Do you often wake up tired despite having had a good night’s sleep? This is fairly normal and can be due to lots of reasons such as staying up too late, working long hours, stress and other sleep disturbances. When our daily life is affected though, then it is a good time to look into why this might be happening and how we can try to change it.
Sleep is divided into 4 phases:
- Stage 1 – when muscle tone relaxes and brain wave activity starts to slow
- Stage 2 – ‘defined non-rapid eye movement’ where the brain continues to slow, body temperature decreases, and heart rate drops
- Stage 3 – ‘deep non-rapid eye movement’ is the most restorative phase with wakening and arousals rare
- Stage 4 – REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is commonly known as the dreaming stage – eye movements are from side to side and brain waves are more active with easy arousal making you feel over sleepy
Your sleep quality is directly related to how well you’ve slept. Did you fall asleep easily and was your sleep interrupted during the night? If it is hard to wake up in the morning, no matter how much sleep you have had, then perhaps it is time to look at how you can improve your sleep quality with a few simple changes.
- Replace your pillows regularly and change your mattress following the manufacturer’s guidelines for comfort and support.
- Regularly wash your sheets to eliminate any germs/bed bugs
- Keep active but avoid any intense exercise before bedtime, this increases the body temperature and creates hormone fluctuations.
- Have a light bedtime snack such as fruit or yoghurt rather than eating a heavy meal before bedtime.
- Stick to a routine sleep-wake schedule even at the weekends – waking up at the same time is beneficial to sleep.
- Avoid using devices about an hour before bedtime. The ‘blue light’ impedes melatonin production, a vital hormone needed to induce sleep.
- Dim the lights and cool the room – we sleep better when our body temperature is lower.
Eating healthier foods that are more natural and less processed is better for your sleep too.
Foods that are rich in proteins, amino acids, antioxidants and high in vitamins. For example,
- Berries, and cherries
- Prunes, raisins, and plums
- Eggs
- Almonds and walnuts
- Herbal tea such as chamomile, ginger, and peppermint
- Iron supplements to eliminate fatigue and boost haemoglobin levels
Food that may upset your sleep pattern include,
- Spicy foods may cause indigestion, heartburn and reflux which can be aggravated by lying down.
- Fatty foods and processed carbohydrates with less nutritional content are associated with sleepiness during the daytime.
- Foods high in caffeine and sugar are stimulants and then create a crash later on.
There can also be other reasons why you feel the need to sleep more.
Psychological causes
- Stress and daily life pressures leave you feeling overwhelmed.
- Emotional distress – e.g. bereavement, this can affect people in different ways, feeling tired but unable to sleep
- Depression – that leaves you wanting to sleep all the time
- Anxiety – with uncontrollable feelings of worry and irritability trouble concentrating and difficulty sleeping
Physical causes
- Allergies – nasal congestion can cause the upper airway to narrow increasing sleep interruption
- Being overweight or obese – negatively affects sleep which may lead to insulin resistance and an increased risk of diabetes
- Health conditions – like anaemia and thyroid issues
- Narcolepsy – a neurological disorder where the brain is unable to control sleep and wake cycles
- Obstructive sleep apnoea – where breathing stops periodically during the night disrupting sleep
- Parasomnia – sleepwalking and talking, nightmares, and sleep aggression or paralysis
- Pregnancy – causing daytime exhaustion and insomnia at night
- Restless leg syndrome – characterised by a persistent and overwhelming desire to move the legs
Can too much sleep make you tired?
Studies have shown that when adults sleep longer/too much, they experience increased levels of fatigue, irritability, and lethargy.
There are products out there that may help you sleep but it is very individual to the person and if your sleep is severely disrupted it is always recommended to seek your GP’s help, they might need to investigate further or refer you. Here are some suggestions though,
- Sleep-monitoring sensors with headbands and apps that provide daily sleep reports and coaching programmes
- Sleep masks
- Various herbal remedies such as valerian root, CBD oil
- Pillow sprays with blends of chamomile and lavender to help you relax
- Glow lighting that gradually dims and turns off to lull you off to sleep – and gently wakes you up in the morning
- Acupuncture
