9 signs you're not sleeping well — and how it's affecting your work success

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Do you sometimes have trouble falling asleep? Do you occasionally spend the night tossing and turning? Do you often wake up feeling anything but refreshed?

If so, you're probably not sleeping well — or you may be suffering from insomnia, a symptom of stress, anxiety, or depression, among other things, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

An NSF poll found that 48% of Americans report insomnia occasionally, while 22% experience it every (or almost every) night. And it may come as no surprise that a lack of good sleep can have a very serious impact on your quality of life and your productivity at work.

"Sleep is one of the fundamental requirements of life — and the worst effects of neglecting it are felt during the day, rather than during the night," says Peter Hames, cofounder and CEO Big Health, the creator of Sleepio, a digital sleep improvement program.

"Compared to good sleepers, poor sleepers are three times more likely to struggle to concentrate, twice as likely to experience a low mood, and more likely to be irritable," he explains. People with insomnia are also more likely to miss more work or receive fewer promotions, the NSF says.

"As a result, relationships can become strained, productivity reduced, and even general health put at risk. And long-term poor sleepers are more likely to suffer from a range of mental and physical health problems," Hames says. 

To bring awareness to these issues, The National Sleep Foundation is celebrating its annual Sleep Awareness Week March 6 through March 13. 

We spoke with Hames to learn the signs that you're not sleeping well, and how it's affecting your work success. Here's what he shared:

 1. You're getting less done at work.

"US employees with insomnia on average lost 7.8 days of work last year due to reduced productivity," Hames says. "From our own data working with employers, people say that poor sleep impacts their productivity 25-45% of the time, on average."

2. You're missing work due to illness.

"Lack of sleep has been shown to weaken our immune system and increase the likelihood of coming down with a cold," he explains. Poor sleepers generally miss three more days of work each year than good sleepers.

"Our data suggests that employees are missing three hours of work per week on average (in late starts, early finishes, and missed days) due to poor sleep."

Poor sleep has also been shown to lead to an increased likelihood of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity (by 50%), and alcohol dependence, Hames says.

3. You find the little things get to you.

A lack of sleep can affect your mood and resilience, leading to greater irritability and a higher likelihood of becoming overwhelmed by small issues, says Hames. At work, this can have a serious impact on your relationships with colleagues, managers, and clients.