Feeling short-changed on shut eye? You're not alone.

Short-changed on shut eye? You're not alone, as more than 83 million Americans are now reported to be lacking sleep.

While some may be worried about "sleeping their life away," a new study finds that about one-third of Americans have the opposite problem, snoozing less than the recommended seven hours per night.

And while the resulting drowsiness can contribute to accidents, anxiety, depression and lost productivity, the less immediate health effects raise even greater cause for concern.

“Overtime, lack of sleep alters your hormones and metabolism, increasing your risk for diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and heart disease,” says Jeffrey Miskoff, D.O., a pulmonologist at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

To find out where you and the sandman stand, try keeping a 10-day sleep journal. Be sure to log when you fall asleep and wake up, and include any naps as well. And don't forget to discuss your sleep habits with your doctor.

“Fall back” without falling back

It’s the gift that comes once a year—an extra hour of precious sleep.

You’ll hear few complaints when that biannual agrarian ritual known as daylight savings time comes to a close at 2 a.m., Sunday, November 1.

But if you are truly looking to wake up refreshed with more energy to face the day, you might want to rethink spending that extra hour in bed once the sun comes up.

"There is a clock in your brain. That clock keeps your internal environment in sync with your eternal environment, and the most important signal for that clock is the light," says Carol Ash, D.O., Director of Sleep Medicine for Meridian Health. “That internal clock isn't flexible enough to adjust quickly to the time jump,” she said.

If you truly want to maximize the benefits of that extra hour, the tried and true rules of healthy sleep still apply: Go to bed at a reasonable hour, get the best sleep you can, and get up when the sun comes up.

When it comes to "resetting" that internal clock, Dr. Ash recommends natural, cost effective alternatives to over-the-counter sleep medications, which she calls "short term solutions to recurring problems."

One potential remedy Dr. Ash lists is mindful breathing, an elegant solution for alleviating stress and achieving deep rest.

Dr. Ash adds that by making just a few changes to adapt the right sleep habits, you can create the feeling of having an extra hour not just once a year—but every day.  

On November 7 at The Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank, Dr. Ash and a team of Meridian Health experts will present “The Power of an Hour,” a morning devoted to helping you sleep better, eat better, stress less, and develop lifelong habits to create a healthier, better-rested you!

Learn more and register for our Power of an Hour event here.

Adjusting Your Internal Clock for Daylight Savings Time

As you prepare to "spring ahead" for daylight savings, it's important to adjust your internal clock accordingly.

Watch Dr. Carol Ash on the TODAY show discussing the impact of springing forward on everyday health:

Dr. Carol Ash on "CBS This Morning" discussing the effects of sleep issues on "brain drain"

Dr. Carol Ash on Fox's Shepard Smith Show discussing long-term affects of sleep loss

Dr. Carol Ash on "CBS This Morning," Do Our Kids Need More Sleep?

Dr. Ash helps answers the question, "Why am I so tired?"

It's a question we've all asked ourselves: "Why am I so tired?"

On a visit to TODAY earlier this year, Dr. Carol Ash and Julie Bain, Health Director for Ladies Home Journal, offered tips to help provide answers to that question.

Both Ash and Bain agreed that mental fatigue and stress can be one of the biggest causes of daytime sleepiness.

"Stress is a good thing; it helps us overcome challenges," Ash said. "But sustained stress can lead to anxiety and depression."

These types of stress can keep you awake at night - and exhausted during the day.

Ash advises, when stress and anxiety are keeping you up, write it down, and then confide with someone you trust during the day.

Watch the full TODAY segment below.

Join us as we answer the question, "Are you getting a good nights sleep?"

Everyone could use a better night's sleep, which is why Meridian Health is offering a special lecture series designed to pass along important information about sleep disorders and offer key tips for getting a healthier night's rest.

Join us on any of the following dates for "Are You Getting a Good Night's Sleep."

Attendance is FREE, but registration is required and available by calling 1-800-560-9990.

July 31, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Arbour Terrace of Middletown
1800 Hwy 35 South
Middletown, NJ 07748

August 5, 2 to 3 p.m.
Ocean Medical Center - Meridian Nursing & Rehab
425 Jack Martin Boulevard
Brick, NJ 08724

August 6, 2 to 3 p.m.
Jersey Shore University Medical Center
1945 Route 33
Neptune, NJ 07753

Sleep Tips to Reduce SIDS Risk

Carol Ash, M.D.
Director of Sleep Medicine
Meridian Health, Riverview Medical Center

Since the start of the “Back to Sleep” campaign, there has been a reduction in SIDS deaths by 50%.

SIDS however still remains the leading cause of death among infants.

With the success of the “Back to Sleep” campaign, other risks have become important factors, with bed sharing causing 38% of deaths and sleeping in adult beds alone causing another 45%.

Bed sharing with a parent who is a smoker or who uses drugs and alcohol has been known to increase the risk of SIDS.

For exhausted moms keeping the baby in the same bed to make breast feeding easier seems like a simple solution.

Research shows that there can be a fivefold increase in the risk of SIDS associated with bed-sharing in breast fed babies who were under three months old, had non-smoking parents and when  the mother had not used drugs or alcohol. Adult bedding and mattresses are softer and can cause suffocation of an infant.
 
So while the “back to sleep campaign has proved to be a success, it is still important to make sure all new moms understand the multiple risk and take steps to keep their baby safe.

Tips to reduce SIDS risk:

•Always put your baby to sleep on their backs
•Invest in a comfortable bed side rocker to breast feed babies at night
•Never put your baby to bed in your bed or a sofa.  Infant mattresses are firmer
•Avoid alcohol 3 hours prior to bedtime
•For the sake of your baby, don't smoke or take drugs