How To Face A Day Without Having Slept During The Night
Although when we are without sleep we are always tempted to consume sweet foods, it is advisable to avoid carbohydrates and sugars, since they do not provide us with real energy.
Not getting enough rest can have many serious health consequences. Starting the day without having slept through the night, too.
That sure you already knew. But Would you like to know what causes insomnia and how to deal with a day after not having slept at dawn ? In that case, read on to find out everything you need to know.
Not sleeping is more tiring than a marathon
In a study published in the Journal of Physiology , the energy levels and expenditure of people who slept enough and those who did not sleep were analyzed.
In the end, it was concluded that the lack of rest is associated with an increase in energy expenditure during the day, which makes us feel more tired, even if we have not made any extraordinary effort.
Some may find this positive because they think that a higher energy expenditure means a reduction in the number of calories; and they may think this can be beneficial for the diet.
Nothing is further from reality. Various investigations associate lack of sleep with the development of eating disorders. In fact, not getting enough sleep is related to an increase in calorie consumption, which promotes weight gain.
Lack of rest is only going to make us more tired and eat more. All downsides. Therefore, we recommend that you always sleep the hours that your body needs for the good of your general health.
Still, we know that sometimes we can have a difficult night. Therefore, below we will give you some tips to survive those days. Take note!
Brain signals when you haven’t slept
The front part of the brain is responsible for our being focused and effective in what we do. When we work without having slept the necessary hours, we do not perform the same.
It will probably take longer for us to react to certain stimuli and situations earlier, and it will be more difficult for us to concentrate at work or in class.
In addition, it is likely that memory does not work the same and that we forget many things. Why? Because sleep plays a fundamental role in consolidating memory and processing what has happened to us during the day.
Therefore, it is essential that we rest in order to perform well at work or in class. And it is that if we do not sleep, we probably will not assimilate well what we have learned in class or done at work, and we will not remember the next day.
In this way, as we see, lack of sleep can affect physical and intellectual performance, which can bring us serious problems at work or in class.
How to survive without having slept the night before?
Many work late, stay up late watching their favorite series or planning vacations. There are several things that keep us awake and influence our rest, and everything gets even more complicated without having slept the night before.
Pay attention to these tips so that insomnia does not rule your life:
- Take a nap: if you don’t have space for it in the office you can go to the car or, at least, lie down on the seat in the plaza after lunch. Do not forget that there is no substitute for sleep. A half-hour nap can refresh your mind and reduce the effects of drowsiness.
- Avoid the accumulation of hours of sleep that belong to the night. If you occasionally have to work or do an activity at dawn, then get some early sleep.
- If you can leave before work or come in later, that would be better. Idyllic that you can miss, but that is not always possible. As soon as you get home or before going out, try to get as much sleep as possible.
- Do not want to start doing anything else, because everything will turn out the other way around. To help you, leave the room in darkness, disconnect your mobile and avoid noise.
Change activities if you haven’t slept well
- If you tend to have monotonous tasks and more fun ones, choose to do the first ones in the morning, when you are most awake.
- The same is recommended for the most tedious obligations or those that involve greater concentration and work.
- Save challenging tasks for after lunch. In this way, your brain will not feel so tired and want to sleep to escape from that torture.
- Remember that people tend to perform less in the afternoon, since the body’s natural circadian rhythms are slower.
Eat well
Although your body, being tired, probably asks you for them already, try to ingest proteins. These will help you stay alert by giving you energy. If you already know that you’ll be staying up for a night to study, work, or partying, prepare a dinner that is rich in good quality protein.
A good example is a salmon fillet or chicken breast. Avoid carbohydrates and sugars because they don’t give you real long-lasting energy.
It is not necessary to eat in the middle of the morning. The body should have its reserves of what is consumed during the day. Still, your stomach will likely start to ache and rumble in the middle of the night. In that case, eat something light, like nuts or seeds. They will serve to keep you alert.
Get into motion
After spending several hours without sleep, you will not really want anything in the office. However, a good technique to avoid getting “fried” at the desk is to get moving.
What does this mean? Get up from your seat, go out for a breath, or go to the copy machine. How about walking in the park at lunchtime or chatting with your partner for a while?
How long can I go without having slept?
These tips are focused on a single stay up late, not on several days without having slept as indicated. It is not at all good that insomnia and lack of sleep are the rule rather than the exception.
Sleeping between 6 and 8 hours helps the body regenerate, consolidate memory and even lose weight. Getting enough rest is essential for health. Let’s not reduce the hours of sleep thinking that they are “wasted time.” The body performs numerous functions at night. Do not forget.
