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The signs and symptoms vary among individual sleep disorders. Children may have difficulty going to bed and falling asleep, and may frequently awaken during the night. Their sleep patterns may be erratic in terms of regularity and sleep duration. Although many adults and children with sleep disorders experience daytime drowsiness, children are more likely to have daytime hyperactivity associated with sleep disorders. Many children with sleep disorders also display characteristic symptoms such as loud snoring.

Some common signs and symptoms of dyssomnias include difficulty falling asleep and excessive daytime drowsiness. Some signs and symptoms of parasomnias include abnormal behaviors that occur during sleep, such as walking, head-banging and head-rolling. Signs and symptoms of sleep disorders that are caused by medical or psychiatric conditions vary and may include difficulty falling asleep or irritability.