Surviving Substandard Sleep
Reader's Digest India|January 2018

How to cope after a bad night’s slumber

Gagan Dhillon
Surviving Substandard Sleep

After hours of tossing and turning, surviving the day ahead feels like a tall order. “Sleep is essential for immunity, mental clarity and body functions,” says Dr M. S. Kanwar, sleep medicine specialist, Advanced Sleep Disorder Institute, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi.

When sleep deprived, your first instinct might be to reach for a vat of coffee. This may pick you up temporarily, but caffeine could negatively affect your sleep quality up to 16 hours later. Feel free to grab a cup, but be reasonable in your consumption to avoid a second rough night.

“The best thing you can do is just hit the ground running,” says Neil Stanley of the European Sleep Research Society. “You’re going to feel some sleep inertia [otherwise known as grogginess and disorientation] for a while, but don’t let that frame your day. Open the blinds and get some daylight so your body knows it’s time to be awake, or step out for some fresh air.”

This story is from the January 2018 edition of Reader's Digest India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January 2018 edition of Reader's Digest India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM READER'S DIGEST INDIAView All
THE UNBELIEVABLE MR RIPLEY
Reader's Digest India

THE UNBELIEVABLE MR RIPLEY

The creator of Believe It or Not had an insatiable curiosity about strange and astonishing facts

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2024
HE OPENED UP THE ARC TIC
Reader's Digest India

HE OPENED UP THE ARC TIC

\"You don't just sit and wait for adventure to come,\" famed polar explorer Knud Rasmussen liked to explain.\"You go out and make it happen!\"

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2024
Discovering Babasaheb
Reader's Digest India

Discovering Babasaheb

This Dalit history month—which also marks the 134\" birth anniversary of Dr B. R. Ambedkar, we recount four momentous incidents from his life

time-read
9 mins  |
April 2024
Lion in the Living Room
Reader's Digest India

Lion in the Living Room

Five decades after two young men brought a playful cub into their London home, the tale has touched a whole new generation

time-read
10 mins  |
April 2024
The Many Roles of SUNIL DUTT
Reader's Digest India

The Many Roles of SUNIL DUTT

Through many personal tragedies, this favourite matinee idol finds strength and solace in helping others

time-read
9 mins  |
April 2024
AGATHA CHRISTIE MURDER BY THE BOOK
Reader's Digest India

AGATHA CHRISTIE MURDER BY THE BOOK

More widely read than any other English writer, she baffled the world with masterly tales of murder and remained something of a mystery herself

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2024
THE DAY WE MADE Flying History
Reader's Digest India

THE DAY WE MADE Flying History

Ona sunny September day in 1913, the author set three world records ina homemade flying machine

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2024
THE COMMANDO WITH THE TATTOO
Reader's Digest India

THE COMMANDO WITH THE TATTOO

Ganesh Dhangde was just six years old when he got lost. Twenty years later, his mother had a visitor

time-read
9 mins  |
April 2024
MARILYN: HER MAGIC LINGERS ON
Reader's Digest India

MARILYN: HER MAGIC LINGERS ON

The real Marilyn Monroe was nobody you'd look at twice—unless she wanted you to

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2024
I Think, Therefore, I Spam...
Reader's Digest India

I Think, Therefore, I Spam...

...has become the way forward for too many e-mail pests. Here's how I deal with them every single day

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2024