Burnout isn’t always obvious. It doesn’t always look like collapsing at your desk or crying in the bathroom at work. Sometimes, it sneaks into your life through quiet, subtle symptoms that you may mistake for “just getting older,” “hormones off,” or “lack of motivation.”
Below are signs of sleep deprivation and exhaustion. Do you see yourself in any of these so you can begin to reclaim your energy?
7 Lesser-Known Signs You’re Burnt Out
1. You’re Always Tired, Even After a Full Night’s Sleep
You just can’t shake being tired all the time. You tell yourself, “I slept 8 hours, why do I still feel drained?” That deep heaviness is a sign your sleep wasn’t restorative. Without enough deep and REM sleep, your body never gets to fully repair.
2. You Don’t Feel Excited About Things Anymore
You know you should be excited, but you aren’t. That yoga class, coffee with friends, or passion project you used to look forward to? Now it just feels “meh.” This loss of spark often comes when your nervous system is overloaded and your brain hasn’t had the reset that only good sleep can give.
3. You Feel Numb or Disconnected
Life goes on, but you feel like you’re just going through the motions. This emotional flatness is often your body’s way of conserving energy when it’s been deprived of rest for too long. It’s a dullness; you’re depleted of life force energy. I’ve been here, don’t stay there long. It might have been normalized in your life, but don’t let it be the norm because it is not natural and normal. You have dreams and desires still in you. Lots of them.
4. You Struggle to Focus or Remember Things
Ever reread the same email three times or forget why you walked into a room? That’s brain fog—one of the clearest signs of sleep deprivation. Your brain can’t detox properly without deep sleep, leaving you foggy during the day.
5. Your Body Feels Off in Small Ways
Frequent colds, weird stomach issues, aching muscles, or even dull skin—these are often signs your body isn’t getting the nightly repair it needs. Sleep is when your immune system and cells restore themselves.
6. You Crave Quick Fixes
More coffee. Another glass of wine. Endless scrolling at night. Sugar in the afternoon. These cravings are your body’s SOS signal when it’s running on fumes. Sleep deprivation changes your hunger hormones, making you crave energy “hits” instead of real rest.
7. You Start Wondering, “What’s Wrong with Me?”
This might be the biggest one. You blame yourself — thinking you’ve lost your drive, your joy, or your discipline. But nothing is “wrong” with you. You’re simply not resourceful because your body is begging for restorative sleep.
The Truth
Burnout and exhaustion aren’t personal failures. They’re signals. And often, the root isn’t that you’re not strong enough or motivated enough — it’s that you’re sleep deprived.
Alongside that, because you’re deprived of rejuvenative sleep, you’re mismanaging your energy.
When you begin to prioritize sleep night after night, things shift:
- Your energy returns.
- Your habits support you. You make better decisions.
- Your focus sharpens.
- Your mood lifts, you stop being irritable and sharp
- Your body starts to heal.
Inside the Sleep Sanctuary, I teach women how to repair their relationship with sleep, restore their nervous systems, and reclaim their energy so they can step into life feeling lit up again.
If any of these signs sound familiar and you’re ready to finally put sleep above or alongside your other wellness habits, you’ll see the other wellness habits start to shift. This is holistic sleep. Join us inside the Sanctuary.
Read more: Brain Detox at Night: What Neuroscience Says About Sleep and the Glymphatic System
