Each person has their own way of surviving the day if they went to bed later than usual. Some of us drink coffee every two hours, move around, or use any free minute to take a power nap. Read our article to find out eight things you should avoid at all costs when you didn’t get enough sleep and feel beat down.
1. Dozing During the Day
If you are dealing with a small lack of sleep and not a completely sleepless night, try not to give in to the desire to fall asleep during the day or at least make sure that it lasts no more than half an hour. Sleep experts advise sleeping only in the first part of the day, so as not to disturb your sleeping regime.
2. Hiding from the Sunlight
When you’re feeling drained, you want to protect yourself from bright light and loud sounds. But if there is still a whole day ahead to be spent, daylight is very useful. Take a walk for about 20 minutes after waking up. During the day, spend 10 minutes in bright light every couple of hours. It will cheer you up and help you make it to the evening.
3. Abuse Snacks to Cheer Up
Fatigue can make you feel hungrier than usual. If you are attracted to simple carbohydrates, remember that sweet snacks provoke a rise and then a sharp drop in blood sugar. For a short time, you will feel a boost of energy but very quickly you will feel even worse than before indulging the snack. Such nutrition is also contraindicated during woman and man weight loss programs. Keep your diet balanced to maintain your sugar levels normal.
4. Drink Energy Drinks
Drinks with caffeine instantly invigorate due to their high content of B vitamins. But this vitamin ultimately leads to insomnia, which again causes fatigue and the need for an energy boost. Limit yourself to one caffeinated drink in the morning so your body will have time to process it and prepare for bed. If you can not live without coffee, perhaps that’s the reason for your fatigue and anxiety.
5. Make Yourself Fall Asleep
You feel terribly tired and ready to turn off at any moment but as soon as you go to bed, sleep goes away. Sometimes the nervous system is so overloaded that it does not allow the body to relax. When this happens, it’s better not to force yourself to sleep. Do not fall asleep in the next 10-15 minutes, get up and do something. It doesn’t matter what time it is and when you must get up. Looking at the time, you only worry more. Go back to bed when you feel natural tiredness.
6. Make Important Decisions
Try not to make important decisions in an exhausted state. It may seem to you that you are adequate, reasonable and just want to sleep but your physical condition greatly affects the ability to think, evaluate the situation, and moral stability. You can reflect on the issue that has arisen, discuss it with someone but leave the final decision until the morning.
7. Go to Bed Too Early
You have survived until the evening and ready to go to bed at any moment. You want to make up for the missing hours of rest but this may not work as you expect. If you go to sleep too early, you may wake up at 3-4 a.m. and feel tired again. The best tactic is to restore the previous regime and don’t try to compensate for the lack of sleep. Go to bed at about the same time as usual. Even on weekends, do not shift the regimen by more than an hour.
8. Drink Alcohol to Fall Asleep Faster
Alcohol is a popular remedy to fall asleep quickly. However, alcohol prevents you from plunging into the deep phase of sleep as the body is busy processing harmful substances and there is no time for rest. As a result, your sleep will be light and you won’t feel as rested the following day.
