Getting a sufficient night of sleep is comprised of many factors. Your daily habits could affect your sleep quality without you realizing it.
If you struggle to wake up consistently, consider the following ten factors impacting your morning tiredness.
This is why you wake up tired:
1. You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep
Yes, it’s pretty obvious. The eight hours of sleep rule has been around for decades, but it has been proved that this isn’t the magic number of hours that will work for everyone.
The amount of sleep required by a human being depends on several factors, such as age, health, activity level, and medical or genetic conditions you may have.
Sleep Tip: To accurately work out how many hours of sleep you need to rest fully, you must factor in your bed and wake-up time.
A medically reviewed Healthline article comprehensively calculates how much sleep you would need based on certain factors.
2. You’re Getting Too Much Sleep
as it happens, you can, as they say, have too much of a good thing. Including sleep. Contradictory to the first item on the list, too much sleep can leave you feeling more fatigued than before you went to bed.
Sleep Tip: Do not exceed your determined hours of sleep, even by a few minutes. You may feel like your body needs more sleep when waking up initially, but that is likely due to sleep inertia.
3. Your Sleep Is Interrupted
If your sleep hours are fragmented, they’re as good as getting little to no sleep. For your body and mind to rest completely, you must reach the three REM stages (rapid eye movement) and sleep without interruption.
The third stage of REM sleep is when your sleep is at its deepest and your body and mind are most relaxed.
Think of this stage almost like a reboot. If your sleep is interrupted, it’s a lot like rolling downhill. You cannot pick up where you left off. You would need to go through stages one and two before you are completely asleep again.
Sleep Tip: Limit interruptions as best you can. This is only sometimes something you have control over, but you can do small things to make an impact.
For example: ensuring your devices are on silent, using earplugs (if you are easily woken by loud noises), or using a sleep mask to block out any offending light that may enter your room.
4. Effects Of Blue Light
The effects of screens and technology that emit blue light have been proven to hurt your circadian rhythm.
Exposure to blue light inhibits the secretion of melatonin, the chemical responsible for healthy sleep.
Besides that, scrolling through social while in bed will more than likely lead you down a rabbit hole of some kind.
Blue light increases awareness, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself even more engrossed in what’s happening on your screen when you should be sleeping.
Sleep Tip: It’s recommended that screen time cease at least two hours before bedtime. This isn’t always a realistic option, primarily if you work in front of your laptop late into the night.
Instead, you could use apps, glasses, and devices to block the blue light.
5. Poor Mental Health
Anxiety and depression are detrimental to your health in so many ways. Anxiety and depression won’t only affect your quality of sleep.
Still, they can wreak havoc when motivating yourself to do even the simplest things, like getting out of bed.
It is not uncommon for people dealing with depression to be in a state of fatigue. Mental fatigue manifests itself in the physical form when left untreated.
Sleep Tip: Try to manage your anxieties by writing them down before you go sleep. Having them out there and not bouncing around in your brain will give you a small bit of calm.
Meditation and breathing exercises also help to put your mind in a calm space.
For depression and severe cases of anxiety-related disorders, it is best to seek professional help so that the underlying cause can be dealt with safely.
6. Poor Physical Health
The opposite is true, just like you need sleep for good physical health. Being in good physical condition can be a crucial component of a good night’s rest and, by extension, not feeling tired when you wake up.
If your physical health is subpar, you may be prone to interrupted sleep patterns or even insomnia.
Even if you appear to be in good shape physically, your activity levels during the day may not reflect a healthy standard.
Exercise has been proven (many times over) to assist in better sleep. Conditions such as obesity and insulin resistance (which affect sleep and energy levels) can also be managed through exercise and diet.
Sleep Tip: Maintain a healthy eating plan, get enough cardio activity daily, and stay hydrated.
Be careful not to overhydrate too close to bedtime, as the need to urinate will interrupt your sleep.
7. Underlying Medical Conditions Or Deficiencies
Conditions such as anemia, thyroid, diabetes, restless leg syndrome, and teeth grinding are some medical conditions that may go unnoticed for long periods.
Many of these conditions come with trouble sleeping or waking up feeling tired even after a decent night’s sleep. Being deficient in specific nutrients can also feel fatiguing despite being well-rested.
These include nutrients such as:
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Vitamins B (2, 3,5,6,9, and 12)
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin C
Sleep Tip: Take a multivitamin supplement if your daily food intake does not cover the spectrum of vitamins you require.
Severe anemia cases (often linked to restless leg syndrome) may require blood tests and iron supplements.
If you suspect that you may have any of these underlying conditions, ask your doctor for further insight and advice.
8. Your Sleep Environment
Your bed, mattress, pillow, duvet, room temperature, airflow, and ambient sounds all play a role in the quality of your sleep.
Many are personal preferences, but some factors have been proven to create a healthier sleep environment. For instance, sleeping in a cooler room makes you fall asleep faster.
Today, many products, such as sound machines, diffusers, and weighted blankets, are explicitly designed to improve sleep.
Sleep Tip: To ensure that your bedroom is the ultimate sleep sanctuary, follow the suggestions posted on the Sleep Foundations (who would know better, right?) website.
9. Lifestyle Choices
The things you consume can affect your sleep more than you know. Excessive alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and nicotine consumption will affect sleep.
Caffeine is not just limited to your cup of coffee. Many medications, chocolates, and teas contain amounts of this stimulant.
Don’t be fooled by the sleepy feeling you get after a glass of alcohol.
You may find that you seemingly fall asleep faster, but it has been proven that alcohol-induced sleep is far more interrupted. Studies have also found nicotine to exacerbate the symptoms of insomnia.
Sleep Tip: Avoid consuming alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine before bed.
Pay close attention to labels of food, beverages, and medication you may consume close to bedtime.
10. Sleep Disorders
If, after all the reasons on this list, you are still waking up tired despite your best efforts, you may have a sleep disorder.
These disorders include:
- Sleep apnea
- Insomnia
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Narcolepsy
- Restless leg syndrome
Sleep Tip: Sleep disorders require a medical diagnosis by a professional. Ask your general practitioner, and they may need to refer you to a specialist or sleep clinic.
Final Thoughts On Getting Better Sleep
If you find yourself tossing and turning at night or waking up feeling exhausted instead of refreshed, it’s time to take a closer look at your sleep habits.
Use these tips to improve sleep hygiene and get the restful slumber you need.
Doing so will improve not only your physical health but also your mental well-being.