Lately I have been sleeping in later and later but I still feel tired and drowsy during the day. Perhaps this is why I can’t seem to get the topic of sleep off my head and, consequently, in this blog. Hopefully, in my quest to find out more about sleep, I will also provide information to those who need it.
So, how do you know if you are sleep deprived? If you always feel sleepy – like I do – does it automatically mean that you are sleep deprived? According to Dr. Melissa Conrad Stoppler, you may be sleep deprived if you answer yes to the following:
1. Do you often feel drowsy during the day?
2. Do you usually fall asleep within the first five minutes after lying down in bed?
Then again, she says it is either you are sleep deprived or you have a sleeping disorder. She goes on to say:
Other than daytime drowsiness and rapidly falling asleep at night, short episodes called microsleeps are another hallmark of sleep deprivation. Microsleeps are short bursts of sleep that occur during the waking hours. These may be so transient that you may not even be aware that they are occurring.
It’s not possible to fight sleep deprivation with caffeine or other stimulant drugs. Developing and maintaining a healthy sleep cycle is the only way to overcome the effects of sleep deprivation.
Maybe that’s why even 5 cups of coffee do not really help me during the day. Maybe I am sleep deprived…what do you think, how about you?
Originally posted on March 13, 2008 @ 11:13 pm