Having too little sleep can affect your health, mood and energy levels. Reasons for poor slumber vary, but some require a London GP’s help to restore healthy sleep patterns.

As new parents, shift workers and ‘party animals’ will tell you, too little sleep can make you feel rotten. However, there are serious implications for your long-term health, if this situation persists and you suffer from ‘sleep deprivation’.

This is slightly different from insomnia, which is when you can’t sleep properly, no matter how hard you try.

Sleep deprivation refers to when you don’t get the recommended hours of rest, and fail to go through normal sleep cycles every night, for a diverse range of reasons. Including anxiety, illness, work patterns and lifestyle choices, such as excessive use of screen time at night!

Sleep targets and symptoms of missing them

Adults should be enjoying seven to nine hours of peaceful rest every 24 hours. The target is higher for children and teenagers.

If you get far less than this, over a few days, you’re suffering from acute sleep deprivation. When weeks go by without getting a good night of uninterrupted slumber, it’s referred to as chronic sleep deprivation.

Symptoms of both can include foggy thinking, poor attention, memory and decision-making, constant lack of energy and negative moods including irritability and depression.

Ways to tackle sleep deprivation

Clearly, it may be in your power to reverse the effects of too little sleep. For example, taking time off work or asking for help with babies and children, while you catch up. Or, taking steps to get a full night’s sleep by limiting the use of electrical devices, exercising more, and sticking to a good nighttime routine. As well as saying no to some social activities!

However, some people need help with sleep deprivation and the best way to ‘reboot’ sleep cycles.

Our empathetic and non-judgemental private GPs in London can help diagnose a range of sleep disorders and will guide you towards the best treatment option to get you back on track.

This will never be a temporary or potentially harmful ‘quick fix’ such as strong sleeping tablets!
Instead, we help you find lifestyle adjustments, therapies and health interventions that reverse sleep deprivation and get you a great night’s rest.

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