When medical intervention may be needed

Staff Writer

Sleep deficiency can cause physical and mental health problems, and contribute to an increased chance of injury and death, according to the National Center on Sleep Disorder Research at the National Institute of Health.

Failure to get enough sleep — at least seven hours a night for the vast majority of the population, but eight to nine hours for some people — is also linked to chronic health problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease and stroke. Sleep deficiency is defined as having at least one of the following symptoms:

Sleep deprivation
Sleeping at all times of the day
Not sleeping well or deeply
Having a sleep disorder that causes any of the above symptoms

Being constantly tired can make it hard to see how sleep deficiency affects your daily routine. Keeping a sleep journal for a couple of weeks to track sleep patterns and daily moods can help identify a sleep deficiency. When talking to your doctor about your sleep, consider the following questions:

How often do you have trouble sleeping and for how long has that been a problem?
When do you get up and go to bed? Is your routine significantly different on work days, versus days off?
How long does it take for you to fall asleep?
How often do you wake up at night?
How long does it take for you to fall back asleep?
Do you snore or wake up feeling out of breath?
How refreshed do you feel when you wake up?
Do you doze off while driving?