There’s nothing better than a full night’s sleep. You wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated with energy. This is most people’s goal, but sadly not everyone achieves it. Some people find themselves waking up exhausted with no energy, which can be frustrating and prevent them from functioning throughout the day.
It might seem like there’s nothing wrong and you’re doing everything right, but your body could be giving you some clues as to what’s really going on. Here are six reasons why you still feel tired after a full night’s sleep.
You’re Not Getting Up Soon Enough
When your alarm goes off, you might hit the snooze button to give yourself a few more minutes of sleep. But the problem here is that you are only getting a few more minutes. Most snooze options are set for between five to nine minutes.
That’s not enough time for you to fall deeply asleep, but it is enough time for you to be more than just dozing. This means on top of these last few minutes of sleep not being high quality, you’re also being rudely jerked out of sleep repeatedly instead of waking up more naturally.
If you’re hitting the snooze button two or three, or even more, try setting your alarm for the last possible minute that you can get up and still be on time. If you feel you absolutely need to hit snooze, limit yourself to once and then get up.
Your Bedroom Environment Disturbs Your Sleep
The quality of your sleep has a lot to do with the quality of your bedroom environment. Your bedroom should be a place where you can relax and be comfortable. But it’s also important to optimize your sleeping environment so you get the most rest possible.
Think about all the ways your bedroom environment may be interfering with your sleep. Look for things that make noise, a mattress or pillow that sags or pokes you with springs, curtains or blinds that let in light, or a room temperature that’s too warm or too cold. Anything you discover, take steps to resolve it and see if your sleep doesn’t improve almost immediately.
Your Bed Partner Disturbs Your Sleep
It’s not just the mattress that matters when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. You also need to consider how well you can sleep in your bed. But what might be even more important than the bedroom itself is who you’re sleeping with. If you have a bed partner who’s disrupting your sleep, then that could be why you’re still feeling tired in the morning after a full night’s sleep.
We all know that we shouldn’t disturb someone else when they’re trying to sleep because it can disrupt their rest, but we don’t always realize how true this is for our own partners. When one person moves around while sleeping, it disrupts their partner’s sleep too, even if it doesn’t fully wake them up. If one person has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep due to stress or anxiety, then this will also affect their partner and can result in either poor quality of sleep for both people involved or an inability to fall asleep at all.
You Have a Sleep Disorder
If you find yourself waking up exhausted after a full night’s sleep, it could be because of a sleep disorder. Some of the most common are insomnia, which means you don’t get enough sleep, and sleep apnea, where your body is actually getting the right amount of sleep but it isn’t quality restful sleep.
Insomnia can be caused by stress, depression, pain, or anxiety. Sleep apnea on the other hand is caused by difficulty breathing during sleep which causes fatigue when you wake up. These are just two of the many potential reasons for being tired after a full night’s sleep.
If you suspect sleep apnea, it’s important to talk to your doctor so you can get the appropriate sleep apnea treatment. Without sleep apnea treatment, more than just your sleep is at risk. You could end up with much more serious health concerns.
You Ate or Drank Something That Is Disrupting Your Sleep Quality
If you think you’re doing everything right and still wake up feeling tired, it might be because your diet is disrupting your sleep quality.
Some people consume a lot of caffeine after lunchtime, which can cause sleeplessness. Caffeine has a long half-life, so it can continue to affect you for six hours or more. Alcohol can also interfere with sleep. Eating too close to bedtime can cause heartburn and other issues that disrupt sleep.
It’s also important to note that food allergies and sensitivities can also impact your sleep.
You’re Using Electronics Too Close to Bedtime
One of the reasons people may still be feeling tired even after a full night’s sleep is that they’re using electronics too close to bedtime. The light coming from electronic screens, like televisions and cell phones, can suppress melatonin levels at night. Melatonin is a hormone that regulates your circadian rhythm and also helps you to fall asleep. By staying away from electronics for an hour before bed, it’s possible that you will sleep better and feel more refreshed in the morning.
Sleep is the foundation of good health. Without it, your body can’t fight off diseases, repair itself, or remember what it learned. Regardless of how much you sleep, if it’s not high-quality sleep, you’re missing out on all those things. So if you’re feeling tired after a full night’s sleep, make sure to check these six things before you start to worry.
Anita is a freelance writer from Denver, CO. She studied at Colorado State University, and now writes articles about health, business, family and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family whenever she isn’t writing. You can follow her on Twitter @anitaginsburg.
