Are you exhausted? In this third article in our Sleep Wellness Series, Dr. Darria explains what happens if you don’t get enough sleep, why you need to know if you’re exhausted—and how to fix exhaustion now.

As I’ve previously mentioned, my sleep schedule, during my ER doctor residency training, would flip back and forth between day and overnight shifts. Was it any wonder that after a 24-hour long shift, I found myself leaning against a wall, crying one morning—for no clear reason at all. I remember sobbing to my professor, “I don’t even know why I’m cryyyyiiiiiing.” She took me by the shoulders and said “Darria, YOU ARE TIRED. Sleep deprivation is a spy torture tactic. It makes everyone go crazy.”

That day I learned two things: (1) that I’d never join the CIA (I would have traded nuclear secrets to get a nap), and (2) that getting good sleep and rest was the key to my sanity. So, how does exhaustion affect you, your body, and your mind? And once you realize you are exhausted, how do you fix it?