You've become a klutz
One moment you're brewing a cup of afternoon tea and the next thing you know, you've spilled it all over your new dress. Researchers have accumulated ample evidence that the sleep deprived have slower and less precise motor skills, but exactly why isn't yet known, says Clete Kushida, M.D., Ph.D., director of Stanford University Center for Human Sleep Research. Sleepy people may be clumsier for several reasons: Impaired reflexes and a lack of focus may make it hard for them to react quickly enough to things that spring up in their path. Another possibility: Sleepiness throws off balance or depth perception. In any case, it's not uncommon for very sleepy people to black out momentarily when the body's urge to sleep gets too strong. So it's possible that your klutziness stems from "microsleeps" that last for a second or two, Kushida says—just long enough to trip on the curb or drop a glass.
