Why you should avoid the all-nighter and five easy sleeping tips
It’s only September and for some sadistic reason you’ve got a midterm at 8:30 a.m. — your body says sleep but your mind says study. What do you do?
Next time you’re faced with that dilemma, keep in mind that ignoring your body could turn you into a jerk.Did you know that a good night’s sleep can help you be a good person?Sleep disruption affects the emotional self, according to Zlatan Krizan, a professor at Iowa State University who specializes in the social impact of sleep.
“Sleep is intimately tied to people’s emotional lives. Two of the most robust consequences of sleep disruption are increased feelings of negative affect (i.e., tension, depression, and irritation) and decreased feelings of positive affect (i.e., energy, joviality, and enthusiasm),” writes Krizan and Garrett Hisler in “The Essential Role of Sleep in Self-Regulation.”
If feeling like a hybrid of Oscar the Grouch and Eeyore isn’t bad enough, lack of sleep or sleep disruption can also lead to increased aggression and general douchebaggery towards others.
If feeling like a hybrid of Oscar the Grouch and Eeyore isn’t bad enough, lack of sleep or sleep disruption can also lead to increased aggression and general douchebaggery towards others.
“[T]here is suggestive evidence that individuals with disrupted sleep (of various forms) are more likely to engage in verbal or physical reactive aggression once provoked,” writes Krizan in “Sleep Disruption and Aggression.”
To get started on being a better sleeper and human, here are five sleeping tips from the National Sleep Foundation:
- Stick to a sleep schedule.
- Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual.
- If you have trouble sleeping avoid taking naps, especially in the afternoon.
- Evaluate your room. Design your sleep environment to establish the conditions you need for sleep.
- Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows.
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