Every vertebrate animal sleeps. Clearly, sleep is critical for effective performance of the mind and body — and yet, not everyone is successful at achieving the amount and quality of sleep they need.

Sometimes, troubled sleep is obvious; when an individual has difficulty falling asleep or continues to wake throughout the night, they are conscious that their sleep needs improvement. However, some individuals may fall asleep and seem to snooze soundly, but certain frustrating health symptoms may indicate that their sleep is not as restful as they might hope.

If you suspect that you have sleep struggles, here are a few signs that you should seek healthy sleep solutions today:

You Struggle to Concentrate

Adults need to be able to maintain focus on certain mental and physical tasks. At the very least, you need to be able to remain present in a conversation, follow what people are saying and respond appropriately. Difficulty concentrating might be easier to detect as a pervasive confusion or as an inability to make decisions easily; your mind might feel heavy or cloudy in a way that makes it more difficult for you to understand what is happening around you. You might notice yourself becoming distracted more easily by issues that are less important than the task at hand. All of these signs that you are struggling to concentrate could be the result of poor sleep.

You Struggle With Performance Issues

Because the body and mind need rest, their performance will decline markedly as sleep deficits increase. You might notice yourself committing a number of careless errors in your work; both your output and the quality of the finished product are likely to be lower than what you can accomplish with a good night’s sleep. You might pay close attention to performance reviews at work or grades in school to help you determine whether you need to revise your current sleep strategy.

You Struggle With Memory Concerns

Sleep experts believe that sleep is when the brain consolidates its experiences of the day and moves information from short-term storage to long-term memory. Unfortunately, this process cannot happen if you are not sleeping well. Thus, many people who are troubled sleepers also struggle with memory issues. You might struggle to remember small details throughout the day, like facts and figures important to your work, or you might lose memories of important events, like birthdays and holidays. Of course, memory concerns are serious, and you should seek professional help to address them — especially if you are older. Extra-strength sleep tablets might help you fall and stay asleep, but they won’t solve neurodegenerative disorders.

You Struggle to Stay Awake When Inactive

Your body and mind should be capable of maintaining an awake-but-inactive state, such as watching television or reading a book. However, sleep is such an important necessity that, when sufficiently exhausted, the body will demand sleep by shutting down. Struggling to stay awake is a serious concern; if you drift off while you are driving or bathing, you could be at risk of losing limb — or life. If you find yourself nodding off during periods of inactivity, you might not be getting the sleep you need to function effectively.

You Struggle to Look Awake and Alert

One of the most frustrating comments to receive is “You look tired.” Still, you might start to pay attention if you continue to hear this comment over and over again. Sleep helps your body repair itself; with enough sleep, your skin and hair should look healthy and strong. In contrast, when you aren’t getting enough sleep, you might appear duller and wilted, even if you feel fine. Though sleep is not the only factor that affects your appearance, you might consider how a lack of sleep is affecting how you look.

You Struggle With Managing Your Emotions

You could be fine one minute, and the next minute you could be filled with rage. You could be happy and enjoying yourself, and suddenly, you might sink into feelings of sorrow. Adults should be capable of managing their emotions and maintaining a steady and predictable emotional state, but if you are experiencing any type of ill-health, emotional management becomes much more difficult. Sleep, in particular, can affect emotional control. Like other symptoms on this list, you might seek professional help for any emotional disorders you experience in addition to looking for ways to improve your sleep.

If you have never struggled with sleep, sleep troubles might not be your first thought when you begin experiencing negative health effects. However, by prioritizing your sleep, you can ensure that you have a baseline of health throughout your waking life.