2 Big Sleep Red Flags You Shouldn't Ignore (Plus, How To Fix Them)

How do you know if you are getting enough time in each sleep stage? How do you know if the quality of your sleep is good enough to keep your body's trains running on time?

According to Shelby Harris, PsyD, DBSM, a clinical psychologist and sleep specialist, it's as simple as being aware of how you feel during the day. Understanding your own norms—what does a good day feel like in terms of energy and alertness throughout the day? After you wake up, how long does it take you to get to your highest energy zone of the day—is it an hour after you wake up, two hours, three?

So, if you typically wake up at 7 a.m. and you're still yawning on the conference call at 11 a.m., that might be a sign that you're not getting the amount or quality of sleep that your body needs. The same goes for prolonged periods of sleepiness or fatigue. Harris says that "it's normal to have moments of being sleepy, those dips in your circadian rhythm throughout the day, like after lunch or after dinner."

Sleepiness, fatigue, and even naps are fine as long as they are every once in a while, but if you find yourself consistently relying on caffeine in the afternoon to stay awake, it's important to look more closely at your sleep quality and quantity.

Warning Flag No. 1: One sign that you might not be getting enough sleep is if you rely on the weekends to catch up.

Many people will clock in around six hours of sleep during weeknights and then sleep like teenagers on the weekend. Experts agree that sleep debt is real, and just like the kind that goes on your credit card, too much is bad news.

Warning Flag No. 2: Many people turn to prescription sleep aids when they find themselves struggling to sleep. Often this is something you might dip into if you are going through a stressful moment in your life but stop using them as soon as you can.

Sleep experts say using sleep aids occasionally is not necessarily a sign that you aren't getting healthy sleep, as long as it's temporary. But we all know someone who takes Benadryl every night just to get some shut-​eye. And that, friends, is a red flag.

If you feel tired all the time, you're probably not getting the sleep you need. If you're relying on coffee to keep you awake in the afternoon and sleep aids to get a minimum amount of sleep at night, you're probably stuck in a vicious cycle.