A Case of Sleep Deprivation

We all have times of sleep interruption and I decided that when it next happened to me I would write down how I felt to fully appreciate the importance of sleep. This is what I found.

For one reason or another, my sleep has been disturbed for the last week. Sometimes it was a late night, or I get to bed on time only to be woken during the night possibly due to noises outside, the cat or my partner. Then there were the nights when I simply just could not get to sleep. Anyhow, all I know is that Im struggling right now to remember back a week as I am deprived of sleep.

So this is the situation. I have had some sleep. I would say, about 4-5 hours on average for the last week. I need more sleep than this. How do I know this? Because right now this is how I feel:

\r
• I am currently working at half speed. Everything today is taking twice as long as normal.
\r
• My attention span is very low. I keep drifting off. One minute Im here at the screen typing the next well Im still here physically, but mentally Im miles away and I wasnt even aware it had happened.
\r
• My brain feels fuzzy and muddled.
\r
• I cannot concentrate (have I already said that?).
\r
• Very low motivation -- in fact Im not sure if I have any at all.
\r
• My eyes feel heavy, as does the rest of my body, thinking about it.
\r
• Reading is hard going.
\r
• I have no commitment to any task.
\r
• Even writing this list I am struggling to define my symptoms.
\r
• I feel light headed.
\r
• Oh yeah, also slightly nauseous.
\r

I used to think these symptoms were a hangover -- now I know otherwise!

I have also recorded some behaviours that were out of the ordinary. I probably would have recorded more, but I think I forgot this was part of my task. It was just small stuff. I made myself a coffee and let the coffee pour over the cup, because I had drifted off. Went to check my email -- clicked on new instead of send and receive. I first became aware of it when I saw a new window was open -- eh? Whys that there? Then there was the book I was going through and found myself sat reading the wrong page.

Not that crazy or disturbing, but hardly normal behaviour for me. I am a firm believer in people controlling their lives and personal responsibility. Yet here I am saying, who opened that new email window? Scary to think it made me feel like I wasnt in control. We worry about drugs and alcohol but I have to say how disconcerting it is to be feeling and behaving like this solely because of not enough sleep.

I am lucky. I did not have to go out anywhere into the world today feeling like this. I think perhaps this is a good thing. Then I think, how many others out there had a disturbed sleep last night?

For now I will end by saying do what you can to get a good nights sleep because who knows what you may end up doing. If in doubt, try the exercise for yourself; you may be surprised by the results.

Copyright Julia Barnard 2006

Julia Barnard is a professional counsellor living in Adelaide, Australia. She provides an online counselling service through her website http://www.makethechange.com.au. Julia also writes articles for the website aimed at enhancing well-being and promoting good mental health.

Treating Sleep Deprivation with CPAP
Sleep deprivation is an all too common affliction millions of people around the world suffer from some kind of sleep disorde...

How to Treat Sleep Deprivation Using CPAP
Treating sleep deprivation using CPAP is considered as an effective treatment strategy. Sleep derivation is the condition in ...

Sleep - Luxury or Necessity
Many people feel that sleep is a waste of time. They have busy lives with work and families so they try to squeeze every minu...

Falling Asleep at Your Computer? 3 Things to Do the Next Time That Happens
Are you falling asleep at your computer? If yes, that means you are either tired or on sleep inducing drugs. I will venture ...

The Importance of Sleep
There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep HomerWhen you have a packed schedule, what are you most li...

Alternative Therapies for Sleep Apnea
Alternative therapies for sleep apnea focus to promote natural ways, to provide relief from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a rec...

Sleep Deprivation and Traffic Accidents
Ten years ago, a former colleague of mine, a fine teacher and person, was tragically killed in a car accident in British Colu...

Sleep Disorder Centers
Sleep plays a vital role in maintaining the physical, mental, and emotional health of individuals. Recent studies reveal that...

What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is one of the major sleep disorders. Apnea is the condition of not respiring, which may return to normal within a...

Pulse Oximetry Overnight Helps in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is when you periodically stop breathing while you are sleeping and this can happen up to 90 times a night. The ma...

Good Sleep Habits: A Key To Better Health
Most of us fail to get good nights sleep. As a result we run the risk of greatly increasing our susceptibility to disease and...

Lack of Sleep
In order to find out if you are suffering from a lack of sleep you should answer these three questions:Are you always staring...

Surgery Tips to Cure Snoring
Snoring can be classified into two: mild snoring and excessive snoring. The former is easily curable. A change in sleeping ...

Causes of Snoring
An estimated 45% of the population snores at least occasionally, and life typically goes on. But snoring can cause great dis...

Why You Should Stop Snoring
If you or your sleeping partner snores, you may think of snoring as merely an irritant. But, snoring can have serious social ...

Waking Up To The Importance Of Sleep
A good nights sleep is vital to our health and well-being. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation strongly impairs your bo...

Are You a Sleep Walking Zombie?
Do you get enough sleep? Chances are you dont. Many people living in modern industrial societies suffer from a chronic, and...

Central Sleep Apnea Treatments and Medication Explained
If you have central sleep apnea you are one of the rare people with this type of sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea occurs due...

5 Tips To Finding Effective Anti-Snore Devices
If you have tried everything, but still seem to suffer from snoring, dont give up. Before turning to surgery, consider shopp...

Discovering Your Cause Of Insomnia
At the end of a long day, nothing feels quite as good as climbing into your bed with the prospect of a long and restful sleep...