Insomnia vs Staying Up Late: What's The Difference

Published: Jun 16, 2021
Updated: Sep 13, 2024
Insomnia vs Staying Up Late: What's The Difference
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    Insomnia vs staying up late, what are the differences between the two? Many might think that it’s essentially the same because when you can’t sleep, you end up staying up till late. But is it really the case? Find out in this article.

    Does Insomnia Count As Staying Up Late?
insomnia vs staying up late

    About Staying Up Late

    First, staying up into the ”wee” hours, playing video games, or doing work won’t t provide you with ample time to sleep during the workweek.

    When people want to sleep, they’ll put down and turn off their devices – like their computers, lie down in a comfortable position, close their eyes and go to sleep. Even if their brain wants to stay up and work or play, unwinding helps send a strong message that it’s to rest.

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    About Insomnia

    Insomnia has nothing to do with the amount of sleep time, in fact, they might already have the habit of going to bed at a scheduled time.

    Insomnia is essentially an adaptive behavior, just like a certain negative reaction to a fear of possible dangers.

    insomnia vs staying up late

    Fear of sleeplessness is an adaptation to insomniacs. This feeling is quite common and natural. After all, fear is an instinct. The same is true for insomnia.

    Insomnia is caused by the excessive alertness of the brain and influences destructive behaviors caused by this anxiety. If not prolonged, the damage to the body is quite insignificant.

    Second, why are people with insomnia typically in a bad mood during the day? PSG found that there are many low-frequency brain waves, indicating that part of the brain is in a state of extremely shallow sleep, which also leads to being cranky the next day.

    In fact, the brain is resting locally, that is, there are often parts of the brain sleeping and part of the brain awake, or the right brain is in deep sleep, and the left brain is not.

    Does Insomnia Count As Staying Up Late?
insomnia vs staying up late

    Due to insomnia at night time with lack of sleep, a part of the brain will enter a slow-wave state during the day and be a resting state. This is also the reason why the insomniacs are low-functioning during the day. Therefore, the brain is always looking for opportunities to replenish sleep, which is very inefficient, but it will not cause much harm.

    Disadvantages of Staying Up Late

    The most important point is that when people with insomnia lie down at night, their brain enters a slow-wave state. The brain is actually resting. That’s why I have always emphasized that when it’s time to sleep, don’t play on the phone or get up to read a book because this will disturb the efficiency of rest.

    When staying up late, due to excitement, the brain can’t be in a light sleep state, and you’ll not be able to rest. So, it’s easy to create restlessness and there are higher risks of major health concerns.

    In fact, it is speculated that an average person can stay awake without sleep for two months, but they will have hallucinations, from sleep deprivation. We, humans, have a strong tolerance for lack of sleep.

    Staying up for a few days and nights will hardly cause much harm. Those who die suddenly have additional heal issues that will cause a fatality.

    Disadvantages of Staying Up Late
insomnia vs staying up late

    Conclusion

    Simply, it’s quite necessary to find professional solutions to stop the negative cycle of insomnia.

    If you have trouble sleeping, try ShutEye®, an all-in-one sleep app. ShutEye brings a wide variety of tools to help you fall asleep. And you can understand your sleep cycles from a scientific perspective.

    So stop tossing and turning all night, and start falling asleep healthily and naturally.

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    About authors
    Jessica Brown, a 29-year-old freelance copywriter passionate about human nature and deeply committed to promoting sleep and mental health awareness. Jessica holds a Master of Arts in Literary Studies from the National University of Singapore and a Bachelor's in Biology from the University of Cambridge.
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