The Healthy Blogger

Getting 8 hours of sleep becoming impossible

Getting enough sleep has been stressed in order to maintain general well-being; with the recommended number of hours being eight.  I don’t know how they came up with this magical number, but since I can never seem to even get this number of hours in during the night, I cannot test the theory.  I do know that lack of sleep has certainly affected my concentration and memory.  Studies have shown that short-term lack of sleep, especially in people suffering from jet-lag and new parents, can affect memory, which can worsen if that lack of sleep is not remedied.

Besides the memory issues, I have to face fatigue and lethargy.  Though some people may advocate caffeinated drinks to overcome this, I have not found that it helps.  It seems to make it worse for me.  My problem is that even if my body is ready to go, my mind might not be.  Or vice versa.  Unless both mind and body are functioning together, I cannot be productive.

Some days, when I have nothing planned for the day, I might sleep in to catch up on the sleep.  You’d think that would help, but instead it exacerbates the fatigue.  After a few nights of less than eight hours sleep, it seems my body starts to adjust and if I sleep in, then it seems to want more.  It becomes a vicious cycle.  This recession has not helped any, because the added financial stress makes it difficult for me to fall asleep.

I will need to come up with some good relaxation techniques in order to overcome the stress and sleep problems.  As studies have shown that recession can lead to a decline in public health, I need to take special care to avoid becoming a statistic.