Feeling sleepy is completely normal, especially if it occurs against the background of several sleepless nights or when you are under increased stress in the gym or at work.

However, it is sometimes a warning sign of health problems.

The causes of daytime sleepiness can vary. It could be due to health conditions such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or medication. In this article, we answer the question of when drowsiness becomes an alarming symptom. Don’t miss important and relevant material!

Symptom # 1: You can’t think clearly and make decisions throughout the day.

An excessive desire to go to bed during the day can affect your ability to think clearly and soberly. It is difficult to concentrate on work or school. For example, you all reread and reread the same passage of text to understand its meaning.

Sleepiness also affects your ability to make decisions. Lack of strength and a drowsy state contribute to the fact that we make the wrong choice and commit rash acts. For example, we ignore an important task or become hot-tempered and impulsive.

Alarming symptom # 2: problems with short-term memory 

Excessive daytime sleepiness causes significant short-term memory problems, usually associated with sleep apnea. Even if you don’t know you have this condition, not getting enough restorative sleep can negatively impact your brain health. In this case, long-term memory is not impaired.

Alarming symptom # 3: decreased performance

Depending on how long daytime sleepiness lasts, a person’s productivity declines. A sign of a decrease in labor productivity is the inability to meet the deadlines and complete work tasks that were previously possible. For example, you spend several hours learning a given material, whereas before it took no more than an hour.

Alarming symptom # 4: falling asleep while driving

Sleeping while driving is a serious problem that can cost not only health, but also life. If you feel sleepy while driving, stop your vehicle immediately and stop driving.

Other warning signs of daytime sleepiness include snoring, sleep apnea, too much caffeine, depression, stress, or chronic pain. They interfere with a good night’s rest and make a person feel sluggish and overwhelmed during the day.

Sleep disturbances lead to increased hunger and appetite, have a detrimental effect on carbohydrate metabolism, increase the secretion of cortisol (stress hormones), and cause other negative phenomena that add up to an additional risk of diabetes and other diseases.