Battling Insomnia: Awake All Day, But Can't Sleep At Night

Staying awake for 24 hours can have several negative consequences on your physical and mental health. Sleep deprivation can impair your cognitive function and ability to think, including your memory and decision-making skills. It can also lead to increased feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, and confusion. Additionally, it can alter the chemicals involved in muscle repair, leading to increased fatigue and lower energy levels. Sleep is crucial for the proper functioning of the body and mind, and skipping it can have extensive and potentially serious consequences.

Sleep deprivation can cause impaired judgement, anxiety, depression, anger, and confusion

Sleep deprivation can have a significant impact on mental health and emotional well-being. It can impair judgement and lead to confusion, with studies showing that it slows down thought processes and makes it more difficult to focus, pay attention and make decisions.

The ability to control emotions can also be affected by sleep deprivation, which can result in anger, irritability, and mood swings. A study by Randler et al. found that young males who reported shorter sleep durations had higher instances of aggression and anger. Sleep debt can also lead to heightened responses to negative stimuli, with individuals appearing to be selectively slower in their deliberations about moral personal dilemmas.

Sleep deprivation can also contribute to anxiety. It can cause worry and fear, making it harder to fall asleep, creating a cycle of insomnia, stress, and worry. A state of mental hyperarousal, often marked by worry, has been identified as a key factor behind insomnia. Sleep-deprived people are also less likely to exercise, eat healthily, and engage in leisure activities.

Finally, sleep deprivation can cause or worsen depression. Sleep disturbances, including insomnia and hypersomnia, are primary symptoms of major depressive disorder. Sleep loss can lead to depressed mood, moodiness, and irritability. It can be challenging to determine whether sleep deprivation or depression came first. However, research shows that there is a bidirectional relationship between the two, with poor sleep contributing to the development of depression, and depression leading to sleep disorders.

Staying awake for 24 hours may increase your risk of errors and accidents

Staying awake for 24 hours can have a significant impact on your overall health and well-being. While it may not cause major health issues, you can expect to feel tired and exhausted. However, the real danger lies in the increased risk of errors and accidents in everyday tasks. This is because going without sleep for a full day can impair your cognitive functions, including decision-making, coordination, and concentration.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), staying awake for 24 hours is similar to having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10%, which is above the legal limit to drive in most states. This means that your ability to perform complex tasks will be significantly impacted, increasing the likelihood of accidents. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that in 2015, there were 90,000 motor vehicle crashes in the US involving sleep-deprived drivers, resulting in 795 deaths in 2017.

Additionally, sleep deprivation can lead to short-term memory problems, raised levels of stress hormones, and increased blood sugar levels. It can also disrupt the body's natural sleep-wake cycle, affecting hormones that regulate important bodily functions.

The effects of sleep deprivation become more severe with time. After 36 hours without sleep, you may experience decreased motivation, inflexible reasoning, and speech impairments. At 48 hours, it becomes even harder to stay awake, and the immune system is compromised. By 72 hours, most people experience an overwhelming urge to sleep and have profound difficulties with thinking, emotions, and perception.

Sleep resets can help you fall asleep

Staying awake all day can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to get back to a regular sleep schedule. While it may be tempting to stay up all night to fix your sleep pattern, this approach is not supported by scientific evidence and may do more harm than good. Here's where sleep resets come in as a healthier alternative.

Understanding Your Sleep-Wake Cycle

Your sleep-wake cycle is influenced by two main factors: your sleep drive and your circadian clock. The longer you stay awake, the stronger your urge to sleep becomes, and this is regulated by your sleep drive. On the other hand, your circadian clock is like your body's internal schedule, which repeats every 24 hours and controls various biological functions such as hormone levels, digestion, and body temperature.

When these two factors align, you can easily wake up in the morning and fall asleep at night. However, they sometimes clash, such as when you take a nap in the late afternoon and find it difficult to fall asleep at your usual bedtime.

The Role of Your Biological Clock

Your body's biological clock, or suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is located in the hypothalamus and consists of 20,000 neurons. When the sun rises, light travels through your eyelids to your SCN, which then instructs your brain to release cortisol, the "stress" hormone that also keeps you alert. Cortisol levels typically decrease and stabilise after sundown, and your SCN then signals the release of melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy.

Disrupting Your Internal Clock

Several factors can disrupt your internal clock and affect your circadian rhythms, including:

• Substances like alcohol, caffeine, and certain medications
• Medical conditions, including neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's
• Electronics, especially bright screens close to bedtime
• An inconsistent sleep schedule, such as sleeping in on weekends
• Jet lag from travelling across multiple time zones
• Living in areas with very short or long days
• Mental health conditions like depression and bipolar disorder
• Working night shifts and sleeping during the day

Disruptions to your circadian rhythm can make it challenging to fall asleep and leave you feeling tired during the day. Over time, these sleep issues can impact your memory, physical health, and overall functioning.

The Sleep Reset Approach

Instead of staying up all night, sleep resets offer a healthier strategy to fix your sleep schedule. Here's how it works:

• Give yourself time to fall asleep: Allow yourself 20 to 30 minutes to drift off. Falling asleep within 10 minutes of getting into bed could indicate sleep deprivation.
• Get up and relax: If you still can't sleep after 20 to 30 minutes, get out of bed and move to a different room. Engage in a relaxing activity that is distracting but not overly stimulating. Try reading, deep breathing, journaling, yoga nidra, or light household chores.
• Avoid sleep disruptors: Stay in dim lighting, and avoid checking the time, using electronic devices, or snacking.
• Return to bed when sleepy: Don't rush the process, and try not to stress about being awake. Think of this time as bonus "me-time," and trust that sleepiness will come.
• Repeat if needed: If you get back into bed but still struggle to fall asleep, simply do another sleep reset.

Benefits of Sleep Resets

Additionally, sleep resets can be particularly useful if you have insomnia. They can be a component of sleep restriction therapy, which involves temporarily staying up later or waking up earlier to reduce your time in bed and increase your sleep pressure. This approach can improve sleep efficiency, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Caffeine and sugar can help with energy levels, but only in moderation

Caffeine and sugar are stimulants that can give you a temporary energy boost. However, it is important to consume them in moderation, as overconsumption can lead to negative side effects.

Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in the seeds, leaves, and nuts of several plants, including coffee beans, tea leaves, and cacao beans. It can also be synthetic, manufactured in a lab, and added to prepackaged foods and drinks. When consumed in moderate amounts, caffeine can help boost energy levels, concentration, and athletic performance. Most adults can safely consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, which is equivalent to about four to five cups of coffee. However, it is important to be mindful of individual differences in caffeine sensitivity.

Sugar, on the other hand, is a simple carbohydrate that provides a quick source of energy. It is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream, leading to a spike in blood sugar and energy levels. While sugar can give you a burst of energy, it is important to consume it in moderation as excessive sugar intake can lead to weight gain, an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and gout. The average young person in western countries consumes up to 40 teaspoons of sugar per day, which is eight times the recommended daily intake.

While caffeine and sugar can provide a temporary energy boost, it is important to remember that they do not provide sustainable energy. Caffeine, in large amounts, can lead to negative side effects such as elevated blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia, and heart problems. Additionally, sugar crashes can leave you feeling more tired and lethargic than before. Therefore, it is crucial to consume caffeine and sugar in moderation and maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Sleep restriction therapy is a treatment for insomnia

Sleep restriction therapy is a multi-step, multi-week process that typically follows these four steps:

• Keep a sleep diary to record total sleep time and time in bed every day for one to two weeks.
• Calculate sleep efficiency by dividing average total sleep time by average time in bed and multiplying it by 100. If your sleep efficiency is below 85%, proceed to the next step.
• Set a bedtime and wake-up time that keeps you in bed for your average total sleep time. For example, if you sleep an average of 6.5 hours per night, set your bedtime and wake-up time to allow for 6.5 hours in bed.
• For the next week, strictly adhere to this sleep schedule and continue to maintain your sleep diary.
• Use your sleep diary to calculate average total sleep time, average time in bed, and sleep efficiency for the last week. If your sleep efficiency is:

• Below 85%: Adjust your bedtime or wake time to allow for 15 fewer minutes in bed.
• Between 85% and 90%: Maintain your sleep schedule.
• Above 90%: Adjust your sleep schedule to allow for 15 additional minutes in bed.

Repeat step 5 until you consistently feel well-rested throughout the day and are satisfied with your sleep quality.

Sleep restriction therapy is generally considered safe but may cause sleepiness, so it may not be appropriate for everyone. It is not recommended for people in certain occupations, such as transportation, construction, or healthcare, as they may put themselves or others at risk if they attempt to work while sleep-deprived. It is also not typically prescribed for individuals with major illnesses, untreated sleep apnea, seizure disorders, or untreated bipolar disorder.

If you are considering sleep restriction therapy, it is important to talk to your doctor first to ensure that it is safe and appropriate for you.

Frequently asked questions