--- title: Recover From Sleep Deprivation description: Find out how you can feel more awake in three easy ways if you're feeling sleep deprived. canonical: https://time.com/4791178/sleep-deprivation-recovery/ author: Real Simple article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-23T17:52:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T09:05:39.935Z og:title: How to Recover When You’re Sleep Deprived og:description: No, caffeine isn't the answer og:url: https://time.com/4791178/sleep-deprivation-recovery/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10e557d0c058c8e2/6988ce92bc6cfc53bb3e17fc/sleep-deprivation.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: sleep-deprivation og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Recover When You’re Sleep Deprived twitter:description: No, caffeine isn't the answer twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10e557d0c058c8e2/6988ce92bc6cfc53bb3e17fc/sleep-deprivation.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How to Recover When You’re Sleep Deprived by [Stacey Colino / Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Stacey Colino / Real Simple May 23, 2017 5:52 PM UTC  Top view of beautiful sexy young woman covering her face while lying in the bed Top view of beautiful sexy young woman covering her face while lying in the bedGetty Images by [Stacey Colino / Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Stacey Colino / Real Simple May 23, 2017 5:52 PM UTC “Missing out on sleep deprives your brain synapses, muscles, ligaments, and joints of the chance to reset and renew,” says Matthew Edlund, M.D., the director of the Center for Circadian Medicine, in Sarasota, Florida. This could compromise your reaction time, coordination, strength, balance, judgment, and mood. Published research shows that going 17 to 19 hours without sleep — say, being awake from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.—can impair judgment and motor reaction time as much as if a person were legally drunk. ## Beware Carbs and Caffeine Make healthy choices even when your body is crying out for doughnuts. (Lack of sleep triggers a surge of cortisol, which triggers appetite.) Sleep specialist Michael Breus, Ph.D., the author of [_The Power of When_](https://aax-us-east.amazon-adsystem.com/x/c/QhpsHl9Olfj0ijhZkbOCaY4AAAFcNmYLvwEAAAFKAYNSapA/https://www.amazon.com/Power-When-Discover-Chronotype-Lunch/dp/1478909986/ref=as%5Fat?creativeASIN=1478909986&linkCode=w50&tag=REASIM03-20&imprToken=sLNxSGgx713vaZQN-EOUvQ&slotNum=0), suggests that you enjoy your usual cup of coffee—but just one. And eat protein, rather than carbs, for steady energy. Also, get outside so the sunlight can help reset your body clock and shake off the sluggishness. **_Read More:_** [**_The Truth About People Who Brag About Not Needing Much Sleep_**](https://www.realsimple.com/health/people-who-get-less-sleep) ## Use Aromatherapy For a quick alertness boost, inhale peppermint or rosemary oil. Research from the University of Northumbria, in England, found that the scent of peppermint increases alertness and memory function. And a study published in _International Journal of Neuroscience_ found that being exposed to the scent of rosemary for three minutes alters brain-wave patterns in ways that increase mental agility. **_Read More:_** [**_These Sleep Disorders May Raise Your Stroke Risk_**](https://www.realsimple.com/health/sleep-disorders-raise-stroke-risk) ## Have a chat Even if you feel beat, talk to your neighbor at the train station or call a friend for tea. “Social interactions improve alert- ness and have a positive effect on your body’s clock,” says Edlund. In fact, research published in the journal _Social Psychological and Personality Science_ found that when people cooperatively engage with others for even 10 minutes, they experience a lift in cognitive functions, such as attention and flexible thinking. _This_ [_article_](https://www.realsimple.com/health/preventative-health/sleep/sleep-deprivation) _originally appeared on_ [_RealSimple.com_](http://realsimple.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4791178/sleep-deprivation-recovery/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4791178/sleep-deprivation-recovery/"},"headline":"How to Recover When You’re Sleep Deprived","datePublished":"2017-05-23T17:52:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:05:39.935Z","description":"No, caffeine isn't the answer","url":"https://time.com/4791178/sleep-deprivation-recovery/","keywords":["motto","Sleep","health","Wellness"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10e557d0c058c8e2/6988ce92bc6cfc53bb3e17fc/sleep-deprivation.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Stacey Colino / Real Simple"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10e557d0c058c8e2/6988ce92bc6cfc53bb3e17fc/sleep-deprivation.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"sleep-deprivation","caption":"sleep-deprivation","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4791178/sleep-deprivation-recovery/","name":"How to Recover When You’re Sleep Deprived"}}]}] ```