How does a lack of sleep impact your day to day life?

[MaddieHU]

Morning Everyone! It time for question 3 in the Sleep Matters Question Series.

Today we are asking: How does a lack of sleep impact your day to day life? E.g. mood, hobbies, energy levels

[soulboy118]

The impact of lack of sleep is , ( deep breath ) low energy lack of concentration easily distracted from a task at hand and let's not forget anxiety which as we know gets you questioning yourself ,once you go down that road doubt appears and lack of confidence then you start living (or trying to) in the future which as we know is detrimental to mental health , I always try and set myself up as best I can for if not a good nights sleep then at least a restful one

[Hidden]

Medication and my CPAP are good at controlling my sleep problems but occasionally feel tired during the day.

[checkmypulse]

Lack of adequate sleep can leave me with a dull headache, back ache, low energy and worry about the next night. I try to push myself and make sure I am thoroughly tired out for next time.

[Calvados1]

My c-pap helps as I sleep for around 6 hours, only waking a couple of times during the night. However with my breathing problems I tend to do chores and hobbies in the morning as I frequently fall asleep in the afternoon. My energy levels are low in the evenings. I don’t have mood swings very often.

[LDloveslattecoffe]

I am not someone who suffers daytime sleepiness.

Lack of sleep usually results in migraine or restlessness for me

[sicklecellnews]

Lack of or insufficient sleep leaves me grouchy and with a dull chest pain. I also feel tired and have to push myself to do normal tasks.

[mrsk06]

I'm like a bear with a sore head! Easily irritable, no energy and quite emotional!! This can be every other day 😐

[deegan]

If I know I am going out in an evening, I find it even harder to sleep the night before as I am always worried that I would be too wrecked to go out. So now I usually take a sleeping tablets the night before and also the night I go out. That way I am sure of getting 5 hours sleep.

As sleeping tablets are so addictive, my GP will only give me prescription for 28 tablets every 6 months. This means that I don’t go out in the evening very often!

[MiniMum97]

Feeling exhausted in day. Whole day’s get written off completely. When exhausted I am impatient and irritable and I struggle to concentrate. It also makes me feel physically unwell very quickly (I have physical health issues too and lack of sleep exacerbated the symptoms after only one night of poor sleep).

[sicklecellnews in reply to MiniMum97]

Yes, one night of poor sleep gets me in the doldrums too!

[MrEd44]

Lack of sleep makes me more easily angered at situations which might not warrent it.

[WestysWifey34]

It impacts my life massively. I miss out on days & also social gatherings, trips, nice weather, doing things with my children etc because I am to exhausted to move & even get dressed or I have fallen asleep. I am constantly exhausted & even when I do manage to fall asleep, I only get about 2 hrs & can also go without sleeping for 3 days straight (not by choice). It also impacts my memory & concentration & makes my depression a million times worse & also affects me from being able to get a job.

[JeffMett]

The lack of sleep makes me tired I get up it takes a hour just to make myself a drink. I have lost the will to do things like my hobby or even go out. I seem to be more irritable when I'm at work even though I only work 16 hours a week. I am supposed to do some exercise to help with other health problems but I don't do nearly enough. I easily get bored even though I've got plenty of things I could be doing.

[Rhyothemis in reply to JeffMett]

I'm missing out on exercise too, and what makes it all the more frustrating is that I know that exercise is really important for sleep.

[Lybra]

As I am retired, I do not have the same concerns as when I was working. But at work it was an enormous challenge, being a self employed Barber, who had a Uni-Sex business ,trying to work with the public , and satisfying them enough to come back, I found extremely difficult. I was constantly tired, and not able to think properly, not converse well, owing to having depression with all these years of having the Sleep Apnea.

[Gavj7804]

Daytime tiredness. Unable to control weight. Fatigue. Lack of energy. Irritable. Lack of libido.

[Johnny-One]

With the use of Gabapentin I manage to get six or seven hours sleep a night which means I can more or less get a decent night's sleep, which means I can more or less function during the day. Before this I was a lot worse.

During a work day I can function fairly normally. The issues arise if I have to attend a meeting, where I will fall asleep if it goes much over 30 minutes. I usually take my Mac into the meeting so I can do other work whilst listening. I have real problems if I must attend a training morning / day. Even then though some days I have difficulty so I sneak off in to the gents and fall asleep in the cubicle for ten minutes ... don't tell anyone, or go for a walk outside for a decaf coffee or something to try and wake myself up. Anything to get myself through the day.

During a non-working day I just sleep when I get tired, wherever I am ... park, on a train, in the house (on an ironing board, window ledge, in the bath (no water in it), on the garage floor, and many other unusual places my wife and daughter have found me. I once fell asleep in Asda and the shop assistant thought I was drunk, but my daughter who was about eight at the time said it is OK my daddy is just asleep. My wife was elsewhere in the shop, and bright lights are no good for my headaches which exasperate my sleeping.

On an evening I do not go out because I cannot work the next day if I do.

[Rhyothemis]

Most days I do better than I would expect from having only had 4-5 hrs sleep. When I was young I would often sleep 10 hrs, so this is not something I've done my whole life. The days following no sleep, however, are difficult. Can't remember stuff, can't plan or make decisions. One of the worst aspects is being too tired to exercise and too unmotivated to stick to other lifestyle practices which improve sleep / circadian rhythm entrainment, so it becomes a self-perpetuating cycle.

[RLSEXP]

Lack of sleep has a huge impact on my day to day life. I average about 4 - 5 hours but only with the aid of some type of medication. I am always tired, although this does not stop me from keeping very active. Because of the meds and the lack of sleep, every morning is a challenge. I can't imagine what it must feel like to wake up after a good night's sleep. Thank goodness for coffee!

[gbn_]

I used to wake up early when I worked, even though I worked 2nd. shift. I would go to bed between 1 or 2, after I got home. I would usually get up then around 8:30 or 9, but now I have got myself on a 3rd. shift schedule, seems that when I retired, I kept staying up later because I knew I could without worrying about work, I just feel not quite right waking up later in the day, I get depressed thinking that I'm stuck right now in this rut.

[maaslider]

Lack of sleep doesn’t cause me any problems day to day. It’s now, well I think nearing 4.5-5 years of 2-4 days a week without sleep. The other days- maybe by 6a I might sleep 1.5 hours. I don’t have children, that would be an issue. I don’t get tired really ever is the problem. I can ride horses, go boxing, shooting, study, clean but I’m always “On”. I don’t lay in bed and worry about falling asleep, or dwell on problems tho my mind is always thinking. I don’t have issues concentrating, I can get involved in mammoth tasks and finish them. It’s terribly frustrating that nobody has an answer and most people, medical professionals either think I sleep and just don’t know it..?!? Or, well eventually she’ll have to sleep. 11 days is my record and I don’t recommend that. I was a bit psychotic and definitely not thinking completely realistically. The worst part of that- later that year I heard a guy broke the Guinness Book of World Records for longest without sleep! Guess how long he went?? Yep, 11 days! BUT, he had friends and family over 24/7 with a big party atmosphere- food, games and help to keep him awake! I say cheating ;*}’ I did all alone, laying there, looking at the clock and it would still be the same minute! Torture, that was really, really awful. Maybe I’ll go ahead and break that darn record, don’t count me out, a challenge is my thing. Tell me I can’t and we’ll...I’ll prove anything then! Good Night to those who sleep! M

[Nancy99]

My lack of had turn my world upside down. No interest in daily activities, no wish for friends or family. Regret nightfall.