Suitcases Under The Eyes

"I'm so tired/I haven't slept a wink/I'm so tired/My mind is on the blink" -- The Beatles.

If you are currently tired, raise your hand -- or just grunt if you can't even get your arm up.

*Grunt*

Recently, me catching good sleep is about as effective as Wily E. Coyote catching the Road Runner. And we all know how that goes.

While I do burn the candle at both ends -- and sometimes in the middle too -- most of my problem seems to arise from just waking up too soon.

Difficulty falling or staying asleep is a common problem. About half of Americans reported sleep difficulty at least occasionally, according to National Sleep Foundation surveys. These woes - called insomnia by doctors - have far-reaching effects: a negative impact on concentration, productivity and mood.

Researchers have found that people with chronic insomnia are more likely than others to develop several kinds of psychiatric problems, and are also likely to make greater use of healthcare services, according to the NSP. People suffering from sleep apnea are likely to have higher blood pressure while they sleep and suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness.

Zzzzzz... I'm sorry. Where was I?

In the NSF survey, those who said they had trouble getting enough sleep reported a greater difficulty concentrating, accomplishing required tasks and handling minor irritations. Overall, sleep loss has been found to impair the ability to perform tasks involving memory, learning, and logical reasoning.

This may contribute to mistakes or unfulfilled potential at school or on the job and strained relationships at home. In fact, sleeplessness has been found to be a significant predictor of absenteeism.

Shakespeare in Hamlet's soliloquy: "To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; / For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, / Must give us pause."

I am not prepared to sleep the "final sleep" anytime soon, because I still dream. However, it does give me pause (as opposed to my cats, which give me paws or a bite in the ear if I lay around too long).

So, how do I know how much sleep I truly need? The NSF says if you have trouble staying alert during boring or monotonous situations when fatigue is often "unmasked" you probably aren't getting enough good-quality sleep.

I'm thinking of inventing a pillow keyboard. Now, that would be quality sleep!

How do you fall asleep when you can't? Better yet, how do you stay asleep when you are already in dreamland? I'm open to any ideas.

"Twist on to reseal"