Sleepstarved - The Devil

In the last chapter, the mind was explored to understand how insomnia directly affects the brain. Having this disorder for any amount of time will cause a massive negative impact on the mind. Besides memory loss, insomnia also results in tiredness, carelessness, and lack of alertness the next day. The mind and body both need rest in order to function well the next day. If there is no rest, then the gray matter, memory, and elaborate duties of the mind will crumble, and insomniacs will have a difficult time getting through the day. Their mind will wander, and they will struggle to stay focused throughout the day.

The 5 Things You Do Every Morning

Here's a little exercise: Firstly, try to think about all the things you did the moment you wake up today. Reflect on the first five things that you did. You might turn off the alarm clock, check the phone, stand up, switch on the lights, and walk to the bathroom. No matter what your usual routine is, you tend to execute all your regular activities flawlessly. Believe it or not, you subconsciously perform all these activities without giving much thought, only because it became a daily routine.

However, when you have insomnia, you are not nearly as focused as you normally are. The mind will continue to think as quickly as it normally would, but it does not have all the resources and energy to function properly. In order words, you may find it difficult to perform your first five activities in the morning, and struggle to complete each task.

An easy way to know this is when you realize that it took longer than it should when performing these tasks. The five actions that are supposed to take only 2 minutes to complete might end up taking more than 10 minutes when you didn't have enough rest. You might even forget to do a task or two. You might forget to turn off the alarm, and you might forget to check your phone for any updates. Many different things can happen, but overall this is only the tip of the iceberg when you are struggling with insomnia.

Damaging Your Professional Life

After the first-night facing insomnia, you might notice a significant drop in your energy level. You might notice that it's difficult to plan the day, or you might find it more challenging to remember all the information during the day.

In most cases, your daily routine may begin with waking up, getting ready for work, or even go shopping afterward. All jobs require 100% focus in order to ensure high performance and efficiency. Otherwise, you may face the music from your boss. No matter how exhausted you might feel, there are only a certain amount of days that you will be given sympathy. There are only so many sick leaves you can take in a year. So don't let insomnia destroy your personal and professional life. Take charge and get rid of it once and for all.

In your job, you are expected to complete the tasks before a certain deadline. Whether you are in charge of packing boxes, doing research, or writing, you have to be at the top of your game almost every day. You have to perform at your best all the time and earn your well-deserved paycheck at the end of the month. Any rest sacrificed during the night can result in poor performance the next day.

Are You Experiencing Sleepstarved?

Everyone has their unique sleep rhythm, and experts recommend 6-8 hours sleep daily. The exact number depends on the individual. Some of us need more rest, some less. But at the end of the day, losing a couple of hours of sleep is always better than losing a whole night of rest. For instance, instead of getting eight hours of sleep, you only get six hours of sleep. Those two hours of sleep may seem crucial, but they will not do as much damage to your life as insomnia. Losing two hours of sleep may slow you down, but chances are, you will still able to pull it through and get all the tasks done by the end of the day. On the other hand, losing an entire night of sleep can shut your brain down. They will go through the day struggling with simple tasks.

For instance, when your boss puts an agenda on your desk, you can read the content without a problem. But realizing what each item on the list means is the tricky part for those with insomnia. What seems to be a walk in the park may seem like mission impossible for insomniacs.

Often times, you lose focus and purpose for the day if you lack sleep. You'd be constantly looking for the fastest way to get through the day rather than thinking about the best way to get through the day. In the beginning, it might seem manageable because you’re still able to get things done on time once in a while. But the truth is, it'll hurt your reputation in your workplace in the long run because the poor quality of your work. Also, insomniacs are known to have bad temper and poor working relationship with their colleagues.

People will notice your inefficiency eventually. Your boss will notice that you are working at a slower rate, that you are not focusing as much, and that you do not have the right attitude to complete the job. It can put you in the wrong favor of your boss, and you might also risk being fired. Although this may seem unlikely to you right now, you should keep in mind that the possibility is very high. Insomnia is a distressing factor to life that not only can cause someone trouble in the workplace but also in their personal life.

Damaging Your Personal Life

When you think about your personal life, think about all that are important to you, things that you hold dearly to your heart. You might think about your wife, husband, children, pets, or any other aspects. Some people might even think about their garden or their remodeling project that they have been working on.

There is no right or wrong answer to this. It’s your own life, and the key to success in your personal life is to maintain balance. Most people perform their daily routine without putting much thought into it. Examples are simple tasks such as preparing breakfast for your kids, getting into the car, or going somewhere to eat.

Normally, these aren't difficult tasks, but insomniacs might feel otherwise. The moment a person’s personal life starts to get off balance, it results in stressful moments, and they begin to question if there is any way to get back to the steady state. It doesn't matter if the stress is coming from not having the groceries in time or waking up late, a minimal amount of stress can accumulate into something that is out of control. Insomnia causes a significant amount of stress and exhaustion.

There won’t be any specific thoughts in their mind; their mind will only wander with random thoughts without context. The same can also be applied to their work life. If you are suffering from insomnia and you need to prepare your kids for school, you might miss the lunch box, forget to iron their clothes, and the list goes on.

Always remember to put yourself first as “Self-Love is NOT Selfish”. When you constantly put yourself last, you’ll find yourself in a downward spiral of life, unable to fulfill your ultimate purpose in life.

Now is the time to blow the lid off a huge misconception in our society, the perception of putting yourself first as arrogant, evil, and selfish. What they failed to understand is that if you’re busy fulfilling the demands of others while not achieving your life purposes, you’d feel unfulfilled and doomed. You’d lose your drive, motivation, enthusiasm, and productivity if you journey down this path. So stop pleasing others and prioritize yourself first. Only by doing so you’ll have an unstoppable momentum to accomplish more, and have more to offer in return.

At home, you might need to maintain your home by mowing the lawn or walking around the house to check for bugs. No matter what you do, you need to remember the steps to execute each action accurately. The moment you are suffering from insomnia, you will not be able to remember things very well, and you will have a harder time getting it done.

Another vital part of your personal life is your relationship with others. Whether it’s your partner, husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend, being in a relationship is a job on its own. If you fail to pay full attention to your partner because you didn't have enough rest, then you can expect your relationship to go sour. This situation will lead to arguments, dissatisfaction, frustration, loneliness, and sadness in a relationship. All of these emotions can go so awry to the point where major confrontation might need to take place.

Dealing With Insomnia

It's hard to deal with insomnia when you have no energy left inside you. You’ll feel tired all the time and care less about things that are happening around you. Your mind will wander, and often times those thoughts don't make any sense. Life itself is already hard enough. Now, imagine adding in the fact that you are not getting any rest and have to deal with every obstacles life present you. How would you feel? Overwhelmed? Stressed?

You might end up wasting time at your workplace. You might fail to prepare your family meals and upset your children. You might start forgetting about all the little things that you usually do for your romantic relationship. Many areas in your life can go south due to insomnia. With all these in mind, now is the time to protect yourself from losing sleep and get optimal rest every night.