What is Sleep Deprivation? 

Sleep deprivation is a sleeping habit unlike any other sleeping disorder. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2008), “Sleep deprivation occurs when an individual fails to get enough sleep.” Sleep deprivation is usually mistaken by other sleep problems such as insomnia, a sleeping condition in which a person has trouble sleeping or staying asleep. When we think of insomnia, we see a person tossing and turning in bed trying to fall asleep or waking up in the middle of the night, having trouble falling back to sleep. Sleep deprivation, on the other hand, is a disorder where we see a person falling asleep at late hours of the night, waking up after only a few hours of rest. Sleep deprivation, unlike insomnia, is a disorder in which the person has control over their sleeping habits but decides not to attain the right amount of rest every night.

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Am I getting the right amount of sleep?

The right amount of sleep needed varies in everyone. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2008), “Teens need an average of nine hours of sleep per night…” However, some individuals are able to function without sleepiness or drowsiness after as little as six hours of sleep. Others can't perform at their peak unless they've slept ten hours (APA, 2010).  This means that a person’s performance varies by the amount of sleep one obtains each night. Nevertheless, everyone should acquire an appropriate amount of rest every night because one can spot a lack of sleep in others by their mood or physical state. 

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For more information on sleep deprivation and getting the right amount of sleep...

American Academy of Sleep Medicine:  http://www.aasmnet.org/Resources/FactSheets/SleepDeprivation.pdfweeblylink_new_window
National Sleep Foundation

Picture references:
http://www.migreliefblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Sleep-Deprivation.jpg
http://drmikewellness.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Sleep-inertia-image.jpg