It’s not uncommon for people to spend their days filled with all kinds of different activities. Many times people skip their breakfast, go to sleep late, or they may not sleep at all. Unfortunately, these bad habits can lead to a wide host of different problems that people encounter when they do not take care of themselves and the following are surprising moves that should never be done when you’re exhausted.
Don’t: Guzzle caffeinated beverages
Knocking back coffees all day may seem like the best way to power through a slumpy Monday. But not only will you crash and feel sluggish once the caffeine boost wears off, keep in mind that caffeine has a half-life of up to five hours; this means that five hours later about half of what you ingested remains in your system.
Don’t: Pick a fight with your partner
When you’re tired, a mild disagreement can quickly escalate. Sleep deprivation makes it harder to control emotions, according to study it’s harder to accurately read facial expressions when you’re tired, which means you’re more likely to misinterpret your partner’s intentions.
Don’t: Take a nap
A nap is a good idea, but only if you nap the right way. Sleeping too long or too late in the day can make it harder to sleep at night, which means you’ll still be tired the next day.
Don’t: Cave to junk food cravings
Studies show that a sleep-deprived brain craves fatty, high-calorie foods because the regions that control decisions are blunted and those linked to desire are amplified. Translation: junk foods are harder to resist. Stay away from the grocery store. A university study found that sleep-deprived shoppers purchased more and higher-calorie food than they would have when not tired.
Don’t: Trust yourself to gauge how tired you really are
Sleep deprivation makes it harder to assess how tired you truly are. You might take on more than you can handle if you convince yourself you’re fine. One study found that people who went without sleep rated themselves as not feeling tired but made more errors when given an activity to complete.
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