Sleeping is one of the best ways to rest and relax. In fact, doctors often recommend that patients get as much as they can to get a full recovery from various ailments and diseases. As much as you want to sleep, there are some things that you have to do, and sleep can get in the way. Sleep is great, but definitely not at the wrong time. Sleep Getting in the Way Sleeping is just fine as long as it does not get in the way of our daily activities like work and school. It may even put your life in danger in some cases, like when operating heavy machinery or driving a car. At the wrong time, it can cause you to fail exams or be scolded by your teacher at school or can cause you to lose your job at work. Sitting through a boring class or a long meeting at work can make things work. Reasons Why you Feel Sleepy at the Wrong Times There are a lot of possible reasons why you feel sleepy and even fall asleep at the wrong times. Here are the most common reasons:

• Lack of sleep – When sleep is less than the standard 8 hours, or when there is no sleep at all.
• Insomnia – This is a sleeping disorder, where sufferers have difficult sleeping at night. In some cases, people with this disorder fall asleep at the wrong times, usually during the day time.
• Tiredness – The body automatically produces sleep-inducing chemicals when the person is too tired. Sleep is needed to repair the damage caused by the tiring activity.
• Metabolism problem – People with slow metabolisms often feel tired and sleepy.
• Medications – There are a lot of drugs that induce sleep. People taking such drugs will suddenly feel sleepy even if they had enough sleep or does not suffer from any other condition that prevents proper sleep.
• Hangovers – After a party the previous night, you get a really bad hangover the next morning and fall asleep afterwards.
• Narcolepsy – A sleeping disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleeping.

Getting Rid of Sleepiness In most cases, sleepiness can be relatively easily countered. There are a lot of ways to get rid of it, it is just a matter of which one works for you. Depending on the situation you are in, there are various things you can do to energize yourself. Case 1: At School Be it a boring subject (math, anyone?) or a boring teacher, you just can't fall asleep in the middle of the class. Here are some things you can do:

• Excuse yourself and go wash your face in the washroom.
• Go to the canteen and get yourself coffee.
• If you don't drink coffee, you can try sodas that have caffeine.
• Energy drinks also do fine in keeping you awake and active.
• If you can, jog around the corridors or walk around the campus for a few minutes.

Case 2: At Work A day at work is tough, but there are times you will get bored or just really sleepy. If you are so immune to coffee that you drink it like it's water, here are some other things you can do:

• Walk around your office to wake up yourself. You can try going up and down the stairs if you are really desperate to stay awake.
• If you smoke, smoke a stick or two. Ask a fellow smoker if he or she wants to smoke with you. You can share some interesting stories while taking a break.
• If you are physically tired, drink lots of water. Dehydration makes you feel tired and sleepy most of the time.
• If you can't walk around, such as when you are in a meeting or seminar, and you really feel that you are going to fall asleep, hold your breath as long as you can. The longer you can hold it, the better you get rid of sleep. Do this as often as you can until you feel the sleepiness leave you.
• Do something else. Ask your boss or your colleagues for something to do. Staying idle will only make things worse for you. If you can't find anything to do, try to talk with another person (who isn't doing anything too). Small talk helps your mind forget that you are sleepy.
• If you have an digital music player, play some fast-paced music and crank up the volume. Sing or dance along to keep the blood flowing, just make sure you don't get too loud or noisy for you may disturb others nearby.

Case 3: Driving a Vehicle If you drive a car, you know how important it is to keep your focus on driving. Falling asleep while driving can not only harm or kill you. You may also harm your passengers as well as other motorists. When you feel you are sleepy, try some of the previously mentioned tips like holding your breath or talking to your passengers. You can also play some music on your stereo and tune into some loud rock music or funky dance beats. If you really can't handle the sleep, don't take any chances. Pull over to the nearest place you can and rest. Motels are great places where you can spend a few hours or even the night. On long trips, it is good to have at one person who can drive for you when you start to feel sleepy. Avoiding Sleepiness The best way to avoid falling asleep, or at least getting sleepy at the wrong times, is to get as much sleep as you can during the right time. Eight hours of sleep is enough, so make sure you get it. If you have problems falling asleep at night, you should try the classic solutions like taking a nice warm shower, drinking warm milk, or even counting sheep until you fall asleep. Sleep is a very important biological function; in other words, you shouldn't deprive yourself of it. Doing that will result in unwanted consequences, such as sleepiness at the wrong times.