When people are sleep deprived, their response time is slower
Most people have spent a night without sleeping well, due to anxiety or because they had to study for an exam or work very hard. Whatever the reason, a bad night’s sleep can affect your mood and performance the next day.
Research shows that when people are sleep deprived, their response time is slower, which makes it difficult to make decisions and affects concentration and memory. They are also more likely to feel anxious, depressed and antisocial.
Sleep deprivation can also heighten the sympathetic nervous system, which controls the “fight or flight” response, making us feel stressed and nervous.
Try taking a nap
To mitigate these effects, the main recommendation from experts is to take a nap. Not only can this help you feel less drowsy, but it can also improve your performance in many of the mental processes impaired by lack of sleep.
To avoid the “sleep inertia” that some people feel after a nap, try limiting your nap to 30 minutes.
Have a coffee
Caffeine can also increase alertness and cognition (thinking, attention, and memory skills). Don’t overdo it, though: too much coffee can make you nervous and increase your heart rate, something you may already be experiencing due to lack of sleep.
Walk outdoors
Regular exercise can also improve performance immediately after a bad night’s sleep. A small 2022 study found that college students who exercised after a night of total sleep deprivation performed better on a test of cognitive control than those who did not exercise.
Exposure to bright natural light is another way to increase alertness. To get the benefits of both light and exercise, the advice is to take a walk mid-day.
Avoid risky situations
While the above strategies can help, they cannot completely offset the effects of a bad night’s sleep. So the ideal is to make some changes to your day to avoid making serious mistakes. See some examples:
- Avoid driving (without enough sleep, your driving performance may be as bad as if you were drunk or hungover).
- Try to give yourself more time to complete tasks.
- Avoid doing multiple things at the same time.
- Try scheduling your day around your circadian rhythm (which means leaving the most important tasks for the part of the day when you tend to be most energetic).
- If possible, avoid important conversations (since lack of sleep can make you more irritable and emotionally reactive).
- Do not make important decisions, including making financial investments.
Source: New York Times
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
