Sleep is as vital as any other aspect of life such as nutrition or exercise. Most of us try to sleep as little as possible since we think that there are much more interesting things than sleeping.
That’s why sleep deprivation is one of the major problems faced by many people these days. If you feel you are sleep deprived but not sure, check out a few signs of sleep deprivation.
1. You feel drowsy and have a slower reaction time
When you are sleep deprived, your brain is too tired to process effectively the information it’s receiving and as a result you feel sluggish and very tired. You tend to feel sleepy or drowsy in lectures, meetings, and when driving. You can have a slower reaction time.
2. You get easily irritated about small things
Irritability is another sure sign you are sleep deprived. You cannot tolerate stress and you get easily irritated about small, trivial things.
You feel the irritation leads and the edginess to learning, behavioral and social problems. As you start getting enough sleep, your energy and efficiency will go up and your irritability just disappears.
3. You have a lack of focus
When you are sleep deprived, you have a trouble concentrating and remembering things. You have blurred vision in some cases, feel vague discomfort and your memory starts to weaken every moment.
You have only vague recollection of “something” happening. And when a person asks you about the event, you won’t be able to point it out.
4. Loss of appetite and changes in appetite
This symptom of sleep deprivation is often overlooked. You may lose your appetite or you may feel extremely hungry sometimes, especially at night. You should get enough sleep, since the appetite changes can greatly impact your weight.
5. You experience speech problems and blackout
Sleep deprivation can often affect your speech. You have a slurred speech and mispronounce more often.
And if you are sleep deprived, you may also experience blackouts. Blackouts occur when your mind goes blank for a short or long period of time.
6. You can’t wake up without your alarm
You have a hard time getting out of your bed in the mornings and you always rely on the snooze button. Sometimes this may be because of laziness, of course, but there’s no guarantee that it is not a sleep deprivation.
Sleep deprivation can lead to many diseases, which may seem trivial in the beginning, but they actually tend to take really gigantic forms. Make sure you are getting enough sleep and if you can’t cope with the sleep deprivation by yourself consult your doctor for medication or any other remedies.
Are you sleep deprived? How do you cope with the sleep deprivation? Share your thoughts, please!
