Drowsiness Can Kill!
So, you have been feeling sleepy and lethargic all the time! You are not alone. More and more people are joining this ever increasing community of drowsiness. This sleepiness during the day can make you irritable and hamper your normal routine. Most of the people look for coffee and energy drinks to fight off drowsiness. Caffeine may help you stay awake for a while but what about all those side effects that it brings on with it? You are becoming unhealthy by fighting your drowsiness this way, with caffeine! Let’s find out the healthier ways to fight drowsiness. But stop! Let’s first have a look at causes of drowsiness.
Causes of Drowsiness
These are the common causes of drowsiness in daily life:
- Sleeplessness (due to stress, depression or other medical condition or any other reason)
- Sleep disorders (such as sleep apnea and narcolepsy)
- Insomnia
- Hypercalcemia (too much calcium in blood)
- Hypothyroidism
- Hyponatremia (low blood sodium)
- Diabetes
- Odd working hours (night shifts, working at weekends or for continuous long hours)
- Migraine
- Other body pain
- Medicines (such as tranquilizers, sleeping pills, antihistamines)
Apart from the above causes of drowsiness, there are certain serious causes too that need immediate medical attention such as head injury, hypovolemic or hemorrhagic shock, meningitis, stroke etc.
How to Get Rid of Drowsiness?
Now comes the obvious question, how to fight drowsiness! The first step towards this is treating the cause of your drowsiness. See the above list of causes of drowsiness and determine what can be the cause for your drowsiness. Is it stress, insomnia or odd working hours? Or something else? If you can’t get the clue, take help of your health care provider and discuss your routine as well as any other problem that you might be facing. If your drowsiness is caused by certain drugs, they can be changed by your doctor. Once you have identified the cause for your drowsiness, take help of the below remedies to combat drowsiness.
1. Follow a regular sleep schedule
This is a must. Because you are not sleeping enough or not sleeping at the similar time everyday, your body rhythm is getting disturbed. Adequate sleep and undisturbed sleep are the key to stay refreshed throughout the day. This will help you keep away low energy, fatigue, depression and stress.
So, how much to sleep and when?
You need between seven to nine hours of sleep every night. This will make you function at your best and will not make you sleepy during daytime.
Now comes the question, when to sleep for having that quality sleep which will not bring in drowsiness during day! It is said that you should aim at going to bed somewhere between 8 PM to 11 PM depending upon whether you are a night owl or a morning lark! However, don’t go to sleep after midnight because till few hours before midnight, your body gets the best deep sleep. As you move towards morning hours, your sleep becomes lighter. It doesn’t matter whether you have slept at 10 PM or 3 AM, you are bound to get lighter sleep in the ‘near morning hours’!
This may be a bad news for workers who have to do night shifts, but that’s what nature has ruled for us!
- Go to sleep between 8 PM to 11 PM, not later than that.
- Sleep for at least 7-8 hours every night.
- Maintain a regular wake up time on weekdays as well as weekends. You may get up an hour later on weekends but don’t make it too late. If you everyday get up at 6 AM, you may afford to get up at 7 on Sundays but not at 10 AM! This disturbs your body’s rhythmic sleep cycle.
If you are a night shift worker, the above might seem to be impossible for you. What to do then? The next remedy is for you!
Sleep tips for night shift workers
If you are among those who have to be alert at night so that others can sleep peacefully, congratulate yourself for doing such a noble task! But that doesn’t mean that you need to suffer from health disorders or face drowsiness on days when you are lucky to have a day shift! Here are some sleep tips for night workers so that they may have a regular sleep schedule adjusted to their body rhythm.
Change your sleep schedule three days before your work schedule changes.
Suppose you work from 4 pm to 12 am, and after three days, your work shift will change to 10 pm to 6 am. Now, if you sleep from 2 am to 10 am, postpone your sleeping hours for 2 hours, three days before your new work schedule starts.
- On first day, go to sleep at 4 am and sleep till 12 pm.
- On second day, go to sleep at 6 am and sleep till 2 pm.
- On third day, go to sleep at 7 am and sleep till 3 pm.
- On fourth day, when you start working from 10 pm to 6 am, go to sleep at 8 am and sleep till 4 pm.
Now, sleep everyday at 8 am and wake up at 4 pm. When your work schedule changes after a month or so, again change your sleeping schedule by changing your sleeping hours three days in advance.
Maintain regular sleeping schedule on weekly off days
Your weekends may not match the weekends of other members in your family. But the rule is the same for all. Maintain the usual sleep and wake-up schedule on these days too. This tells your body when to feel sleepy and when not to. If you, the night shift worker too, maintain a regular sleep schedule, you will not feel drowsy during your working hours.
Take help of your family and tell them not to disturb your sleep due to phone calls and visitors when you sleep.
Rotate your shift duty clockwise
First of all, try to avoid frequently rotating shifts. However, this can’t be always done when in job. But try to convince your management about rotating your shifts clockwise. This means your shift should rotates from day shift to evening to night rather than rotating in a reverse order.
Request your manager to schedule your next shift in a manner that it starts later than your present one. This will help you sleep better in coming days and you will also be able to stay alert during work.
2. Get sunlight or bright light
Sunlight regulates your biological clock; it makes your body alert about work time. However, it might not be always possible for you to get sunlight, thanks to your ever shifting duty times. In such times, keep your workplace brightly lighted. This will fight off drowsiness and keep you alert. Circadian rhythms or the body’s internal clock control our sleeping and waking cycle. These rhythms are in turn, controlled by a part of our brain which is influenced by light.
However, on the way home from work, you should try to avoid bright light so that you may fall asleep easily once you reach home. Also, use blackout blinds or heavy curtains so that sunlight gets blocked when you sleep during the day.
Uninterrupted quality sleep is essential to fight off drowsiness.
3. Exercise to avoid drowsiness
Get some exercise daily, preferably in the morning. The adrenaline rush will help you stay more alert. One of the major causes of drowsiness is not getting sufficient physical activity. Our body is made to work and rest and not to rest always. When you do not move your muscles and all that’s inside your body, you become sluggish. So, make it a habit to exercise daily for at least 30 minutes. This will also make you sleep better at night. Avoid exercising close to bed time though! This will hamper your sleep and make you more sleepy the next day. But what exercises to do?
- Walk for 30-40 minutes daily
- Jog for half an hour or hit the gym and use an elliptical trainer
- Swim for 20-30 minutes
- Running is a good exercise
- Cycling too can help
- Do aerobics or yoga
- Dance to your heart!
In short, do whatever you feel like but move your body for at least 30-40 minutes a day.
Next: Use Acupressure Points for Sleepiness, Drowsiness
