Carlotta Butler is a Registered Nurse from Arizona. She received her MA in Public Health from Northern Illinois University in 2014 and her Diploma in Nursing from Heartland Community College in 2010.

Number of sources used in this article: . You will find a list of them at the bottom of the page.

Some people are born with a special hDEC2 gene that allows them to stay awake after just 6 hours and 25 minutes of sleep. The lucky owners of this gene need much less sleep than others, and they feel great without yawning or falling asleep on the go all day. But for most of us, four hours of sleep is a real challenge. When an ordinary person does not get enough sleep at night, and a full day of work or study awaits him ahead, due to fatigue and lack of sleep, the upcoming hours are difficult for him. Good news- sleep deprivation can be dealt with! Learn the specific techniques below and you will be able to stay awake at the table.

Steps

How to deal with lack of sleep

When you wake up, exercise. Get your body moving by doing a couple of morning exercises. You can go for a run, walk, jog, or stretch. Exercising increases your body temperature and releases hormones and endorphins in your body, making you more energized.

• Do stretching exercises for your upper body. To do this, lie on your back with your arms extended at your sides, palms up. Then bring your knees up to your chest and turn them to the right. The hips and knees should touch each other - do not spread them apart.
• Turn your head to the left. Try to keep both shoulders touching the floor. With the left palm above chest level, at an angle of 180 °, describe an arc to right palm and touch it. Turn your head towards your hand. Then slowly return to the starting position.
• Repeat this exercise 10 times, then switch sides and repeat the same exercise on the other side.
• Download the press. Lie on your back face up and bend your knees. Feet should be on the floor. Press your hands to the floor, next to your hips. Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift both shoulder blades off the floor.
• Hold this position by taking a deep breath, and then return to the starting position and exhale. Repeat this exercise 10-15 times. Remember to breathe properly with each repetition of the exercise.
• Do basic squats. Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, big toes pointing straight ahead. Stretch your arms out in front of you, palms facing each other. Then shift your weight onto your heels and squat down, guiding your body slightly back and down (as if you were sitting in a chair).
• The knees should not go beyond the toes. Hold this position by taking a deep breath, and then return to the starting position and exhale. Do the exercise 5-10 times.

1. Take a shower after waking up. At the end of your shower, turn it on for 30 seconds first cold water, then hot for 30 seconds, then cold again for 30 seconds. Such a contrast shower for 90 seconds will help you quickly wake up, refresh yourself and feel energized for the whole day.

   Eat foods that will give you the most energy. Stay away from heavy carbs (like bread or pasta) because they take a long time to digest and can make you sleepy. In addition, you should avoid foods high in sweeteners, such as candy, cakes and sugary sodas, because they lead to a spike in sugar levels in your body and loss of energy. Instead, it's better to prioritize foods that raise blood sugar levels, giving you energy for the day.

   • A handful of almonds are a great snack option, and they're also high in vitamin E and magnesium. And almonds are rich in proteins, which will provide you with energy for the whole day.
   • A can of Greek yogurt is high in protein, but contains less lactose and carbohydrates than regular yogurt. Such a snack will saturate your body, while not taking away your energy and not making you even more tired.
   • Popcorn is a great snack at the office, and it's also a good source of carbs, especially if it's not fried in butter.
   • Eat a salad with greens, such as spinach or kale, to boost your iron levels. This will improve your concentration and focus.

2. Drink more coffee throughout the day. A cup of coffee will invigorate and relieve the feeling of fatigue. To feel even more alert, try to drink a cup of coffee every 4 hours.

   Take a 10-30 minute nap. Find a quiet place and take a short nap, but no longer than 30 minutes! In this way, you will get rid of the irresistible desire to sleep more, which occurs when a person sleeps for more than 30 minutes, and then feels weak and uncollected. In addition, taking a 30-minute nap will not disturb your sleep schedule, so you can sleep peacefully at night.

   • Set a timer or alarm for 30 minutes so that half an hour doesn't turn into an hour.

How to feel energized throughout the day

1. Listen to moving fast music. Skip tracks that are too melodic and calm, such as jazz-style tracks. To keep yourself in good shape, switch to electronic dance, pop or rock. Find good moving music mixes that last for hours and listen to them through headphones.

   Take a protein-rich snack with you. Proteins stimulate the production of orexins (neurotransmitters) in the brain. Orexin regulates arousal, affects insomnia and appetite. Therefore, snacking on protein-rich foods will stimulate your brain throughout the day and help you keep yourself in good shape.

   • Snack on healthy foods like a handful of almonds, peanuts, or cashews. Rice crackers, cheese, and turkey ham are also great and more satisfying snack options.
   • Fruits that are high in fiber (like apples) and natural sugars (like oranges) are great snack options to help keep you feeling energized.

2. Turn on the light. The light will lower your levels of melatonin, which causes drowsiness, and you will be able to keep your eyes open despite the lack of sleep. Try to balance the bright lighting in the room with the dim light above your desk.

   Stretch or go for a walk every 30 minutes. Light exercise every 30 minutes will keep your brain and body in good shape, especially if you sit at your desk at the computer all the time. Take a walk in a nearby park or take a few laps around your area. More vigorous exercise (running or sprinting) will help keep your hormones up and you will definitely stay awake during the day.

How to survive a work day

If possible, review your schedule. Instead of trying to solve all your tasks gradually during the day, adjust your schedule so that the most important meetings and tasks are moved to the morning. When the body does not get enough sleep, most likely, it is in the morning that you will feel cheerful, but by the evening your condition will worsen. Therefore, try to slightly adjust your schedule so that the most important tasks and issues are resolved in the morning, when you will have the most energy.

• If there is no way to adjust the schedule, between meetings or important matters, plan a short break for sleep or coffee to return to work cheerful.

1. Distribute tasks among colleagues. If your colleagues/friends/peers sympathize with your sleep deprivation and want to help, give them some responsibilities and tasks for the day. Explain your situation and promise to help them in the future. In this way, it will be much easier for you to control stress and anxiety due to lack of sleep, and you can calmly focus on one or two tasks.

   Take a break and take a break from your usual daily routine. When energy is low, it's much easier to switch to activities that you enjoy or that help you relax. Working non-stop will not add strength. Take a walk or have coffee with a colleague. Take a little break from your usual schedule - this little trick will help you stay alert and you will be ready to take on the rest of your planned activities.

Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thanks for that
for discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and goosebumps.
Join us at Facebook and In contact with

Any of us would gladly agree to increase the day by a couple of hours in order to have time to do not only all the things, but also to get enough sleep.

website knows about 6 secret sleep techniques that will free up to 22 hours a day. If you decide to change your sleep pattern, then be sure to check with your doctor especially if your activity requires extra care. At the end of the article a bonus is waiting for you which will help you wake up at the right time and stay alert.

Sleep of our ancestors - 6 hours

(until the 20th century)

Sleep Formula: once for 4 hours + once for 2 hours = 6 hours

Our ancestors slept in two different phases, with a period of wakefulness separating the two phases. The time of wakefulness between two segments of sleep was considered special and even sacred - people were engaged in spiritual practices, reflections, used the time for reading. If you want to try polyphasic sleep but don't know where to start, this is the method we recommend. This is the most comfortable option for most people, which can be supplemented with 30 minutes of sleep to adapt.

"Dymaxion" - 2 hours

(Richard Buckminster Fuller)

Sleep Formula: 4 x 30 minutes every 6 hours = 2 hours

Bucky Fuller came up with the most effective sleep technique, the essence of which is to sleep for 30 minutes 4 times a day every six hours. Bucky claimed he had never felt more energetic. Doctors examined the famous architect and inventor after two years of such sleep and declared him completely healthy. This is the most extreme sleep cycle.

"Superman" - 2 hours

(Salvador Dali)

Sleep Formula: 6 x 20 minutes every 4 hours = 2 hours

"Superman" It is considered an effective and comfortable sleep technique for many. People feel energized and feel healthy, however, there is a significant drawback: you can not break the regime and miss at least one dream, otherwise you will feel sleepy and tired. Such a dream is one of the creative secrets of Leonardo da Vinci and Salvador Dali. Dali practiced such a dream by placing a metal tray near the bed, and holding a spoon in his hands. When the spoon fell, the artist woke up with a crash: this is how he found new ideas that gave him an intermediate state between sleep and wakefulness.

"Siesta" - 6.5 hours

(Winston Churchill)

Sleep Formula: 1 time at night for 5 hours + 1 time during the day for 1.5 hours = 6.5 hours

One of the greatest Britons in history, Winston Churchill, adhered to just such a daily routine: he went to bed at 3 am and woke up at 8 am, and slept for about an hour after dinner. “You must sleep between lunch and dinner, and no half measures, never! Take off your clothes and get into bed. This is what I always do. Don't think that you will do less work because you are sleeping during the day. On the contrary, you will be able to do more, because you get two days in one - well, at least one and a half.

Tesla - 2 hours 20 minutes

(Nikola Tesla)

Sleep Formula: 1 time at night for 2 hours + 1 time during the day for 20 minutes = 2 hours 20 minutes

The famous physicist and inventor, who made a significant contribution to the study of alternating current, slept only 2-3 hours a day. He could work all night long, but most often he used just such a sleep technique, which got its name in honor of the brilliant scientist.

Philistine cycle - 2.5 hours

Sleep Formula: 1 time at night for 1.5 hours + 3 times during the day for 20 minutes = 2.5 hours

Scientists study the sleep patterns of infants, the elderly and many animals. Elephants, for example, use a fairly famous sleep pattern known as "Everyman" and sleep an average of two hours a night - at night for an hour and then about four times for 15 minutes. Short sleep should occur at regular intervals. Such a schedule considered the most flexible, to him easier to adapt. In addition, in such a scheme, you can skip a short dream without harm to health.

Bonus: What time do you need to go to bed to wake up refreshed at the right time

If you are not ready for experiments with sleep, but you really want to wake up easily, then you can calculate the period of time when the body will be in the REM sleep phase. It is at this time that it is easiest to wake up.