Chronic lack of sleep: symptoms and consequences

The modern rhythm of life spins many in the maelstrom of events, deeds and worries. To maintain high competitiveness, a person is forced to work hard, constantly learn and improve. In addition, we try to devote time to children, elderly parents, and pets. We monitor the condition of the house, performing household chores in the form of washing, cooking, ironing and cleaning. In addition to all this, every day we have a whole bunch of worries, tasks and assignments that should be completed on time. In these hellish conditions, we try to catch everything and take time at sleep. It seems to us that if we do not sleep for an hour or two, nothing terrible will happen. However, chronic lack of sleep is very serious. And although its consequences do not appear immediately, the effect of accumulation makes itself felt and after a couple of weeks the body will give the first glitch. Today we’ll talk about lack of sleep - how it manifests itself, why it arises, what are its consequences and how to deal with it.

Symptoms of chronic lack of sleep

Everyone knows the familiar wording - a person should sleep 8 hours a day. But who set these rules? We are all individual and distinguished by the characteristics of our body. Some get enough sleep in a much shorter period of time (you probably remember Napoleon’s four-hour dream). Others need at least 9-10 hours to fully recover. Children, sick and pregnant need to sleep more. That is, each person himself knows how much he needs to sleep. To get started, analyze your daily routine. How much do you usually sleep if you have enough time? This number of hours is a physiological norm. If you need 9 hours to recover, you will sleep that much and you will not be able to sleep 10 hours, no matter how hard you try. Therefore, 8-hour nights, sooner or later, can lead to lack of sleep. How to recognize lack of sleep and distinguish it from, for example, endocrine diseases, because in both cases the symptoms are very similar? Let's try to deal with the signs of lack of sleep.

1. Constant desire to lie down and fall asleep. Moreover, from overwork you can not fall asleep immediately, even with deadly drowsiness.
2. Absent-mindedness, loss of working capacity and concentration, inability to perform daily duties.
3. Lack of positive emotions, good mood for a long time, apathy, irritability, nervousness.
4. In some cases, with severe lack of sleep, hallucinations, blurred consciousness, and impaired coordination of movements may appear.
5. Chronic lack of sleep often leads to a decrease in immunity and, as a consequence, exacerbation of chronic diseases, frequent illnesses, etc.
6. Inadequate sleep slows down metabolic processes, this can lead to overweight, even with a constant diet.
7. Lack of sleep leads to decreased appetite.
8. In some cases, swelling of the limbs and face may be observed, dark circles appear under the eyes, and the skin becomes pale.
9. A constant lack of sleep leads to frequent dizziness and headaches.
10. With an acute lack of sleep, gastrointestinal disorders can appear - constipation or diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain.

Chronic lack of sleep is not only a source of the above symptoms, but also completely changes our lives for the worse. We run the risk of losing our job due to failure to perform official duties, breaking down on loved ones, often getting sick, looking bad, life seems sad and hateful. But why does this lack of sleep occur and is it always associated with permanent employment?

Causes of chronic lack of sleep

1. Most often, we shorten the duration of sleep due to the large number of tasks and work. It is important to understand that you won’t earn all the money, and it’s sometimes better to choose the second between clean dishes and a healthy full sleep.
2. Another reason for lack of sleep is banal insomnia, when we cannot fall asleep in time, and in the morning we feel overwhelmed. Insomnia can be age-related or caused by other diseases.
3. In some cases, sleep problems may be due to neurological disorders. If you wake up often and for no reason in the middle of the night, do not feel satisfaction in the morning, this means that at night the brain is not completely disconnected and is distinguished by zones of increased excitability. Such neurological problems can be caused by stress, overwork, concussion, etc.
4. Often we cannot fall asleep on time because we overeat.
5. It happens that, due to various circumstances, a person can mix up day and night. This can happen if you are forced to work at night. In this case, it’s not possible to get enough sleep either day or night.
6. Excitation of the nervous system can occur after drinking alcohol, black tea, cocoa, chocolate. The consumption of these foods should be excluded, especially at bedtime.
7. Sometimes chronic lack of sleep can be the result of an elementary lack of conditions for a long and prolonged sleep. Neighbor repairs, stuffy rooms, restless pets, small children, a snoring husband - all this can be the reason for your lack of sleep.

If among the above reasons you find what prevents you from sleeping, you need to solve the problem. If you have young children, try to get enough sleep during the day with them, ask for help from grandmothers, hire a nanny for half a day, in the end. Try to plan your vacation and work so that you have time for a full sleep at least 8-9 hours a day. Otherwise, chronic lack of sleep can lead to unpleasant consequences.

The consequences of chronic lack of sleep

It would seem that what will happen if you do not get enough sleep in time? Indeed, at first a strong and healthy body will not feel anything and will not change its mode of operation. However, if the lack of sleep lasts a long time, day after day, if you do not replenish the "sleepy" reserves even at the weekend, this can lead to serious consequences. First of all, your health and well-being suffer. You will feel overwhelmed, apathetic, sad. Nothing will bring you joy. This is fraught with the development of depression.

Over time, a person begins to close, becomes closed. Nervousness and irritability lead to problems in relationships with others. Lack of sleep can be the cause of conflicts with colleagues, friends, children, relatives. Efficiency also decreases markedly - a person cannot concentrate on the main thing, is rude to customers, is not able to work either physically or mentally.

Appearance also suffers greatly. With chronic lack of sleep, a person looks tired, clogged, exhausted. Swollen eyelids, circles under the eyes, gray complexion, small wrinkles - all this can not be avoided with lack of sleep. Moreover, health is deteriorating, you begin to get sick often, chronic diseases worsen. Lack of sleep can lead to the development of diabetes, obesity, impotence and heart disease. If you do not want such consequences, you need to learn to relax properly.

How to treat chronic sleep deprivation

Here are some tips and tricks to help you get rid of chronic lack of sleep and enjoy a healthy and fulfilling sleep.

1. To get started, just get enough sleep. Solve all the problems, leave the children with their grandmother, postpone projects, turn off the phone and just get enough sleep. Close the curtains to prevent sunlight from waking you up. Sleep as much as you want. We can say that this is the first rehabilitation assistance in the fight against chronic lack of sleep.
2. Next, you should set the mode - go to bed and get up at the same time. Try to go to bed before midnight - this time is very important for the recovery of the body.
3. In the afternoon, try not to eat fatty and heavy foods, especially at night. It is also worth abandoning power engineers - coffee, tea, etc.
4. Increase physical activity, move more to disperse blood throughout the body and get rid of insomnia.
5. Two hours before bedtime, it’s better not to watch TV, do not surf the Internet, or play at the computer. All this affects the body excitingly.
6. Good sex and orgasm will allow you to relax before bedtime - do not lose this opportunity.
7. Before going to bed, it is better to take a walk in the park, do light exercises, take a relaxing bath with pine oils, light candles, listen to soothing music.
8. Be sure to ventilate the room before going to bed, the room should have cool air no higher than 25 degrees. Choose a comfortable orthopedic mattress, soft pillow. Bedding and pajamas should be soft, comfortable, made of natural fabric.
9. Before going to bed, remove the ticking clock, flashing electronic devices from the room - everything that can annoy you.
10. Pregnant women and women need a nap - remember this.
11. Another necessary condition for a healthy and calm sleep is emotional satisfaction and peace. Do not swear with anyone before going to bed, forgive everyone, do not solve important issues. Try to protect yourself from restless thoughts.

And further. Use the bed for sleep only. No need to read, play with a child, just lie. And then she will be associated with sleep, and you will instantly fall asleep as soon as you lie in a comfortable bed.

Healthy sleep is very important for the human nervous system. Without food, a person can last 2-3 months. Without water, not 10 days. But without sleep, a person’s life will stop after 3-4 days. This speaks of the true value of sleep. Sleep enough time to stay healthy and beautiful for years to come!

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