Does sleep deprivation causes permanent damage on my brain cells?!


Question: Does sleep deprivation causes permanent damage on my brain cells?
I actually don't know if I'm sleep deprived. I mean, I stay up until 2-3 in the morning but I tend to sleep a lot in the afternoons. But I feel ...''stupider'' this year! I find myself struggling with writing essays, calculate numbers, remembering stuff etc. Maybe it's just me cause I think when someone creates a certain image for himself, it actually becomes a reality for him. But I'm really scared...I was told I was quite smart but now I feel really dumb. I feel like I have the brain of a 50year old.

Answers:

It can affect your performance in the long term, but good sleep should cure that

There was a study that took place where a guy was kept awake for 10 days and then he slept for ages and was alright afterwards.

If you have sleep problems go to your doctor and they may be able to give you sleeping tablets



It appears to already have done that. Enjoy your stay in Dumbville!



The short answer is generally, YES! If you are not sleeping well, your body doesn't have time to rest, repair cells, and it can affect your memory and affect your attention as well.

You may look to food allergies as well if your sleep is being disrupted.

That pattern of being tired, not able to sleep, then sleeping in the afternoon is all too common in people with allergies, some chronic pain conditions, restless legs syndrome & many other conditions as well as some medications can cause this.

It seems like you need to keep a journal of what you are eating and when, where you go, chemical exposures, including those in laundry detergent, fabric softener, etc. even perfumes in everything from air freshener to cat litter to things you can smell (& some you can't.) Food additives are horrible culprits, and can in some cases can even cause seizures &/or dulling of the mind & yep! you can feel not as smart! If you clean up your sleeping environment & keep a journal (There's a book called, " Memory Minder" and "Health Minder" that are made to track your medications, foods you eat, exercise, exposure to things in the air, sensations, pain, information areas to fill in for every part of the body/ This only takes a few minutes a day to fill out.

You can also use a notebook, but in keeping track of what we eat, what we are exposed to & so on will let us see patterns where there are delayed reactions, that can even take days to show up, and without logging these things, it can be nearly impossible to track.

Look for patterns, and see a doctor - specifically a sleep specialist, as well as an immunologist & a good neurologist.

It is helpful to have a friend/family member literally watch you sleep & note any times yo stop breathing, if you have wheezing, are you restless, etc. once you finally get to sleep!

Do you sleep with the TV off or on? Do you have electronics in your bedroom? Are there wires in the walls around the area you sleep? Are you getting enough exercise? Are you heavy? Skinny? (keeping track of your weight is also important, as are ANY changes in skin, etc. ANY changes are important!!! Logging them can help you get to the bottom of it...

A food, or several food allergies are a common cause of having difficulty sleeping, as is sleep apnea & other sleep disorders (also made worse by food allergies.)

I wish you all the best in discovering the culprit of your insomnia/sleep problems. Once you discover the cause, you can make changes and change your life.

Personal experience & naturopathy studies in a PhD program for Naturopathic Doctorate (N.D.) degree.




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