21 Signs You Need More Sleep

We’ll start with one of the more obvious signs of lack of sleep. If you find yourself much more tired in the mornings, waking later, or needing an alarm to wake you when you never used one before, then, this is a big signifier of poor sleep.

Among the symptoms of not getting enough sleep is a disruption of the hormones Ghrelin and leptin. These control our appetite, and when we are sleep deprived, can make us feel hungry³. Controlling your food urges and adhering to your regular healthy diet becomes extremely challenging when you combine it with the physical and mental weariness of poor sleep.

Another fairly straightforward sign you need more sleep is a general feeling of lethargy. It
could be a noticeable drop-off in your exercise output or just an overall feeling of not wanting to do things you normally would.

Interruptions to your normal sleeping patterns can affect hormones such as testosterone⁴. So if your sex drive has been negatively impacted, it could well be a symptom of not getting enough sleep.

During sleep, growth hormones are produced and tissue is repaired⁵. People who don’t get enough sleep often feel achy or a lingering sense of unspecified muscular pain.

Lack of sleep impairs short-term memory⁶, which explains why it’s difficult to recall
things if you’re not well rested. Short-term memory loss is a sign of sleep deprivation and you should look to catch up on lost hours before seeking medical attention.

For obvious reasons, this is a particularly concerning sign that you need more sleep. If you believe that your tiredness is affecting your alert levels behind the wheel, you really must address the issue. Your first serious consideration must be to stop driving or, at the very least,
cut down on medium to long-range drives.

Most of us enjoy a morning tea or coffee and the associated boost it gives us. There’s nothing wrong with it. But if you find yourself needing caffeinated beverages throughout the day just to reach ‘a normal level’ of alertness, that’s a sign of not enough sleep and may even affect your ability to sleep at night—creating a vicious circle.

A lack of sleep will manifest itself quite quickly in your ability to focus on tasks and pay
attention. Notice a tailing off in your concentration? This is a sign you need more sleep and you should ensure you get in!

Sleeplessness and mental health are inextricably linked. Without a diagnosis and understanding of what’s happening, you may not know which is causing which. If you’ve seen an uptick in anxiety, stress or low mood, consult a professional. Also, mention the signs of sleep deprivation that you’ve been experiencing.

According to a study⁷, people who frequently slept six hours or less per night had a 16% to 59% higher likelihood of being dehydrated than people who routinely clocked in with
eight hours sleep or more. If you feel particularly thirsty in the morning it may be a sign that you need more sleep.

Not getting enough sleep can manifest itself physically in your appearance too. Participants in a Stockholm University study who were sleep deprived had red, swollen eyes, dark under eye bags and even outbreaks of spots⁸.

When you’re not getting enough sleep you have less control over the muscles in your eyes. When you don’t

get enough sleep, your ciliary muscle, which helps your eyes concentrate, becomes fatigued⁹.

Close reading can become particularly problematic. Not only that, but the extraocular muscles that govern eye movement are also impacted¹⁰. Meaning your eyes don’t move
as quickly or precisely as they normally would.

One of the signs of sleep deprivation is that decision making can be impaired. So watch out for a detrimental change to your ability to think through your actions.

Not getting enough sleep can affect how quickly information is processed and how quickly certain tasks, like problem solving, can be performed. So while you may become impulsive, the
the opposite is also possible – you may become more indecisive.

Have you noticed your work suffering through frequent and unnecessary mistakes? This is a common side effect from not sleeping enough. And also, potentially, a real problem.

Coordination actually demands a fair bit of mental processing because the brain has to use sensory data to pinpoint your exact location and transmit several signals throughout the body to assist in stabilising, moving, and reacting. When you’re not getting enough sleep, your brain struggles to meet these demands.

If you’ve noticed that you’ve become poor company of late, sniping and snapping at people for the most minor of transgressions, it could be a sign you need more sleep.

A compromised immune system is another symptom of persistent insufficient sleep.

Your body has a tougher time fending off diseases and infections when your immune
system is compromised. You are more likely to contract a cold when your immune
system isn’t functioning at its best.

You may know the concept of ‘being overtired’ in babies. It’s true for many adults too. It’s possible that a lack of sleep can interrupt future sleep. If it takes you 30 minutes or more to fall into slumber, it may be a sign that you’re not getting enough sleep.

Ideally, it should take you between 10 and 20 minutes to fall asleep; if it takes you less time, it could be a sign of chronic sleep deprivation and weariness.