Sleep deprivation is something that most of us will encounter at some point in our lives. For most people it is only a temporary condition that is brought about by i direct stimulus shortly before sleep is attempted. There are many different things that can cause this, but usually they are either stress or a chemical stimulant that has been ingested or inhaled. Fortunately there are also many easy ways to make it less likely that you will suffer from sleep deprivation in the future as well.

The most common cause of sleep deprivation, both in the short and long term is stress. Everyone has things that worry them and that they think about a lot. And everyone has different stress levels and ways of dealing with things that they are worried about. Its when those stress levels become higher then normal that you might find it a lot harder to relax and in turn to fall asleep. Stress hormones basically trigger a flight or flight response and raise the blood pressure at the same time.

This is because our ancestors would only usually have been stressed when in a life or death situation, and so needed the body to be prepared to fight or run away from danger. Today stress can be triggered by a lot more diverse things that it used to and so we are generally more stressed all the time. Also modern day stresses are often prolonged whereas in ancient times stresses would usually only last as long as there was an immediate danger around.

So if you are suffering from a lot of stress it is important to become relaxed before attempting sleep. There are many different ways that this can be done ranging from listening to relaxing music, to doing something that you enjoy before bed. Sometimes something as simple as watching something funny on TV can take your mind off whatever you are stressed about long enough to let you fall asleep easily, rather than lying awake unable to relax.

The other big cause is being under the effects of chemicals that stimulate some part of the body and make us more awake. There are hundreds of chemicals that can do this to us, although the most commonly ingested ones tend to be nicotine from cigarettes, alcohol, glucose and caffeine. As well as a variety of commonly taken illegal drugs as well. These chemicals can all cause is in different ways to become more alert and awake, and so less likely to fall asleep.

The best way to avoid these is to make sure you don't ingest anything at all a few hours before you intend to sleep. This includes smoking, sugary foods and drinks and alcohol, as well as drugs of course. If you make sure that you leave a few hours before you want to sleep and when you stop eating, smoking etc, then you should ensure that the effects of the chemicals that you have ingested will have started to wear off.

The other major group of causes of sleep deprivation is if you have a preexisting medical condition that causes you to sleep very little. These can rage from obesity to asthma or depression. These kinds of conditions are best treated by a doctor as they might have something that can help you to sleep better. For example if you are an insomniac or are depressed then there are a wide range of drug treatments that doctors can prescribe for you.

So overall the best way to ensure that you don't suffer from sleep deprivation is simply to ensure that you are relaxed and calm enough when you go to bed to get to sleep. Avoiding things that might keep you up and being able to release stress are both important as the ability to have undisturbed sleep every night, for at least 7 hours.

Learn more about this author, Scott Heritage.
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