Sleep deprivation - not getting enough sleep
By winterose
@winterose (39887)
Canada
October 2, 2012 5:00pm CST
Many of us complain that we are tired all the time, but how many of us really know if it caused by lack of sleep. If you go to bed and can't sleep yes you know, or if somebody keeps you awake all night you know.
But do you know you can be sleep deprived if you are not getting in the right amount of sleep though you think you are? Our circadian rhythm regulates our sleep, this is caused by the melatonin secreted by the pineal gland and then the thyroid which is like the body watchdog regulates sleep.
Some people sleep only a few hours and think they are getting enough sleep, others sleep too many hours. How much we sleep will effect our body's responses.
Jet lag is also a common cause of sleep deprivation when you are travelling long distances and the hours change drastically in the new country this can be a cause for sleep deprivation because you body is still reacting to the old time not the new one.
Tossing and turning in your bed, affects your sleep, sleep disorders like sleep apnea affects your sleep, eating before you go to bed can do it, taking caffeine products like coffee before bed can do it.
A bad mattress can prevent you from sleeping properly.
Do any of you suffer from any of these conditions?
I wrote an entire series on the subject
1 person likes this
13 responses
@goldenteardrops (747)
• United States
3 Oct 12
yes I miss alot of sleep mainly because of discomfort in the bed. so got another one. it is better. then the dog wants out during the night. and sometimes getting all the bad things out of the way and thinking on the good helps sleep at night. I do not remembering ever having a good 8 hour sleep maybe 6 hours at the most.
1 person likes this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
4 Oct 12
If you are not tired when you wake up and can go all day then you are getting enough sleep.
@goldenteardrops (747)
• United States
4 Oct 12
sometimes tired and sometimes not...guess the body tells it all how one feels and not.. guess depends on the day..
@angelkarah050182 (4980)
• Philippines
3 Oct 12
Oh yeah. I sometimes lack sleep. On Mondays and Saturdays, I usually wake up early because I still need to home or go back to work. I guess it's already my routine though. I get enough sleep on Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays and sometimes on Sundays. I just limit myself to a cup of coffee everyday. Maybe, I can't go to sleep if it's two to three cups already. Happy mylotting. :)
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@angelkarah050182 (4980)
• Philippines
5 Oct 12
Yes, I have to. If not, there will be sleepless night again. haha. I want to have enough sleep.
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
3 Oct 12
FOr many many years I have had to get up thru the night to go to the bathroom but have no trouble going back to sleep. and usualy get 6 hours sleep a night and take a nap during the day. My daughter thinks I sleep to much I told her I sleep about as much as here just at differnt times andd durations
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@celticeagle (189957)
• Boise, Idaho
3 Oct 12
My sleep routine changes all the time. I was told by my doctor that i might need to have all that night aperatus on to help me breath at night. I refuse to do that. As I understand it if a person doesn't remain asleep long enough to reach 'rem sleep' they aren't going to get the rest they need.
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@winterose (39887)
• Canada
4 Oct 12
the machine will help sleep at night and you will have rem sleep (dream sleep)
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@Autumnrose2008 (1478)
• United States
3 Oct 12
I know what its like to be tired and deprived of sleep. I suffer from insomnia and no matter how hard I try or how tired I am I cant seem to just go to sleep. I can be super tired and when I go up stairs to go to bed I will lay in my bed and toss and turn not able to fall asleep. When I do finally get to sleep its usually only for a few hours. I feel I am doing pretty darn good when I can get 5 hours of broken sleep a night. I say broken sleep because when I am sleeping I still wake up I have to sit up and look around make sure every thing is ok then I can lay back down and go back to sleep for another hour or so. I have found that when I am really tired I will just fall asleep. I have fallen asleep at my computer desk while chatting with a friend. I have fallen asleep many times on the couch watching a movie. It seems that when I need it the most I cant get it to save my life and when I really don't want to sleep I cant help but doing it.
1 person likes this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
4 Oct 12
You maybe should try some relaxation exercises to help you fall asleep.
@SIMPLYD (90717)
• Philippines
3 Oct 12
oh my, he other day, i wasn't able to sleep as at my scheduled sleeping time. My husband was already so asleep, while i was still wide awake.
I don't want to open the TV because its light would still make me so wide awake also. So, i just read the bible with the aid of my flashlight so the light would be subdued and after about 30 minutes i got sleepy. 
The next day, my office mate told me she wasn't able to sleep too that night.
We both found out that we drank a new type of coffee that i am selling in the office , that afternoon ! 
I don't want to open the TV because its light would still make me so wide awake also. So, i just read the bible with the aid of my flashlight so the light would be subdued and after about 30 minutes i got sleepy.
The next day, my office mate told me she wasn't able to sleep too that night.
We both found out that we drank a new type of coffee that i am selling in the office , that afternoon ! 1 person likes this
@SIMPLYD (90717)
• Philippines
5 Oct 12
I now curb my desire to drink coffee when it's past 5 p.m. I don't want the same episode to happen to me again. 
@KrauseHome (36445)
• United States
3 Oct 12
Most nights I get at least 6 hrs sleep and feel fine. For me most of the time when I get more than this, I Ted to drag more. Right now while getting the hyperbaric oxygen treatment I am more tired a lot of the time but this too shall pass.
@GardenGerty (169568)
• United States
3 Oct 12
I am tired sometimes, and I usually can pin point the reason. I do my best to sleep in a dark room, go to bed about eight hours, or maybe seven hours before I have to get up. When I go to bed sometimes I wake up about a half hour before my alarm. If I do, I know I have had enough sleep. I get sleep deprived when I work extra shifts. I am needing to go back to writing instead of taking the extra shifts.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (64173)
• United States
2 Oct 12
I have apnea, but the mask made me feel worse than the lack of sleep - at least the lack of sleep didn't give me migraines...
I have cut down on caffeine, trying to get off it by early afternoon, even having none during the day.
I think my biggest problem are the cat fights...
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@jenny1015 (13359)
• Philippines
3 Oct 12
I am one of those who really lacks sleep. I try to sleep as early as 10pm, right after finishing all house work and teaching my kids. Then I wake up about 3:30am. I really have to be up by 4am to prepare the kids' breakfast and for their packed lunch. I wanted to sleep when they leave at 6am but could not fall asleep.
1 person likes this
@rog0322 (2828)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
3 Oct 12
Hi,
In my case, a hot and humid room causes me to toss and turn in bed. It is a welcome relief to get cool air from outside when rain is eminent or has began to rain. Nothing compares to listening to the falling drops with the whisper of the night wind, like music, it lulls me to sleep.
Not getting enough sleep, at least seven hours per day, makes me feel weak, prone to cold and sickness. Maybe, its the immune system going down from lack thereof. When sick, I always make it a point to take more hours sleeping than doing any other activity.
1 person likes this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
4 Oct 12
If you feel refreshed after you 7 hours of sleep than that is all you need.
@bjc66bjc (6730)
• United States
3 Oct 12
I am guilty of not getting 7-8 hours of sleep and I am tired..
But the lack of sleep (as you call it) hand nothng to do with
me being tired, even when I was working I never got 7-8 hours
of sleep, and that was working for years...
I am now tired because of the Chemo I was taking and other
pain meds that makes me tired.. Everyone does not fall under the
same umbrella....
.....tired because of the lack of sleep...
I even got a new mattress and I still am on the same schedule..
sleeping 5-6 hours every night...
1 person likes this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
4 Oct 12
that is exactly what I said there are many reasons for not sleeping a lot. And there are many reasons to be tired.
@CookingIsMyPassion (653)
• United States
3 Oct 12
Oh yeah! I suffer from this too. No thyroid and a husband that snores, talks in his sleep in multiple languages and side affects from medications that cause insomnia and fatigue.
Seems like a losing battle most days. I sleep when I can but it isn't nearly enough most days.
I know the medical implications and have sought out medical advise and treatments and nothing seems to work.
I try and rest and stay still with my eyes closed as much as possible when I can't sleep. It isn't the same but at least most of me is inactive.
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