What is the difference between being sleepy and being fatigued?

[Text on screen: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
What is the difference between being sleepy and being fatigued?]

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[Text on screen: Helena Rempala, PhD
Psychologist
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center]

Helena Rempala, PhD: Being fatigued does not always require going to bed to sleep because if we start taking naps when we're fatigued, then we'll use up too much of our sleep appetite to be able to fill the entire sleep window that we would like to sleep at night. 

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So I like for my patients to differentiate whether they're sleepy, well, then absolutely please take a nap, but please try to keep it before 3:00 PM and to half an hour and there are very important reasons why. And if you're tired, then rest. And if you feel just kind of sluggish, then maybe this is the time to hit the gym or go for a walk. 

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Not every malaise that we feel means that we haven't slept enough.

[Text on screen: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
For more information, visit: go.osu.edu/insomnia]

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