C-Force: We're Beyond Tired; We're Sleep Deprived

This next indicator could easily be labeled "someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Changes in mood can be attributed to a lack of sleep. As summarized by Osnato, a study by the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry reports that "sleep plays a pivotal role in certain brain functions that regulate emotions and behaviors ... unsatisfactory shut-eye can ramp up negative emotional responses, reduce our ability to cope with stressors (even minor ones) and diminish positive emotions."

"And, when we feel down or stressed, we tend to sleep even worse, so the problem perpetuates and can create a vicious cycle," Wickwire adds.

Sleep deprivation can also reduce your ability to fight off infections. As explained in an American Thoracic Society report, during sleep, your body recharges and repairs itself. A lack of sleep affects your immune system. A September 2015 study in the journal Sleep, the official publication of the Sleep Research Society, also found that folks who sleep fewer than six hours per night are more susceptible to getting sick with the common cold.

The Livestrong.com report also advises that if you're experiencing daytime drowsiness along with any of the above symptoms, "consult with your doctor who may refer you to a sleep specialist."

At the end of the day, how we feel is determined by the decisions we make. How much sleep can no longer be short-sheeted.

Emily Ballesteros is a burnout management specialist and author of "The Cure for Burnout: How to Find Balance and Reclaim Your Life." In a recent Time magazine report, she notes that we are now in the era of "The Great Exhaustion."

"Over 47 million Americans voluntarily resigned from their positions -- people are feeling a strain on more than just their work calendars; they're feeling it on their spirits," she reports. "People feel so fatigued that they are cutting out activities that used to be commonplace and low stress, like working out and going to the supermarket. Factor in recovering from the pandemic, inflation, and global stressors, and you've got a recipe for complete physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion." It has become normalized. "...exposure to stress outside of our control, and financial insecurity. These are facets of our lives that we have managed to normalize. But this normalization has caused us to disregard their impact on our physical and mental wellbeing."

"When everywhere we turn there is news making us feel like things aren't getting better, we begin to break down," Ballesteros concludes. "Frustration over time turns into defeat, and defeat looks an awful lot like exhaustion. ... At the end of the day, how we feel is determined by small decisions we make." Let's start making the act of getting a good, quality night's sleep at the top of our "to-do" list.

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Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris and Facebook's "Official Chuck Norris Page." He blogs at http://chucknorrisnews.blogspot.com. To find out more about Chuck Norris and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.