TIRED BUT WIRED!

The world as of now is keen to eradicate the deadly coronavirus from our homeland, to bring back the world to normal, where we could be free rather than on quarantine or lockdown, hang out with our friends and bring back everything as it was. Be that as it may, we are avoiding another mishap that can create a ruckus especially during this pandemic period. But not to worry we can very well have a go at it !!!

Every day we wake up even though, we could go well with a couple more hours of sleep, follow our daily routine whatever that may be. As usual, we feel extremely tired or restless and would give anything to have a nap. After all the chaos, when we are in bed ready to embrace that sleep we were dying to have, there comes the new problem, WANT TO SLEEP, BUT CAN’T.

That is nothing, but WIRED AND TIRED syndrome.

WHAT IS WIRED AND TIRED SYNDROME?

Generally, it means we are weary and longs to have a good night’s sleep but too stressed to sleep.

We will have to fight to keep our eyes open during the day, but won’t be able to sleep at night i.e ‘tired but wired.

This condition is also known as ‘ADRENAL FATIGUE’.

Adrenal glands work throughout the day to keep all our bodily functions at their right pace. Adrenal glands produce hormones like sex hormones and cortisol. This cortisol is responsible for functions such as response to stress and many other important functions. The level of this cortisol is high in the morning and declines as the day progress to prepare the mind and body for a night of relaxed and peaceful sleep, having said that, when we are under constant stress adrenal glands will be at a loss to produce an adequate amount of cortisol resulting in dysfunction of adrenal glands or adrenal fatigue.

Adrenal fatigue usually includes 4 stages :

STAGE 1

In this stage, our body shows a straightaway response to stress and if there are signs of fatigue, then caffeine or sugary foods will do the trick.

STAGE 2

During this stage, there is an increased cortisol production due to high stress. Body pain, digestive problems, sleep deprivation, irritability, nervousness begin. People increase their caffeine intake to cope up with their situation.

STAGE 3

In the 3^rd stage, the immune system is affected, we are prone to infections. There is no enough cortisol, we feel like losing it.

STAGE 4

This is the final stage, the adrenal gland chooses not to function, our body is not in working order, restlessness, anxiety, depression kicks in.

TIRED DURING THE DAY?

Excessive tiredness during the day can cause insomnia or difficulty sleeping at night. So, what causes this tiredness during day time, there can be a bunch of reasons :

SCREEN TIME

Yes .. it is difficult to avoid our smartphones, laptops, etc…. especially during this pandemic as it’s our only way to stay connected and engaged, nevertheless, we should reduce the screen time. The blue light from our laptops, smartphones, televisions .. can decrease sleepiness. It’s advisable to avoid it completely 2 hours before bed.

CAFFEINE

The effect of a strong cup of coffee on sleep is very well known especially among students !!! but if you want to sleep like a baby during the night, say no to caffeine 4 – 6  hours before bed.

ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

Depression and anxiety are having a negative effect on nighttime sleep. It causes excessive alertness and affects our circadian rhythm.

SLEEPING DURING THE DAY

Napping for longer and late in the afternoon can cause difficulties to fall asleep at night, get up more frequently during our sleep during the night. Taking a nap is not completely a bad idea, but It should be limited to 20-30 mins and at the same time every day, it becomes a bad idea when it exceeds that time limit and can make us wired and tired.

HOW TO OVERCOME THIS?

Being wired and tired should be of concern, but it can be corrected and we can be back to our old selves if we are willing to adopt certain practices to our daily routine and even remove one or two.

EXERCISE

Exercising regularly is helpful in many cases. Exercising is a great way to manage stress. It’s difficult to include exercise into our routine amidst the pandemic, which obviously made all of us lazy, or we are trying to manage our full-time work along with house chores, etc… just the same, try to include exercise for at least 20 mins as it can be helpful, in case of adrenal fatigue doing exercises first thing in the morning will be more helpful than in the evening.

HEALTHY BEDTIME ROUTINE

Having a healthy bedtime schedule is indeed good not only for adrenal fatigue but also for our overall well-being. Start with a light meal for dinner, after that we move to our smartphones or television for entertainment …. NO… that is wrong, avoid TV or any sort of screen time prior to bed. Try practicing breathing exercises, Praying, reading a book before sleeping, now that’s helpful. Make sure our bedroom is totally dark when we sleep.

MANAGE STRESS

As stress often triggers the condition, it’s wise to manage stress effectively. Follow meditation, or tapping, yoga, talking a break, engaging in hobbies, talking about our problems, overall having a positive outlook towards life as it is.

In short, being unable to sleep is not a happy situation, none of us would like to go through that, but it shouldn’t overpower us. It’s demanding to be in the right state of mind, precisely during this pandemic where nothing is certain. In spite of all the ifs and buts, let’s keep one thing in mind, nothing is impossible, this too shall pass. For that to eventuate, we need to work efficiently during the day and sleep fully during the night. So, put all worries aside, tuck in there and sleep tight!!!!