| Sleep Debt: Overdrawn at the Energy Bank |
| By Darien Simon, M.S. |
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Some banks require a minimum balance in order to keep your account open and active. Your body and mind work in a similar way when it comes to sleep. As long as you get enough sleep (keep your account "in the black"), you function well in daily life, and your body is strong enough to keep you "in the pink." But if you miss restful sleep, or your sleep pattern gets interrupted, while trying to continue with your normal activities, you pay a price, just like an overdraft fee. You are in sleep debt. Except the price you pay for lost sleep is in your energy level, your mood, your temperament, your coordination, your memory, and potentially, your health. You may feel drowsy or unfocused, or just not as energetic as usual. You may forget to do something, or need extra time to think things through if you lack sleep or your sleep pattern is disrupted.
If you miss only part of one night's sleep, your body and mind can quickly overcome your sleep debt over the next few nights, as long as you get a full night's restful sleep each night with no more interruptions. But all too often, the demands and stresses of modern society impact us in terms of chronic loss of sleep. While caffeine may temporarily mask the effects of sleep debt, it can also interfere with making up the loss of sleep by impacting the next night's sleep, starting a vicious cycle of inadequate sleep that leads to sleep deprivation. Trying to make up sleep by sleeping in on weekends, or napping during the day, can also actually interfere with restoring your natural sleep cycle. Sleep aids are not usually prescribed for rare occurrences of disturbed or lost sleep, and when they are prescribed, they often stop working after a few weeks. But an herbal product like Dream Boost can help to maximize the beneficial effects of sleep, whether you lose sleep on rare occasions, or so often you feel tired much of the time. |
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