Effective Ways to Overcome Sleepiness While Fasting – A common challenge that is often experienced by people while fasting is sleepiness. The feeling of drowsiness that is experienced often appears during the day. This is because the body is working with less energy than usual and coupled with erratic sleep patterns. Usually during the month of Ramadan, sleep time is cut because you have to wake up in the morning in the last third of the night, especially if it is not followed by additional hours of sleep.
In the fasting month, your sleep cycle changes because you will wake up earlier to prepare for sahur. If you don’t go to bed early, you’ll lose an average of 40 minutes of sleep. According to research in the Journal of Sleep Research, this will reduce the duration of deep sleep or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. So, the next day you become sleepy.
In addition, when fasting the body does not get food or drink intake for hours. Then you become more weak and sleepy. Another explanation also revealed that blood sugar levels will decrease when fasting so that it makes you sleepy, especially at certain hours during the day. Symptoms of low blood sugar levels are also usually accompanied by feelings of weakness, shaking, and difficulty concentrating.
If on non-fasting days you can get rid of drowsiness by drinking coffee or eating snacks to stay awake, then you need to find other ways to deal with attacks of drowsiness while fasting.
How to deal with sleepiness while fasting
1. Set bedtime
During fasting, there will be changes in sleep patterns because you have to get up before dawn to eat sahur. This is the reason people often feel sleepy because they don’t get enough sleep.
But don’t spend all the time fasting to sleep. Too little or too much sleep can cause the body to feel tired, dizzy, powerless, and trigger sleepiness during the day. Research shows that in addition to hours of sleep, maintaining the quality of sleep is equally important.
If there is no urgent need, avoid sleeping late at night. Go to bed earlier than usual, or sleep after Tarawih prayers so that the body gets enough rest and can wake up in the morning without feeling lazy and avoiding sleepiness during the day.
2. Move or walk
A survey of hundreds of people in the United States revealed that a 10-minute walk can increase your energy for up to two hours. Because the streets are able to pump oxygen to the blood vessels, brain, and muscles. While the feeling of sleepiness during the day usually arises because the brain lacks oxygen supply.
3. Take a cold shower
Bathing with cold water can make the body fresh instantly so you if you start to feel sleepy. The cold water temperature can improve blood circulation and provide energy to the body, especially if you have trouble getting up early.
Also Read : Foods That Are Usually In the Month of Fasting
Cold water can also lighten the skin and reduce inflammation, so it is very good for dealing with swelling that may appear on the face. Before starting to take a shower, try splashing your face with cold water a few times to increase the feeling of freshness.
4. Chat
If you are on campus or at work, invite your colleagues to chat for a moment to overcome sleepiness during fasting. Chatting will increase your level of alertness and ability to concentrate. So that the effect is felt, dr. Barry Krakow advises you to chat about “heavy” topics, not just small talk.
5. Turn on the light or find the sun
Drowsiness can also appear following the lighting your eyes receive. When the light dims, the eye catches it as a signal to rest so you become sleepy. For that, turn on your room lights or look for direct sunlight, for example outdoors.
6. Take a deep breath
Taking deep breaths will increase oxygen levels in the brain. This can help increase energy and trigger brain activity. Sit or stand up straight with one hand on your stomach. Then, take a deep breath through your nose. As you inhale, make sure your stomach expands and “fills” with air. Exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat several times until your mind feels fresh.
7. Play games
Playing games can reduce stress and provide an injection of energy when we are sleepy. When playing games, our brain remains active and does not rest but is in a state that does not cause stress. As a result, the brain will remain stimulated without being burdened so much. Watching videos or television and listening to music can also have a similar effect. To be more efficient, set the time to only about 10 minutes per session or limit it based on the round of play.
8. Find new sights
Many workers spend long hours in the same room when working. This work pattern can make the eyes tired quickly and in the end make the body also easily sluggish. To fix this, try shifting your eyes to a scene other than the screen. Do this occasionally and periodically. For example, we can move outdoors and take a short walk to see a park or street view. This can make the eyes more relaxed.…
