March 14, 2017 at 2:47 pm

We find that many a time while we do have good and sound sleep. There are days which on which we have problems sleeping. I have already details of how to get sound sleep in a earlier article in the forums. But here I am focusing on those days where there is trouble when it comes to sleep for one reason or the other.

Sleep is a biological cycle which has to be followed by all livings. It is natures way of giving us rest after a hard day and this developed since the time humans came into existence. These are some of the reasons why sleep patterns chance in the modern day life and by which we are affected.

1) If we work continuously even on weekends without taking rest sleep deprivation is there and it affects the sleep patterns.

2) We all have some good or bad reasons that is basically emotions which come into play during the day all these play a role in changing the sleep pattern.

3) If we are having some exam to right or some important assignment on the next day. Our mind overthinks about it as we would want to perform well and that results in anxiety which in turn affects sleep pattern.

4) Food we eat also affect the sleep pattern. It is better to eat at least four hours before going to sleep.

5) Drinking too much of water and liquids also affects sleep patterns as we have to get up to discharge urine in the night when we are fast asleep.

6) Junk food also plays it role in affecting the sleep pattern as they have substances which try to make the mind hyper active. It is advise to limit intake of these.

7) A bad incident which happened in the morning hours also affects and changes sleep patterns as the flow of thinking of the mind is disturbed.

8) Health reasons which are many are also an important reason for sleep patterns to be affected.

9) Medicines which are consumed or cough syrups also affect ones sleep pattern substantially.

10) Last but not the least noise, light, change in temperature, weather, lifestyle and many other reasons all play there role in affecting and altering sleep patterns.

March 14, 2017 at 3:02 pm

You listed all the true reasons why sleep patterns change. My two major problems for me are late night eating which keeps me up throughout the night from frequent trips to the loo to pee. Also, when I have things to ponder on, I stay awake because my chest is so heavy. I have learnt not to eat late, but I doubt if I can never learn not to worry. It seems impossible as human beings.

March 14, 2017 at 3:21 pm

Thank you for the inputs and adding your perspective to this topic. The Chinese eat 6 small meals a day. Maybe even you can try that and see if it is of use to you. Good to know that you have learnt to not eat late. That is a very important thing which many avoid doing and they come from office at 10 in the night and eat around 11 in the night which is very bad and as we are not active and on sleep mode fat builds up in the stomach region, thighs and the other middle  parts of the body which leads to other health problems.

About not getting tensed up what you can do is go for a walk in the night for around half an hour to one hour as this will give some small amount of exercise to the body and it will also induce sleep naturally. One more thing you can do is to tell yourself that this is the quota of thinking about office work for the day as I am not in work now. I will think and act as per the situation the next day at my workplace. One more way is to finish the planning work if possible in the office before leaving the premises. Hope this helps.

March 14, 2017 at 3:47 pm

That is true, almost anything can change our sleep pattern. We need to establish a sleep routine to make sure this doesn’t happen.

My sleep cycle tends to change because i drink coffee at night and sometimes it acts ups a little too much. I end up not sleeping enough and not waking up on time for work. This is something i need to break, i need to try and stop drinking coffee after dinner when it is too late.

March 14, 2017 at 4:15 pm

@sarah Freitas

True having coffee and other such drinks which contain caffeine affect the sleep in the night. It actually activates the brain thus doing the reverse of what should happen when one goes to sleep. It is better to have a small glass of warm milk or horlicks or something similar. As that tends to induce sleep well in an individual. Finish eating food at least four hours before going to sleep and do not consume too much of liquids before going to sleep.

All of us have some habit or the other which we have developed over the period of years. I too used to have coffee three times a day earlier. But since many years I have stopped that habit and am having coffee only once a day whatever the time. But I do not have any liquids in the night time except a small amount of water before going to sleep. Health is wealth and sleep plays a important role in it. So sleep well and live well. Best wishes.

March 14, 2017 at 6:07 pm

I mostly sleep around 3 Am and wake up at 11 AM or so. I am late in both and this is the pattern which is mostly I follow. Sometimes I wake up till morning and then I go to sleep. Now if someday if I try to sleep by 12, I don’t get sleep.

I know this pattern is not good for health but the way I work I have adjust like this. But No escape.

March 14, 2017 at 7:46 pm

Yes . It is true that the sleep pattern changes due to various factors. The emotions, psychological fear, overthinking, age, medicine, atmosphere, temperature, do affect our sleeping pattern. But, one should accept that it is always the sleep after hard work that is good for health and the rest can be ignored. If we are not getting proper sleep, means that our intake is not spent to the optimum level. This will adversely affect our physical structure and may lead to even obesity. So what I do is I prefer food proportional to the work I do and never, not more than that. I try to keep my stomach empty at least to some level.

March 14, 2017 at 7:48 pm

For me my sleep pattern changed because of some other work habits. And I used to stay a lot on computer. This in turn made me worry more. And this converted into sleep issue. And now that sleep is very less for me. I am not sure if the sleep pattern is going to be any good unless I start to take it forcefully. I am not sure how people recover  from this phase. A phase in which we get less sleep and have no control over at all.  I have to find this part out.

March 14, 2017 at 8:10 pm

I used to work in graveyard shift and it forced me to change my sleep pattern. But now, that even I don’t work in graveyard shift anymore, I still can’t easily make a sleep at night. It caused me to have insomnia. I normally sleep late, usually pass midnight.

March 14, 2017 at 9:43 pm

@mahesh

Being near computers more tends to disturb our sleep pattern too. There is also the problem of radiation from the computers and UPS or such other devices which we use. The sound which we hear from the computers due to the fan continuously for a long time also causes tinnitus in some people. This also makes people mentally alert as being on computers means doing some activity which needs our mind to be able to be alert.

The best thing is to have some defined time called the sleep time daily. Initially this looks difficult but approximately in a week or two our body generally tends to get adjusted with the change and accept it this will definitely help the individual to recover from the problems they may be facing unless it is something too serious and sleep deprivation is only add up to the existing problem which the individual does not know or is not aware of. Thanks for the inputs you gave.

March 14, 2017 at 9:52 pm

@bluelion

I know many people who used to work in the graveyard shift in callcenters and  and other such Information Technology an Information Technology Enabled Services and other fields. Many were quite young and they have started having serious health issues within a period of around five years of work. One woman also told me that working in such shifts has caused her health issues related to hormonal imbalance and she had to quit the job due to that.

Even with  many cab drivers whom I meet and converse when travelling when asked about their difficulties about the timing they raise a long list of health issues which they are suffering from ranging from obesity, diabetis, blood sugar,  back problems, neck problems etc. Generally this also affects who have been working in railways or airlines or other such industries too. In the long run they face, psychological problems, vitamin deficiency , reduction in bone mass density etc. Thanks for sharing your story and take care.

March 14, 2017 at 10:02 pm

@ichchhemrityu

No doubt you seem to be getting around eight hours of sleep and have become used to the schedule. I hope and wish you a good and healthy time. Generally once the morning comes the human body generally goes into wake up mode and the sleep which we generally seem to have is not the deep state of sleep as life starts and you will hear different sounds, from the house, neighbors, vehicles passing by, loud speakers where prayers are generally offered and the like.

This tends to disturb our sleep pattern but in people like you who are used to such time it may not be to a great extent. But one has to play safe and see that it does not lead to other health and sleep related issues which are normal when one ages. Even I have somewhat similar schedule like what you seem to have and would like to change the same and am trying. Best wishes and enjoy  great health.

March 14, 2017 at 10:12 pm

@shivamani

Agree with you about the concept of a hard days work as the energy spent working by the person will make him tired and burn all the fat and energy which has been consumed by the person. If this is ideally possible for all then they will be physically tired and the blood flow in the body will also be at a consistent healthy pace which will induce sleep in the person without any problems in the night. Provided he does not have other worries which you listed.

Regarding the issue of having food especially in the evening. It is always better to consume little as the amount of calories required in the night is comparatively less than the one required during the morning breakfast or lunch. If one takes food which is less than 10 or 15 percent of what one can consume it is good if he or she is a healthy normal person. This will go a long way in reducing fat too. Thanks for the useful information added.