I was going to therapy for a while, and the first thing the guy asked me in the first conversation, before anything else was: do you sleep?

I did not sleep at the time, and he said, OK I will listen to you, but know that we cannot make any accurate diagnosis or conclusions until you sleep, because that impacts everything.

Of course, the lack of sleep in itself is a symptom, but it is also a cause.

Today I will summarise sleep deprivation, and how it impacts us short and long term. 

I chose this topic because I believe sleep deprivation is common in screen dwellers or overachievers of any kind.

We often feel that we’re basically losing money or valuable work time if we sleep. So I will debunk that idea in the end too. 

What Is Sleep Deprivation?

Sleep deprivation is a condition where one doesn’t get as much sleep as their body needs. 

It can be acute, occurring for a short period, or chronic, so it has been happening for a while. 

The amount of sleep we need varies, but the number is set generally to between 7 and 9 hours for adults. 

Insomnia refers to a state where a person has opportunity and will to sleep, however they struggle to fall or stay asleep. 

Sleep insufficiency refers to when a person could sleep but dont have or don't give themselves the opportunity, often due to work or parenting. (common in screen dwellers)

Sleep deprivation can be the result of both of these. 
It is diagnosed when a person meets these criteria:

• Sleeps less than recommended for their age group most nights for at least three months
• Falls asleep during the day
• Wakes up due to alarm, people or work when they could continue sleeping.
• Symptoms resolve when they sleep more
• Lack of sleep isn't caused by a sleep disorder, drug use, withdrawal or health issues. 

Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation

These are some symptoms of sleep deprivation. If these occur, maybe you could think about how you can improve your sleep. 

• Feeling constantly tired and finding it difficult to stay awake, even when sleeping for a full night.
• Inability to concentrate, having poor attention span and low cognitive performance. 
• Difficulties with memory, like remembering things or recalling information. 
• Mood swings, increased stress levels and irritability.
• Increased emotional reactivity.
• Weak immune system - increased sensitivity to infections and ilnesses.
• Reduced motor skills, like coordination and reaction time.
• Increased appetite and cravings for junk food.
• Microsleeps, or common short episodes of sleep, often for only a couple of seconds which happen involuntarily. 
• Difficulty making decisions and judgements and evaluating risks. 
• Reduced sex drive and social activity 

Note that if you have been sleep deprived, you might need to sleep more than the recommended time for your age group, to basically reset your body.

Causes of Sleep Deprivation

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Sleep deprivation is often caused by poor sleeping habits such as long naps, using the screen before bed, having an inconsistent sleep schedule or a noisy or bright sleep environment. 

It is also often caused by one's work schedule or social obligations. Substances such as nicotine, alcohol and caffeine also impact our sleep, as well as some prescription medications and illnesses. 

Voluntary sleep restriction, or choosing to stay awake because of work, entertainment, or other activities is also a common cause. 

Mental health issues, anxiety and stress can also lead to insomnia, and in the long run, sleep deprivation. 

Consequences of Sleep Deprivation

We already mentioned many consequences of sleep deprivation in the symptoms chapter. 

The most common things that happen are impaired cognitive function and mood changes, increased emotional reactivity and decreased work performance. 

Risk of accidents is also increased, as physical performance is affected too.

There is an increased risk of chronic health issues, such as weakened immune function obesity, cardiovascular issues, and type 2 diabetes. 

Mental health issues are another consequence including anxiety, bipolar and depression.

In the long run the quality  of life is decreased, as one doesn’t have as much energy, creativity and isn't capable of fully enjoying everyday activities.

 Relationships can also be strained, due to impaired cognitive functions like attention span as well as mood swings and emotional reactivity. 

Maximizing Productivity: Finding Balance Between Work and Sleep

This blog is primarily geared towards people who work online, where we are often following this productivity quest and therefore push our boundaries and don't meet our sleep needs.

This may be enticing as long work hours can lead us to the flow state, and also because we don’t have to deal with some other stuff in our lives. 

However, recognizing and embracing the importance of good sleep can actually help us have sustained efficiency, in the long term. 

It is similar to pump and dump - sacrificing sleep can bring some short term gains, but hinder overall performance and quality of life. 

On the other hand, if we don't look at the hours of work but the quality of our work, we can see how much more and better things we can give if we have good rest. 

We can then better allocate our energy, think about long term changes and build a sustainable lifestyle.

Everyone is Different

We need to honor our individual needs - I feel it often becomes a competition - who slept less?

 In reality we all have different needs and we need to listen to the signals of our body and take care of ourselves, to maintain our well-being in any online work space. 

So basically, we don’t have to follow a traditional sleep pattern or look at what others are doing. We can explore different sleep schedules and see what fits us best, for example two-phase sleeping is also a good idea for some people. 

We can also work on how we can establish a better sleep environment. For me, sleep is much better when I turn off the wifi and leave the phone in another room. 

It may be a good idea to have some personal time before sleep, so if you work until e.g. midnight, maybe turn off the computer at 11pm and take some time with yourself.

This isn’t an easy change to make and we can take it step by step improving 1% every day, changing our beliefs, habits and environment takes some time. 

But if we want to have more harmony in our lives, sleep is one of the most important factors to take care of.

Through sleep we can still unlock our potential, do great work, build big things, while preserving wellbeing, health, and peace (myr). 

That is it for today,

Good night

(fukiyu)

Archibald

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