How Does the Lack of Sleep Affect You?

Stages of Sleep

During our sleep, several things happen. Some indication of this progression are the changes in the brain wave patterns as the night goes on. When we fall asleep

our sleep is quite deep, very restorative and we have no recollection of it.
When our brain registers a lack of blue light at the end of the day it produces the melatonine hormone which causes us to become sleepy. This hormone travels through the blood and tells all the cells in the body to shift form energy producing stage to a restorative and detoxifying stage. The sympathetic nervous system, which is naturally dominant during the day, slows down and the parasympathetic becomes dominant. The pulse and breathing slow down. Any healing, maintenance of neuronal connections in the brain or growth of new tissues happens predominantly at night.
Stages of deep sleep are increasingly replaced by longer and longer periods of lighter sleep, which then becomes dominant early in the morning. During the light sleep stage we sometimes change position, our eyelids move rapidly and we experience dreams.

Why Do We Sleep?

We already mentioned that the deep sleep is important for restoration of our physical body. So the next question is: why does our body become tired?
There are similar explanations in various sources and the basic line goes like this: while living in the physical body we are a conglomerate of parts. Our immortal soul is of a divine nature. We usually don't experience it directly, but, in case we do, it is unforgettable and life-changing.
Once this spark of consciousness arrives in the astral realms of manifested thoughts and feelings, it reconnects with the astral body - the cluster of tendencies and characteristics which form our personality and which is experienced as our thoughts and feelings.
Once the soul arrives in the physical world, it receives two more vehicles - the physical body, which we can see and measure, and the etheric body, which we can experience as sensations, perceptions and vitality. The etheric body keeps the physical body alive.
The astral body derives its energy from the etheric body. We know from experience that if we had an emotionally or mentally demanding day, we feel tired in the evening.
During the deep sleep the astral body is inactive so that the etheric body can regenerate.
During the light sleep, our astral body is active. We experience dreams. The brain waves frequency is in between deep sleep and wakeful state. The light sleep is an intermediate state between being awake and the stillness of not-knowing.
As long as we dream, the dream is real. When we wake up, we realise that it was "just a dream". This is the reason why we often disregard dreams.
But, what if the dreams were "real" and simply an experience on a different frequency? This would explain why they usually vanish like water in the sand once we wake up. What if our "dreamtime" was a window into another reality, which is real in its own way? What if there is no clear demarcation line between the two realities and you could go through the transition gradually and consciously? These questions belong to the realm of spiritual work and are not a topic of this article.
All I need to say here is: the dream sleep is important for cleaning our subconsciousness, for facing issues we suppress during the day, enabling our intuition and for communication between realms on a subconscious level. It is a crucial requirement for our mental health.

Tips for Good Sleep

1. Blue  light reduction at night
You need a lack of blue light to feel sleepy. Up until 200 years ago, there was no problem with this. The lights of candles and fires are soothing and conducive to sleep. Also, in the dark there was nothing to do, so going to bed was the only option.
You could choose to wear yellow glasses at night or use the F.lux App to avoid the blue light.
Choose "warm white" light bulbs instead of "cool white" or "daylight".
Sleep in the dark. In the morning, walk into the sunshine to tell your brain it's day time!
2. Reduce activity
Any vigorous exercise, working on the computer or watching an exciting movie will delay your sleep. Choose activities to wind down - read a book, have an intimate chat or meditate.
Making love supports good sleep because it activates parasympathetic nervous system.
If you have increased work commitments or an emotionally demanding time: use a guided relaxation every afternoon and before going to bed. This will improve your performance and resilience.
3. Eat well
You need a good digestion and a good diet to be able to synthesise your neurotransmitters. If you don't have these, you will need some nutritional supplements.
If you suffer from insomnia, depression or anxiety, it is a good idea to do some nutritional testing to zoom in which particular nutrients you need. The other thing you could do is to take many various supplements to cover all bases, but this is expensive and could even cause more harm than good.
Have a look at the table below. It shows all the necessary ingredients and cofactors (i.e. necessary helpers) to make your melatonin from tryptophan. For example, if you don't have enough Zinc and vitamin B1, you can't assimilate amino acid tryptophan from your food. Further on, you will need vitamins B 6, 9 and 12 to make melatonin from tryptophan.
It is complex, but sometimes your body needs just a little tweak and it knows how to adjust itself. This is often the case, but not always.

Some plants contain melatonin too, they use it as an antioxidant.

4. Go to bed on time
Melatonin is regulated not only by the blue light (stronger factor), but also by our inner body clock (weaker factor), which explains the jet lag. The natural time for deep refreshing sleep is between 10 pm to 4 am. If you suffer from sleep problems, it is a good idea to set  an alarm for yourself to remind you to go to bed.
People believe they can catch up with their sleep on the weekend. Only younger people with strong constitution can get away with it.
When you upset your natural rhythm, it sends all the other regulatory mechanisms in chaos - blood pressure, hunger hormones, blood sugar or  immune response. If your health is not good, you need to take care to go to bed on time every day.
5. Use the right pillow
At night, the brain detoxifies. The toxins are carried away via the glymphatic fluid. For a proper flow, the neck needs to be aligned and supported.

6. Sleep in electronically clean environment
At night, our vital energy field expands and we are more vulnerable to outside influences.  Please educate yourself about geopathogenic zones, wifi, smart meters, cell towers or cell phone radiation and minimise your exposure. Avoid electric blankets and water beds.
Some people are electromagnetically sensitive and have immediate symptoms, some don't seem to have any. The truth of the matter is that everyone is affected in an insidious way.
Reduce your exposure as much as you can without becoming paranoid about it.
7. Cool temperature
During sleep the body temperature naturally drops. Also, for various reasons it is good to sleep naked.
On the other hand, wear bed socks or have a warm shower before bed if you feel cold in winter.
8. Finish your dinner at least 3 hours before bed
Digestion and absorption in the small intestine happen within this time. The night is time for detoxification. Late dinners disrupt this natural rhythm.
9. Avoid stimulants before bed
This includes caffeine, alcohol, drugs (e.g. SSRIs, amphetamines, cocaine, narcotic medications, beta blockers) or large doses of vitamin B6.
Vitamin B6 can cause vivid dreams and improves your ability to remember them if taken before bed. Some people are sensitive to it.
Magnesium supplements at night help your sleep by relaxing your muscles.
10. Check for medical causes
If you have troubles falling asleep (onset insomnia), and especially if you wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall asleep (maintenance insomnia), have a health check: thyroid and adrenal function, sex hormones in perimenopause, diabetic hypoglycaemia and sleep apnoea.
Heavy breath and mouth breathing are signs of poor health and can be corrected by breathing exercises. Sleep with you mouth closed.
10. Pain management
All sleep medications have side effects. A naturopathic practitioner can advice you about alternative treatments suitable for you. Herbs are very helpful.
11. Reduce stress
This is easily said, but you need to have a plan. Which commitments can you drop? Which stressful situations can you avoid?
Receive a relaxing massage. Pace yourself. Give your body and mind a chance to recover. Spend some time alone in the nature.

Effects of Lack of Sleep

Chronic lack of sleep upsets all of body systems. It can completely ruin our health. Also, it makes us more emotionally and emotionally unstable. So, sleep fasting is certainly not recommended.
On the bright note, this vulnerability can be used for spiritual transformation and healing.
One example: on an auspicious, holy day, pilgrims spend the whole night in the church, singing and praying.
Anther example is a shamanic initiation ceremony in the forest which takes the whole night.
Both vigils can bring great Light. Mind you, it is the intention of the group which holds everything together and invites the blessings from above. You can't do it alone.