomed. This isn’t the best idea if you’re trying to bag that overseas business meeting where you represent your branch or company.
- Stress is less bearable to your tired mind. The least bit of stress can now take you into overdrive. You either blaze through the tasks at hand only to end up realizing you’ve done it all wrong, or you just go mentally numb and nothing gets accomplished. To many, this can cost them their jobs.
- Poor sleep increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. This can rob you not just of work and salary, but also your savings.
Working in such a mentally disadvantaged state can be detrimental to your health and to your performance and image at the workplace.
Those who operate heavy machinery could be risking their lives when they work in a state of sleep deprivation.
Lack of sleep has also been associated with debilitating mental illnesses such as depression, personality disorders, and anxiety disorders.
How much sleep should you get?
There is no strict need to sleep 8 hours each night. Furthermore, each individual’s sleep needs vary. However, it is a good rule of thumb to ask yourself if you’re waking up tired, or are pushing through a feeling of perpetual fatigue. If you are, you are probably sleep deprived.
You need to make changes. Keeping electronics in a different room helps. Get a good mattress that helps you sleep. Get good blinds, plug in earphones and turn on white noise, if necessary. Try a great sleep supplement.
Sleep is crucial.
There’s nothing you don’t need your brain to do. So keeping it prepared to take on the day comes before anything else you might have plans for.
Originally published October 2, 2017
34 thoughts on “The Effects of Sleep Deprivation”
Ironic as I am reading this at 2:55AM. I am definitely suffering from sleep deprivation and these tips are going to help me get it back under control. Thank you for sharing.
Oh my friend, that is ironic. I hope that you were able to get to sleep. Please let me know if I can help with anything.
Thanks for the tips and helps, this is such an important subject. As you say, lack of sleep can rob us of our health and that is one thing that we want to protect.
Kathleen
We absolutely need to protect our health 🙂
For a while, I went from being able to sleep incredibly well to not at all, and it had a big effect on so many aspects of life. Thankfully it is a lot better now.
I am happy that it has improved.
Poor sleep seems to have such horrible side effects! I never really thought about all these before. I need to try to sleep better!
YES!!! Hopefully knowing the effect of poor sleep will help you s to start fixing the issue.
I can definitely tell my brain doesn’t run as fast when I’m not getting as much sleep! I really need about 8.5 hours every night.
I love that you know exactly what you need.
I usually have a lot of energy. I have been battling a heart murmur for over 2 weeks. Hope to be done with it soon! I am missing my extra energy!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Definitely take care of yourself.
I get it! Especially the inability to deal with stress or the “unexpected.” Great article.
Thank you, Thea.
Lots of great information! I know that my migraines can sometimes give me insomnia and it is horrible.
Sharing on Pinterest!
#BloggersLinksUp
Thank you for sharing.
I believe so strongly in sleep. I just nodded in agreement through this whole article. I have a friend who regularly gets 4-5 hours of sleep per night, and she is just scattered. She forgets stuff. You can just tell that she is not her best self. Brains NEED rest. We literally need to turn off from the whole world for a little while. If we need 8-ish hours of sleep every day, that should be a huge hint at how desperately we need sleep. If it’s something we spend roughly 1/3 of our lives doing, it shouldn’t be downplayed or ignored. Great article. Pinning. 🙂
#SYClinky
OH my, 4 hours of sleep is way too little for me. Thank you for pinning. You make such great points.
I’m guilty of trying to stay up a little longer or get up a little earlier (or both!), but I have come to realize the loss in effectiveness negates any perceived time gain. Thanks for talking about this. It’s so important.
I understand completely, I hope you will get more rest, though.
Sleep is one of my favorite topics and as a mom I definitely know what it’s like to suffer from chronic sleep deprivation. There is such a close link with sleep and stress, and lack of sleep can also really affect our eating habits (among other things). Thanks for the article on this important topic
You are so very welcome. parents certainly can suffer from this unfortunate circumstance.
This is so spot on! In addition to the physical effects, it can make a toxic environment. I mean you don’t want to be around me after a night of no sleep. People are cranky and more likely to snap at each other when and just crush the office.
You hit the nail on the head. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I can attest to the no sleep = more stress = bad health. Even though I am super active and eat very healthy my lack of sleep was mostly to blame for my super high ldl cholesterol. I am working with a functional medicine doctor who recommended more sleep + mindfulness and stress reduction exercises and my ldl is dropping without meds. Sleep matters
Thank you so much for sharing. I absolutely love that.
I definitely felt the full effects last Sunday because I could not sleep a wink at all the whole night despite turning in early…its so frustrating hearing my hubby sleeping but I couldn’t the whole night….
I hear you on that one. I am sure the frustration did not help at all.
I also get sleepy around 3, but I don’t drink any caffeine
Make sure that you are hydrated. Drinking a proper amount of water should help.
I know this problem all too well. I often get sleepy at work in the afternoons, between 2:30 and 4pm and a large part of my problem is pushing myself too hard, not going to bed when I feel sleepy or at least taking a nap when needed. I often nod off at work, at my desk, and have to get up and walk around to wake myself up
Getting some exercise in the daytime is a huge help but it definitely sounds as if you need to get focused on the sleep.
I definitely feel it when I don’t get enough sleep. With two young children, there are often nights that they keep me awake for one reason or another. I’ve also, since the feature came out, put my phone on do not disturb at night. The only way it will buzz is a severe weather alert or if a family member calls, both of which I want to be woken up for. If I don’t get enough sleep, my productivity definitely suffers from it.
I adore that feature. This way we can protect our sleep without being completely cut off.