Are You Sleep Depriived?

There is no question sleep plays a big role in your health.  A neck pillow may help but there can be a number of other reasons you're not getting your zzz's.

Here are 10 reasons you may be sleep depived: (these are supplied by Shelby Freedman Harris, diector of Behavioral Sleep Medicine at Montrfiore Medial Center in New York City).

1. You Fall Asleep Immediately - I mean you zonk out as soon as you hit the pillow.  Falling asleep in a timely fashion is mostly a good thing, but if you snooze almost before you go to bed you may be sleep deprived.
2. You are not acting like yourself - often very short or impulsive; another sign you are lacking in the sleep department.
3. You are using a lot of cliches and/or studdering.  People with deprived sleep may find it difficult to have quick, complicated speech from constructive thinking.
4. You're forgeting things.  Lack of sleep may also decrease your memory. Have you ever tried to pull that all-nighter before a test - it rarely works out.
5. Are You Hungrier Than Usual? Lack of sleep may effect your hormones; specifically leptin, and ghrelin.  These hormones tell us to stop eating or to do the opposite - eat.  "Oh man..."
6. You can't concentrate.  Think of the time where you might have said I'll sleep on and be better in the morning.  There's truth to that, if you can't seem to concentrate, you might need sleep.
7. Your clumsier or less coordinated.  Yes, lack of sleep will start to affect your motor skills.  Most car accidents are actually due to lack of sleep than solely alcohol.
8. You are fighting with your partner.  A 2013 U. C. Berkeley study found that couples had more serious, as well as, more frequent fights when they haven't been sleeping.
9. You're "zoning" or "zoning out".  The times where someone was talking to you and you find yourself sayin: "what was that again", but not due to trouble  hearing.
10. You often fall asleep during the day.  Do you catch yourself passing out well before bed time - you might be sleep depived.

You may find youself doing any one of things at any given time, but if you notice that these things are happening consistantly and multiple things on this list are common for you, you might be suffering from sleep deprivation.