6 Signs You Need More Sleep

**Terminator** · 02-15-09, 01:57 PM

Need a reason to hit the snooze button a few more times? Sleep is as vital for survival as food, according to Dr. Mary Susan Esther, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). And chances are you're more likely to burn the midnight oil to finish all your work (and play) than you are to pass up dinner. But chronic lack of sleep can lead to a host of health problems—such as high blood pressure, obesity, depression, irregular hormone production, a weakened immune system, memory lapses, constant irritability, and decreased concentration and reaction times.
So are you spending enough quality time between the sheets—asleep? See how many of the signs below describe you. Then decide if a sleep deficit is holding you back.

1. You're not hungry for lunch. A lack of sleep can make you constantly want to eat more, or persistently feel like you're not hungry. It throws off your internal clock resulting in abnormal feelings—which is why so many people lose or gain weight during periods of sleeplessness.

2. You've looked at three other Web sites in the last 5 minutes—and checked your email twice. No, you (probably) don't have Attention Deficit Disorder. Whether you're writing a quick email or solving chemical equations; a lack of sleep can make focusing seem impossible.

3. You can't remember where you put the car keys. Your brain needs sleep to refresh and regenerate. Without it, your short-term memory may be impaired—which is why pulling an all-nighter rarely yields better results than getting quality shut-eye, according to Dr. Neil Kline, a sleep physician and representative of the American Sleep Association.

4. You can't carry on a conversation. Come Saturday night you may work a party like a pro, but as long as you're sleep-deficient, coming up with witty—or even coherent—one-liners is out of the question.

5. You're drowsy at the wheel. Your eyes may glaze over now and then when you're staring at the computer screen or stuck in an endless meeting, but if you struggle to stay awake behind the wheel—or doing any task that puts your life at risk—you're not just bored. You need more sleep.

Caffeinated drinks, blasting music, or rolling down the windows (in January) may arouse you briefly, but it won't keep you alert for long drives.

6. You feel sick—and you never get sick. Your immune system repairs and strengthens while you sleep. So in addition to eating flu-fighting foods, log at least seven hours a night to stay healthy all season.

**nsb22** · 03-04-09, 10:31 AM

Even when I get enough sleep, I'll have multiple windows open at once. I actually crashed a server becuase of my internet ADD.

**swaggon** · 03-06-09, 10:00 PM

Some PTSD Counselor once told a group of us Super B Complex Multivitamins help you fall asleep faster and get better sleep. I swear by them now. You can get them almost anywhere including Wally world and grocery store.

**Cidp24** · 03-06-09, 10:03 PM

The more sleep I get, the more I seem to want. 5-7 hrs seems like a great zone for me. If I let myself go past that, before long I will be sleeping 9-10 hrs every day.

**nsb22** · 03-06-09, 11:38 PM

For a while, I was using 10mg of Melatonin. It worked for the first few months, but then my body got use to that dosage.

A long time ago, I read a study that said if you got 4 hours of sleep and two 20 minute naps throughout the day, you were better off than if you had gotten 8 straight hours.

I lived that way for 4 years, and I felt the best I ever did. Recently I tried the more constant sleep thing and it doesn't work for shit. I wake up with no moto and tired as fuck. Prolly gonna go back to the 4 + 20 thing.

**kcnuke** · 03-07-09, 12:49 AM

I'm not seeing much for the 6 signs yet myself, however;
I have been trouble sleeping for the last 2 months now (severely), before that it was going down hill. I've been getting these night terrors that is actually making me scared to go to sleep, it is now 11:45pm and I'm usually asleep by 8:30pm. Seeing the sleep doctor in a couple weeks, I'm trying different diets before I take any meds for it.
A couple guys at work thought I was a little on edge lately (short temper, no patience, grouchy...)

**Autumn2009** · 03-07-09, 12:51 AM

Hmmm I never sleep and none of those symptoms are ringing a bell.

**nsb22** · 03-07-09, 01:01 AM

Originally Posted by kcnuke

I'm not seeing much for the 6 signs yet myself, however;
I have been trouble sleeping for the last 2 months now (severely), before that it was going down hill. I've been getting these night terrors that is actually making me scared to go to sleep, it is now 11:45pm and I'm usually asleep by 8:30pm. Seeing the sleep doctor in a couple weeks, I'm trying different diets before I take any meds for it.
A couple guys at work thought I was a little on edge lately (short temper, no patience, grouchy...)

If I was married to your wife, I'd be allthat as well!

**Jenna** · 03-07-09, 07:02 AM

I get a bit crazy when I don't get enough sleep.

**nsb22** · 03-07-09, 08:11 AM

What kind of crazy? Wanna come over and see what we can do?

**Jenna** · 03-07-09, 08:12 AM

Originally Posted by nsb22

What kind of crazy? Wanna come over and see what we can do?

Having your craziness and mine in the same room could cause the universe to explode!

**Car 4** · 03-07-09, 05:30 PM

I have all of those symptoms but I thought it was old age!

Car 4

**Morris** · 03-07-09, 08:21 PM

Riiiiight. I'd love to see the idiot that wrote that schlock and see how many kids he/she has.

I haven't had a full rest since 2000 when my first was born.

**Car 4** · 03-08-09, 12:55 AM

Originally Posted by Morris

Riiiiight. I'd love to see the idiot that wrote that schlock and see how many kids he/she has.

I haven't had a full rest since 2000 when my first was born.

And if you're as good a father as you are a cop, you never will again.

Car 4

**MacLean** · 03-08-09, 05:07 AM

I sleep about 4-5 hours a night during the work week, and 12 on the weekend.

**nsb22** · 03-08-09, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by maclean

I sleep about 4-5 hours a night during the work week, and 12 on the weekend.

I don't really know how you can do that! If I sleep too long, my back hurts.

**Retdetsgt** · 03-08-09, 11:45 AM

When I worked graveyard in uniform, I was tickled to get 6 hours sleep during the day. The worst was during the summer when my kids were home during the day. It's tough to tell little ones to be quiet just because you need sleep, they don't understand. I'd sleep about 8-9 hours on my days off.

After I got promoted and went to days, I got about 7 hours every night, work week and weekends.

The only time I have problems is when my PTSD fires up. I have trouble going to sleep, staying asleep and of course the sometimes the dreams keep me from getting restful sleep. As long as I keep that under control I do okay.

I was reading somewhere that the older you get, the more sleep you need, but unfortunately, the older you get, the harder it is go get it.

**Retdetsgt** · 03-08-09, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by nsb22

I don't really know how you can do that! If I sleep too long, my back hurts.

Could it be your bed?

**nsb22** · 03-08-09, 06:01 PM

I've been in many beds over the years and I've had that problem with all of them.

**IndianaFuzz** · 03-09-09, 06:51 AM

Originally Posted by maclean

I sleep about 4-5 hours a night during the work week, and 12 on the weekend.

That's how I've been lately, and it's killing me. I'm not as sharp at work, which is definitely not a good thing. In a couple weeks I will have a chance to flip my sleep schedule, and hopefully that will get me right again.