How sleep deprivation could cost you and ways to reclaim your sleep in more detail.

How sleep deprivation could cost you and ways to reclaim your sleep in more detail.

In the last post, we looked at whether remote work is robbing you of a good night’s sleep. Now, let’s dive deeper. Sleep deprivation goes beyond feeling groggy in the morning—it can impact every corner of your life, from your thoughts to your day-to-day interactions with others. Let’s look at the actual cost of sleep to your body and practical tips to getting your sleep back—without popping pills .

The Hidden Costs of Sleep Deprivation

When devoid of sleep, it can affect your health, productivity, and even your career.

1. Your Brain Slows Down

Struggling to focus? Find it hard to get your creative juices going? Research shows that lack of sleep reduces cognitive function so tasks take longer to complete. Of course, your problem-solving abilities also take a hit (my mind hit a brick on a coding problem with 3 hours of sleep!).

2. You Make Worse Decisions

Have you ever regretted sending an email or making a brash decision while sleep-deprived? Your judgment becomes impaired as you are less likely to evaluate situations logically as well as rationally. You could make poor financial decisions. To illustrate, I spent 10K on my face at a medical beauty center, and if you ask me, was it worth it? Nope!

3. Relationships Suffer

It can be hard to regulate your emotions. You notice yourself becoming irritable and short-fused. You may not be 100% present when spending time with loved ones.

4. Immune System Weakens

You could get sick more often. Long-term sleep deprivation can weaken your immune system. Sleep is the time when your body repairs itself. Therefore, you become more susceptible to colds, flu, and other illnesses.

5. Stuck in a cycle of exhaustion

Every day could feel like Groundhog Day. You may drink more cups of coffee to make up for your tiredness and then lie awake at night. When morning comes, you see yourself in the mirror with pandas eyes. Then, the cycle repeats itself the next day and the next.

The Path Forward: More In-Depth Practical Sleep Strategies.

Let’s recap some of the suggestions we mentioned last time but break them down further. The key is to take small steps over time rather than making huge leaps, which may not be sustainable or realistic.

1. Stick to a sleep schedule if you can.

Your body works best on a schedule. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends. This will help regulate your internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up naturally. When you’re traveling, especially through different time zones, it’s not always possible. You might have to retrain your body after a disruption, but consistency is key!

2. Create a Realistic Wind-Down Routine

It’s easy to get caught up with finding the perfect combination of things to do to prepare for sleep. It should require minimal effort and aim to relax your mind, body, and yes, even your soul. Here’s an example or a routine you could try.

• · An hour before bed, avoid all screens, including your phone!

• · Dim lights an hour before bed.

• · Read a physical book, not a screen. Choose something that you find really dull—so boring to the point of making you lose consciousness!

• · Do a simple breathing meditation, like the one used by the military. The steps are:

  a. Lie down; take a deep breath, drawing air into your diaphragm so your belly should expand, not your chest!

  b. As you breathe out, start from the top of your head and imagine relaxing all the muscles in that part of the body. If this is hard to do, visualise your muscles expanding outwards. Feel that body part get heavier and sink further into your bed.

  c. Rinse and repeat, working your way down your body through to your toes. The order I would use is head, neck, shoulders, left arm, right arm, chest, abdomen, left leg, right leg, and lastly, toes.

3. Establish Work-Life Boundaries

Remote work often blurs the line between your ‘on’ and ‘off-hour.’ It doesn’t help if your laptop is within arm’s reach of your bed, as you’ll be tempted just to squeeze in an email.

• · Physically separate your workspace from your bedroom if possible.

• · Set a specific hour to work each day. This will depend on your work and work style. You could start with using the same 9am–5pm pattern if it matches when your client’s office hours. For creatives, you pick a specific time when your mind works best.

• · Your bed is strictly for sleep only! No working or even watching something on screen if possible.

4. The right exercise at the right time!

• · Do stretches or other exercises that encourage your muscles to relax. Pair this with breathing exercises.

• · No HIIT or other intense exercises before bed. Do this earlier in the day if you can.

Start with these suggestions and see how you go. Ideally, it is best to start with strategies that don’t require you to take any pills, as natural is usually best. Next time, we’re going to look at those lucky people who can sleep 8 hours but still wake up exhausted.