Not sleeping? You’re not alone

Too hot to sleep? One expert says the body has a natural inclination not to sleep when it's hot. Picture: Elise Derwin. Source: News Corp Australia

IT'S been a week of uncomfortably hot nights for most of Australia and the result is a zombie-like, sleep-depraved, underperforming population.

The bad news is that, at least for the foreseeable future, temperatures in most capital cities will remain in the low-to-mid 20s regularly after midnight.

The good news is that you're not alone if you're carrying a set of bags under your eyes.

Sweat it out and accept you're probably not getting any sleep tonight. Picture: Elise Derwin. Source: News Corp Australia

Professor of Sleep Medicine at the University of Sydney Dr Ron Grunstein said a rise in temperature after 7pm would send the human body a message it is not used to receiving.

"Most people prefer to sleep at around 22 degrees and anything hotter will have a negative impact," Dr Grunstein told news.com.au.

"The body has a natural rhythm that expects a drop in temperature around dinner time and when that doesn't happen it can really disrupt things."

Tired? You're not alone. Pic: Thinkstock Source: Supplied

Not sleeping? You're not alone. Source: News Limited

He said sleep deprivation could be a burden for normally productive workplaces and, at times, quite dangerous.

"The first thing you'll notice about people who aren't sleeping is that attention wanders, they make errors in thinking and judgment, impulsivity increases and moods become irritable," he said.

He said the brain needed to "detoxify" at night.

Nap where you can, people. Picture: Phil Rogers / NewsCorp Source: News Corp Australia

"As the brain is active it builds up toxins.

"Without sleep, the brain will malfunction and keep looking for sleep, even if the environment says stay awake.

"I'd advise people who aren't sleeping not to drive long distances or do anything that requires them to be at their sharpest."

Sadly, he said drowning one's sorrows was not the cure.

"Alcohol will only make things worse," Dr Grunstein said.
Instead, the best thing people could do was keep their environment as cool as possible.

"There's a reason fans were invented," he said.

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