Natural Sleep Store Blog

A friend recently asked me exactly how long someone could go without sleeping.  I did some investigating, and research shows that the effects of sleep deprivation are more psychological than physical.  Reflexes are impaired but heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, and body temperature show very little change.  Hand tremors, droopy eyelids, problems focusing the eyes, and a heightened sensitivity to pain are most common.

The effects of sleep deprivation over time are as follows:

Night 1. Missing sleep one night is uncomfortable, but is certainly manageable for many.

Night 2. The urge to sleep is much stronger, particularly between 3-5 a.m., when the body temperature is at its lowest.

Night 3. Tasks requiring sustained attention and mental calculations become seriously impaired, especially if the task is repetitious and boring.  Again, the early hours are the most crucial to needing sleep. 

Night 4. From this night on, periods of micro-sleep occur.  People stop what they are doing and stare into space for up to three seconds.  The end of micro-sleep is accompanied by a return to full awareness.  Confusion, irritability, misperception, and the ‘hat phenomenon’ occur. In this, a tightening around the head is felt as though a hat too small for the head is being worn.

Night 5. On top of the effects previously mentioned, delusions may be experienced.  Intellectual and problem-solving abilities are largely unimpaired.  Night 6. Symptoms of depersonalization occur and a clear sense of identity is lost.  This is called sleep deprivation psychosis.
 

Sure, you can get to bed late, sleep for “a couple of hours,” get to work on time, and put in a full day, but, according to The National Sleep Foundation, people who remain awake for 18 hours straight function similar to drinkers with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08%, the level states use to determine whether someone is legally impaired to operate a car.

 
In addition, when you don’t get enough sleep, your brain starts thinking it needs to store food; leptin, a hormone that helps regulate hunger and body fat, drops from lack of sleep, triggering hunger.

 
Sleep researchers agree that the following may help you get through your sleep-deprived day:
- Use a bright light to help keep you awake - Fluorescent light without ultraviolet rays administered  in the morning works well.
- Take a nap -  You might have to book a windowless conference room to rescue your lagging performance.
- Coffee - Caffeine can clear your body of the chemical adenosine, which makes us want to sleep.
- Coffee, then nap - Researchers at the Sleep Research Center at Loughborough University in England found that the best way to regain alertness if you feel like you’re falling asleep is to chug a cup of coffee and then immediately take a 15-minute nap.

Missing from our discussion on sleep tips during your flight was the topic of jet lag, which is now included, according to the National Sleep Foundation, as “one of the 84 known or suspected sleep disorders that affects millions of people each year.” 

 
Jet lag is when the body’s biological clock, as a result of time zone changes, is out of sync with local time.  We’ve all experienced overwhelming daytime sleepiness or nighttime alertness after a long flight, and this is because of our body’s slow adjustment from their original biological schedules.

 
Jet lag occurs in different degrees of severity, and symptoms typically last longer after eastward flights. Flying east generally yields difficulty getting to sleep, and flying west usually results in early-morning awakenings.  

 
Individuals over 50 years of age are particularly susceptible to develop jet lag and flight-related sleep difficulties.  Individual susceptibility, however, varies greatly, and pre-existing sleep disorders or deprivation may intensify jet lag symptoms, which include the following:

- strong daytime sleepiness

- nighttime alertness

- loss of appetite

- gastrointestinal dysfunction

- mood disturbance

- trouble concentrating or focusing

To prevent or reduce jet lag, gradually adjusting your bedtime to coincide with the time zone of your destination in the days before travel may prove effective, researchers say.  It takes, on average, about a day for each hour of time zone change to recover from jet lag.

In addition to adjusting your sleep schedule, natural sleep aids, such as Siestra, may help reduce the amount of sleep lost as a result of jet lag.  Nicotine and alcohol should be avoided. Daytime sleepiness, however, can be treated with caffeine, as long as it is not taken in the few hours before bedtime.