The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

Not Enough Sleep

by Scared and Worried

I work the night shift at a nursing home. I have been doing this for three years. In the beginning I had no problems, but now I feel like it is catching up with me. I don't get the proper sleep. Its really bad. Sometimes 3 hours I will get.


When I come home in the morning I get my daughter on the bus for summer school. This only gives me three hours to sleep before she gets home. I have been feeling spaced out, zoned out, it's really hard to describe.

I also can be driving and a weird feeling comes over me like I am in a fog. I can be anywhere and get this anytime. I was at the beach one day and I got that feeling but this time it was different. It was like something swept over my head and a wall was around me and I couldn't hear a thing. What is this I am feeling? Is this lack of sleep. Can someone please let me know.

Scared and Worried.


Kevin: Thanks for sharing your story. I know it's a real tough thing to do to raise a child while working a night shift. Your sleep can really be severely compromised, and as a result, so can your daytime alertness. The fog while driving can be really dangerous, and I encourage you to pull over and take a break whenever you experience it, and to learn about the key-in phrase for just these types of experiences: Drowsiness Is Red Alert!.

In addition, getting a better understanding of sleep debt and how it effects you during the day will be great information to know.

All the best with your effort to reduce your sleep deprivation and live healthier.

Warmly,
Kevin

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to The Effects of Sleep Deprivation.




Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.

About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?


A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

The Stanford Sleep Book

Stanford Sleep Book Picture

Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

More Sleep Resources

The Zeo

A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.

Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

Sleep Paralysis Treatment Book

Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.