Sleep issues guide · medically reviewed
Not sure what's
wrong with your nights?
Six conditions that cover most sleep complaints, each with what it feels like, how it's confirmed, and what actually helps — ranked by how good the evidence is.
This guide is educational, not a diagnosis. A clinician or a sleep study can confirm what's actually going on.
All conditions
6 of 6 conditionsFIG. 01Breathing
Obstructive sleep apnea
The airway collapses repeatedly during sleep, breaking the night into fragments you rarely remember.
Loud snoringWitnessed pausesDaytime sleepiness
Affects roughly 1 in 15 adultsRead guide →
FIG. 02Sleeplessness
Chronic insomnia
Trouble falling or staying asleep at least three nights a week, for three months or more.
Over 30 min to fall asleep3am wakingDaytime fog
Around 10% of adults, long-termRead guide →
FIG. 03Breathing
Primary snoring
Noisy breathing without the oxygen drops or arousals that define apnea.
Nightly noiseNasal blockageWorse on back
40% of men, 24% of womenRead guide →
FIG. 04Movement
Restless legs syndrome
An urge to move the legs in the evening, relieved by movement and worse at rest.
Evening urge to moveRelief on walkingIron link
5–10% of adultsRead guide →
FIG. 05Body clock
Delayed sleep phase
A body clock that runs late — you can sleep fine, just not at the hour the world expects.
Late sleep onsetImpossible morningsFine on holiday
Up to 15% of adolescentsRead guide →
FIG. 06Sleepiness
Narcolepsy
Overwhelming daytime sleep attacks, often with sudden muscle weakness triggered by emotion.
Sleep attacksCataplexySleep paralysis
About 1 in 2,000Read guide →
See someone sooner if
You fall asleep while driving or operating machinery.
Your partner has seen you stop breathing for long stretches.
You wake gasping, choking, or with chest pain.
Sleepiness came on suddenly over weeks rather than years.