Do you know the signs of sleep deprivation?

Are you sleep deprived? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in three Americans is. “Sleep deprivation is a broad term to describe someone not getting an adequate amount of sleep,” explains Brian Mieczkowski, DO, a pulmonary and sleep medicine physician at the Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri. “The amount of sleep you need changes with age. Naturally infants and preschoolers need more than adults. But people age 18 to 60 should get at least seven hours of sleep nightly.”

How do you know if you’re actually sleep deprived? One basic sign is how you feel the next morning—like you’re just not firing on all cylinders, a feeling that can last all day. While grogginess may not seem like that big of a health concern, behind the scenes, sleep deprivation is having a serious effect. “Sleep is an active process,” says Mieczkowski. “It’s not a lack of [being] awake.”