Common Symptoms of Sleep Disorders to Watch For
Common symptoms of sleep disorders include trouble falling asleep, waking often during the night, waking too early, or sleeping for a long time but still feeling unrefreshed. You might also notice a sleep schedule that repeatedly conflicts with the hours when you need to be awake, which can be especially difficult to recognize when you work changing shifts.
An occasional restless night does not necessarily mean you have a sleep disorder, but recurring problems that interfere with daily life deserve attention. Keeping a brief record of when you sleep, wake, and feel tired can help you describe the pattern to a health care professional.
Check the product’s listed specifications when evaluating changes in your sleep.
Excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and slower reactions can all be signs that your sleep is not meeting your needs. You may also feel irritable or notice that your sleepiness affects your work, relationships, or ability to complete everyday tasks.
Sleepiness can be particularly concerning if you find yourself nodding off unintentionally, especially while driving or operating equipment. If you feel too sleepy to drive safely, stop driving and arrange another way to travel; seek medical advice if this happens repeatedly.
Check the product’s listed specifications when evaluating daytime sleepiness and other effects.
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Shift Worker’s Ultimate Sleep Hygiene Checklist | Printable Digital Download for Better Rest, Energy & Focus | Sleep Hygiene for Shift Workers
Loud, frequent snoring, gasping, choking, or pauses in breathing during sleep can be signs of sleep apnea, although not everyone who snores has the condition. A partner may notice these symptoms before you do, and you might also wake with a dry mouth or morning headache.
Other possible signs include uncomfortable urges to move your legs when resting, repeated leg movements, or unusual behaviors such as sleepwalking. Because different sleep disorders can cause similar symptoms, we recommend discussing persistent or disruptive changes with a health care professional rather than trying to diagnose yourself.
Check the product’s listed specifications when evaluating breathing and movement during sleep.
If you work nights, early mornings, or rotating shifts, pay attention to whether you regularly struggle to sleep when you have the chance or feel excessively sleepy during work. Share your schedule and symptom notes with a health care professional, since the timing of your shifts can help them understand what you are experiencing.
For a place to start organizing your routine, our team created the Shift Worker’s Ultimate Sleep Hygiene Checklist, a printable digital download for shift workers. You can also explore our shift-work sleep checklist and routine guide for more context.
Common symptoms include difficulty sleeping, excessive sleepiness, unrefreshing sleep, loud snoring, and trouble concentrating during the day. Repeated gasping during sleep, unusual movements, or unintended daytime naps are also worth discussing with a health care professional.
DSM-5 describes insomnia disorder as dissatisfaction with sleep quantity or quality involving difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early, with significant distress or impairment. The difficulty generally occurs at least three nights a week for at least three months despite adequate opportunity to sleep and is not better explained by another condition or substance.
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