CURRENT MOOD = SLEEP DEPRIVED, SCARED OF NIGHT TERRORS & NOT FEELING MYSELF

Lets talk about trying to get a good nights sleep, as boy is it something I have always struggled with. Lately it has ramped up a notch since my boob job operation. And since you guys have been enjoying reading some more lengthy think pieces and life updates, I thought we could have a chat about my experience with sleep deprivation, night terrors and how sleep has a HUGE affect on your health and wellbeing, which is something I am truly trying to work on. In today’s post I will go into my current sleep experiences (or lack of) and what I am doing to unwind and try to get a God damn good nights sleep!

The amount of sleep you need to function at your best varies per person. But, on average it is recommended that you get 7-9 hours quality sleep a night. So that is my ongoing aim, as currently I am getting 4/5 hours sleep per night (if I am lucky)…

RayBan sunglasses c/o sunglasses-shop.co.uk – currently required to hide my HUGE eye bags lol

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What is sleep deprivation?

‘Sleep deprivation is the condition of not having enough sleep’

Side effects of sleep deprivation include:

Weight Loss/Weight Gain

Memory Loss

Fatigue

Sleepiness

Reduced Alertness

Lowered body temperature

Confusion and Hallucinations

Mood swings/Increased Irritability

Read more on sleep deprivation, causes and side effects here & here

My Sleep Deprivation Story

I have always been a bad sleeper. I have to admit I feel like I have been defeated if I go to bed before 11pm. In previous years I have always had broken sleep and even experienced tinnitus at bedtime for a short period of time whilst I was stressed. For those of you who don’t know what tinnitus is, it is hearing an external sound that is not there i.e. for me it was a constant ringing in my ears when there was silence in the room. Which I seem to have grown out of.

Pre surgery I was feeling run down, even after a break in Mexico I still didn’t feel refreshed and fighting fit. Life has been a bit crazy this year and I am my own worst enemy when it comes to finding ‘me’ time or time to relax. Fast forward post surgery and as I have been in pain and am required to sleep sitting up/on my back, alongside this heatwave, I have been struggling to get comfortable and get some sleep. Most nights I get about 4/5 hours of broken sleep, with myself waking up nearly on the hour, every hour. In the past two weeks (since I have been back to work and a normal routine) I have also had a couple of night terrors, which I definitely attribute to sleep deprivation.

HOW SLEEP DEPRIVATION HAS EFFECTED ME

If you look at it this way, a week of only four hours sleep a night is equivalent to 2-3 days without any sleep – Could you function properly off that? I certainly am struggling to. Below are the side effects I have been experiencing…

Increased Weight/Hunger

Emotional/Crying Outbursts

Headaches

Sore/Tired Eyes

Doing Things & Not Remembering How I Did them

Falling Asleep At Random Times (e.g. 6pm in front of the TV)

Repeating Myself Or Mixing Up Sentences

Generally In A Dazed/Drowsy State

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Night terrors – what are they and causes

More commonly experienced by children aged 3-12 that stop in adolescence, but also affects adults a night terror is a sleep disorder, causing feelings of terror or dread, which typically occurs during the first hours of stage 3–4 non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. 

According to Web MD:

There can be a number of psychological triggers that cause nightmares in adults. For example, anxiety and depression can cause adult nightmares. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) also commonly causes people to experience chronic, recurrent nightmares. Nightmares in adults can be caused by certain sleep disorders

The night terrors that I have been experiencing are like a re-occurring nightmare. I will be asleep and I will see myself in the bed in our room and I can see a figure and feel a presence standing over me. At which I will panic and scream in my sleep, thus waking myself up screaming my lungs out and feeling as if there actually is someone stood in the room at the side of the bed, leaning over me. It is a horrible feeling, my heart races, I generally am scared sh****ss and poor James, I think I have given him a heart attack! I have had night terrors before in the past – mainly when I am ill or feeling stressed. But, never have I had instances so close together before. I am either delirious from sleep deprivation or our house is definitely haunted…But I am hoping it is the former and not the latter explanation!

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6 Steps I Am Taking To Combat Sleep Deprivation

TBH it is sh*t feeling like this all of the time. I am desperate to be back to full energy levels and feeling excited about everything I have going on in my life at the moment. So to combat sleep deprivation and night terrors I am adopting the below tactics to help me get a good nights sleep. If you would like me to report back whether they have worked in a few weeks or months just let me know! Currently I am only 2 days into this new bedtime regime…

1. Getting in bed and turning the lights out no later than 10.30pm

2. Switching my phone off at least an hour before bed time

3. Listening to the Headspace app for 10minutes before bed (I have just started this and I am on day 2 currently – let me know if it is worth buying for a year and if you would like an update if it works for me)

4. Setting my alarm and leaving my phone outside the bedroom (This is a tip I took from ‘The Five Second Rule’ so in the AM you get up when your alarm first goes off and don’t press snooze, as you have to physically get up and out of bed to reach your phone)

5. Cutting out alcohol and sugar from my daily diet (limited to once per week at weekends)

6. Fitting in at least 30minutes of exercise per day (as I couldn’t work out because of my operation, I think this definitely contributed to my symptoms)

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Do You Suffer With Sleep Deprivation or Night Terrors?

If the answer is unfortunately a big fat yes, like it is for me, I would love to know any tips you have for things that have worked to help reduce or overcome the symptoms. Sleep is such an important part of day to day life, which I get more and more as I get older. I just need to retrain my brain to love sleep – as well as maybe better organise my weekly schedule and say ‘yes’ to less work commitments. Easy to say, but we will see how I get on with my six steps to combat sleep deprivation.

As always, thanks for reading, I will link my full outfit below. Now I am off to try and treat myself to an early night in bed with a book – wish me luck for a good night’s sleep. I also can’t wait until week four post op when I can bath again and sit in the sauna to unwind….less than two weeks to go people – eeeeek!

I AM WEARING

ASOS DESIGN DRESS

&OTHER STORIES SANDALS (Sale)

ZARA BAG

RAY-BAN SUNGLASSES

MURU NECKLACES

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