What is the Sleep Deprivation Cycle

The sleep deprivation cycle is the cycle that many of us struggle with chronically – being sleep deprived for days followed by sleep binging, which leads to staying up later and being sleep deprived again. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle. An example of this is not getting enough sleep during the week, and then sleeping in on the weekends, and then messing up your sleep schedule for the following week, perpetuating the sleep deprivation cycle. 

The opposite of the sleep deprivation cycle is consistent, sufficient sleep, as opposed to being deprived of sleep. Sleep deprivation is insidious, and can have major consequences including a lower quality of life, lower life expectancy, and worse performance in every aspect of your life.

Here are a number of tips to break the sleep deprivation cycle.

Have an enviably comfortable bed

Is your bed comfortable? How old is it? Is it causing you pain? Your “sleep assets,” or the things you use to help your sleeping quarters be as comfortable as possible, are great tools to help you sleep.

Sleep assets go beyond just your bed. They include things like:

• A good mattress and/or topper
• A comfortable pillow(s) for your head and, often, between your legs
• Good quality sheets
• A comforter that’s in good condition

Even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend on a mattress, a couple of hundred dollars can go a long way in getting a nice memory foam topper and excellent pillow that can make your bed top feel like a cloud.

Make Sure Your Room Is Comfortable

The environment of your sleeping quarters is extremely important for being able to sleep well. All you need is a quiet, dark clean room.

Depending on your existing environment, setting this up might require a bit of work like:

• Using earplugs if you live in a loud area
• Use blackout curtains if you live near city lights or in the far north (like here in Alaska)
• Using essential oils
• Doing laundry more often (clean sheets!)
• Spending money on other items to create a more restful sleeping quarter

Reduce Coffee and Alcohol

Coffee and alcohol are the enemies of quality sleep. Of course, for most of us that means making lifestyle changes! These lifestyle changes usually include:

• Not drinking alcohol right before bed (no nightcap), as alcohol inhibits REM sleep
• Drinking less coffee
• Sticking to drinking coffee in the morning
• Limiting liquids directly before bed

Cutting and reducing coffee is especially hard the first few days, but you will adjust quickly.

Condition Yourself With an Activity Before Bed

A pre-bedtime activity that you do religiously before bed is absolutely essential.

If you are aware of Pavlov’s dog, it’s the same concept. Pavlov’s dog salivated every time it heard the bell ring because Pavlov always fed the dog after ringing the bell. It’s called conditioning. This is the purpose of choosing an activity to do before bed – condition your body to start producing melatonin and mentally slow down. Some proven activities are:

• Taking a hot bath
• Reading
• Listening to a book, podcast, etc.
• Meditating
• Journal writing

There are many other possibilities depending on your taste and interests.

Avoid Screens at All Costs Before Bed

The blue light from screens delay the release of melatonin, and may even suppress the amount that is released. Melatonin is the hormone that regulates sleep. This rule is especially hard to follow because we are beset by screens:

• TVs
• Laptops
• Smart phones
• Computers
• Tablets

Furthermore, there are endless activities to do online with no obvious stopping point, such as a book with chapters. You can scroll through Facebook or Instagram endlessly. You can watch endless YouTube videos. The best practice: don’t tempt yourself, don’t expose yourself to blue light.

Be Like a Child – Set a Realistic Bedtime

It may sound very juvenile, however, a bedtime is a useful tool. It is your way of self-regulating by setting boundaries and rules for yourself. In doing this, however,  your bedtime should be realistic. Set one you think you can actually attain. If you are a night owl, set a bedtime later and same if you're a morning bird. Your work and school schedule should also influence your bedtime so that you are still getting a good number of hours of sleep.

What If You’ve Tried Everything Without Success?

Of course, there are some sleep conditions that will make it seemingly impossible to overcome the sleep deprivation cycle, in which case you may need external help. These conditions include:

• Sleep apnea
• Insomnia
• Restless leg syndrome
• Circadian rhythm disorders

If you live in Alaska and have tried everything to break the sleep deprivation cycle, but are still struggling, then please click the orange button and take a free online sleep test to get in contact with our sleep health professionals.