Surviving A Sleep-Deprived Day: Strategies For Staying Awake

Sleep is a pillar of good health, but we all have the occasional night when we don't get enough. After a bad night's sleep, you may feel tired and irritable due to sleep deprivation. While a lack of sleep won't harm your long-term health, it can affect your cognitive abilities and mood. Here are some tips to help you survive the day after a sleepless night.

Drink water and caffeine in moderation

Drinking water is an important way to combat sleep deprivation. Dehydration will increase your fatigue, so drinking lots of water will help to keep you alert. The trips to the bathroom will also increase your activity level, which will further help to keep you awake. According to studies by Harvard Health, men should aim to drink around 15.5 cups of water per day, and women should aim for 11.5 cups. If you exercise a lot, you will need to drink more water to compensate for the water lost through sweat.

Drinking caffeine in moderation can also help to increase your alertness and give you an energy boost. A cup or two of tea or coffee in the morning can help you get through the day. However, it is important not to overdo it. Two cups of coffee will give you about as much alertness as you're going to get from caffeine. Consuming more than this won't make you more alert, but it could make you feel anxious or jittery, and may cause sweating and heart palpitations. If you are sensitive to caffeine, having too much can lead to a decreased desire for food, the jitters, and difficulty sleeping.

If you are going to drink caffeine, it is best to have it in the morning or early afternoon. It takes 30 minutes for caffeine to take effect, and it provides a stimulant effect that lasts three to four hours. However, the effects of caffeine wear off much more quickly for people who regularly consume a lot of caffeinated beverages. To avoid problems falling asleep, it is best to avoid caffeine after 4 pm.

If you drink too much coffee throughout the day, you will likely struggle to sleep at night. Therefore, it is important to curb your caffeine intake as much as possible. If you love the taste of coffee, you can try drinking decaffeinated coffee or tea instead.

Avoid sugar and large meals

When you're sleep-deprived, it's best to avoid sugar and large meals. This is because you're likely to experience more dramatic dips in energy after consuming these things, which will make you feel even more tired.

Your body craves sugar when you're tired because it provides a quick energy boost. However, this energy boost is short-lived and will be followed by a crash in blood sugar levels, leaving you feeling even more exhausted. Instead of sugar, try eating fruit. The natural sugar in fruit takes longer to digest than table sugar and won't make your blood sugar swing as much.

Large meals, especially those full of carbohydrates, will also make you feel drowsy. This is because they take a lot of energy to digest and can lead to a post-meal dip in energy. Instead of large meals, eat several light meals throughout the day, choosing moderate portions of lean meats, eggs, nuts, beans, and whole grains. Prioritize balanced meals that supply all the macronutrients from whole and minimally processed sources. For example, a great lunch could be fish (or another protein of your choice) with a large portion of greens topped with nuts and seeds.

Get sunlight and exercise

Sunlight and exercise are two powerful tools to help you get through a day on little sleep.

Sunlight is a natural cue for your body to promote alertness and wakefulness. It blocks the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. Even on a cloudy day, you will still get the benefits of natural light. Sun exposure can also boost serotonin levels, improving your mood and helping you sleep better the following night.

Exercise stimulates alertness and can improve your memory, attention, and ability to learn. It increases your core metabolic rate, which will sustain your energy for hours after you stop exercising.

If you can, get outside and go for a walk or a run. If you are time-poor, try dancing or doing some stretches inside. If you can, get your fitness on outside. Even a short walk can be beneficial.

However, it is important not to overdo it when you are exhausted. Keep your activity light or moderate, and avoid vigorous exercise when you are sleep-deprived. You are much more likely to injure yourself if you attempt a strenuous workout when you are tired.

Simplify your day and avoid big decisions

After a night of poor sleep, your energy levels will be low and you won't be performing at your best. So, it's important to simplify your day and lighten your workload as much as possible.

If you have five or six tasks for the day, consider cutting them down to two or three. By doing fewer things, you will be able to focus on doing them to a high standard and you will hopefully find things less stressful.

It's also important to avoid making any big or significant decisions until you are well-rested. Sleep deprivation slows your cognitive speed and decreases your constructive thinking skills and logical reasoning. So, refine your to-do list, push off non-priority tasks until tomorrow and allow yourself an easier day.

It's also a good idea to avoid driving or operating heavy machinery when you're tired. Your mental and physical abilities are dramatically decreased when you're sleep-deprived, so you don't want this to lead to an accident.

Take a power nap

Napping is a great way to combat sleep deprivation and improve your alertness throughout the day. A power nap is a short nap lasting between 10 and 25 minutes. Any longer than this and you risk feeling groggy and even more tired than before.

Drinking a cup of coffee before your nap can be a great way to combine the benefits of caffeine and napping. Caffeine takes around 30 minutes to take effect, so the timing of this strategy is important. This strategy is known as a "nap-a-latte" and can leave you feeling energised for at least four hours.

If you are unable to nap, simply taking a break and resting can help you feel more alert. Taking a break and sitting near a window or going outside to increase your exposure to natural light can also help improve alertness.

Napping can help to decrease sleepiness and improve both your mental and physical performance. Research has found that napping helps people feel less sleepy, improves memory, and helps regulate emotions.

Frequently asked questions