Raise your hand if this morning ritual sounds familiar: After punching the lights out of the snooze button a few times, you finally peel yourself off your bed and stumble into the bathroom. As you’re brushing your teeth in slow-mo, with your hair standing up in every direction, you stare at your own hot mess in the mirror. For a quick minute, you seriously contemplate quitting your job and living in your PJs for the rest of your life. Everyone’s been there, darling, and this morning drudgery is totally normal for many of us. But when the desperate need to catch some Z’s starts getting in the way of your daily life, a real problem may be lurking beneath the surface.
According to Robert Oexman, director of the Sleep to Live Institute, approximately 40 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders and—as if being a chica isn’t already tough enough—women are more susceptible to insomnia due to the changes in their sleeping patterns brought on by menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. And the health effects aren’t anything to snore at, either: “Insufficient quantity and quality of sleep can lead to daytime fatigue, decreased ability to focus on tasks, increased risk of motor vehicle accidents, and poor performance at work and school,” he says. “Research has also shown a link between poor sleep and increased risk of depression, anxiety, heart disease, weight gain, Type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer.”
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Spotting your own sleep disorder isn’t always easy, though. “Because the side effects of poor sleep are so broad, people often do not associate lack of sleep with the symptoms they are having,” says Oexman. “For example, if someone is suffering from depression and heightened anxiety, they may assume the problem is their stressful job or raising children on their own. In fact, they may be able to manage their depression and anxiety if they focused on getting more sleep.”
So if you and your sleep schedule aren’t exactly simpatico, when is it your cue to see a doctor? Asking yourself these five questions will help you figure out if your troubled slumber is something serious.