Neither did I.

But fear not!

You can still get through your workday without being a zombie.

Hey everyone!

Reina filling in for DNews and I'm here to break down your day so you can function

optimally without sleep.

Some sleepless nights are unavoidable and I'm sure you see that you're not quite

on your game the next day.

The cold hard truth is that you absolutely need, and sleep researchers could not stress

this enough, at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep to function like a human being is supposed

to function.

But there are ways you can structure your day for when you skip out on a full night's

rest so you can still make it through the day and even be productive.

First off, do NOT hit that snooze button.

You're just teasing yourself!

Orfeu Buxton, a professor in the division of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School

explains that those ten extra minutes won't contribute to restorative sleep nor will it

help you be more alert.

Your best option is to set your alarm to the latest possible moment and force your way

up and out of bed.

Next is breakfast.

Research suggests it's crucial to eat it within an hour of waking up.

It acts as a mood booster and improves cognitive performance for the first half of your day.

But that doesn't mean you should just shove any breakfast item in your face.

Stay away from sugary things and simple carbs because the sugar and insulin spike is going

to cause a crash, which will only worsen your sleepiness.

Take in some whole grains, fruit, protein, and some coffee to help clear that sleep inertia

fog.

Speaking of coffee, your body may take up to 30 minutes to start feeling the effects

of caffeine, so you may wanna be taking in your java earlier in the AM than you think.

And you should also space out your caffeine intake throughout the day and try not to consume

more than 4 cups of coffee.

Now, you may want to put off tougher tasks and creative work to later on in the day in

hopes that you'll be more awake then.

Unfortunately, that's not the case because if you're sleep deprived, you're actually

the most alert within three hours of waking up for the day.

I know, that's a super small time frame to try to complete your crucial tasks, but

get it out of the way first or else you'll just end up doing mindless busy work all day

that will make you sleepier and sleepier.

It's just a vicious cycle.

Don't forget to have a light lunch, again try to stick to the healthy options like veggies

and lean protein.

And this would also be a good time for your caffeine boost since the afternoon is the

drowsiest time in a workday.

It'll also help if you take a step outside.

Sean Drummond, a psychiatrist at UC San Diego, says that sunlight and fresh air will help

clear up the haze so you can make it through the final stretch.

Now as you're approaching the end of your day, this is the best time to power through

some work that doesn't demand too much mental focus.

It turns out that sleep deprived people have trouble concentrating for more than ten minutes

at a time anyway, so space out your busy work and it'll be time to go home before you

know it.

So do you think you'll try these tips the next time you fall short of a full night's

sleep?

Let us know in the comments below!

I'm Reina Scully and you can find more of my videos over on Sourcefed and SourcefedNerd.

Thanks for swinging by!