Can lack of sleep make you crazy?

If you have ever found yourself short-tempered when you are not getting enough sleep, you certainly recognize the effects that sleep deprivation may have on mood. When we do not sleep enough, we are more likely to have symptoms of irritability. Sleep deprivation or prolonged restricted sleep results in increasing irritability, worsening mood, and feelings of depression, anger, and anxiety.

Here are 5 top treatments to help avoid sleepiness when sleep deprived………..

#1 Sleep

This may seem too obvious to even consider, but the best treatment for sleep deprivation is also the easiest. Sleep more.. Sleep deprivation occurs when we do not sleep enough. This might occur chronically, with inadequate sleep over an extended period of time, or it may occur actuely, such as when we ‘pull an all-nighter’. We each have individual sleep needs, and the average amount of sleep changes over our lifetime, Sleep that is of poor quality, such as may occur in sleep disorders, such as insomnia or sleep apnea, may also lead to sleep deprivaiton.

#2 Activity

The next option to treat sleep deprivation is the opposite of sleep: activity. Brief periods of activity may help you to stay more alert, especially when you are experiencing minor sleep depirvatiion. Depending on the level of activity, you may develop increased fatigue [ as opposed to improved sleepiness] that may counteract the benefits of being more alert.

#3 Bright Light

The exposure to bright light has important effects on your body’s circadian rhythm. THe circadian rhythm is a pattern of body functions, includingsleep and wakefulness, that is timed to the day-night cycle. There are some conditions such as seasonal affective disorder [ SAD] that are helped by approximately timed exposure to bright light. Aside from normal ambient lighting such as you might get from overhead lights or natural light exposure like sunlight, it might also be beneficial to expose yourself to a light box.

#4 Noise

If you have ever found yourself turning up the radio to stay alert, you may wonder if this actually improves sleepiness or an yof the other effects of sleep deprivation. There may be some benefit, but infortunately, it is rather modest. we generally respond best to novel stimuli, In other words, we tune out background noise when we are exposed to it for long enought. For example, the sounds of air ccirculating through the ducts, the soft hum of a computer fan, or any number of other noises fade into the background din afer awhile. New sounds however, draw our attention. Noise, therefore, may be somewhat helpful in alerting us. If you sing along, it may be of even greater benefit.

#5 Temperature

If you have er rolled down your car windows in an attempt to stay more alert while driving, you may be disheartened to learn of itsrole in treating sleep deprivaiton. Unfortunately, there is little evidence to suggest that temperature changes do much to improve our alertness and decrease excessive sleepiness.