It’s very hard for some people to wake from sleep and feel fresh in the morning. There are several factors that can lead to this situation. Waking up too tired and facing a hectic day is indeed a very unhappy feeling. It becomes worse as the day progress and you will face serious issues when it comes to delivering required results at work or at school.
In this article, we will discuss the main reasons why you wake up tired even after getting a sufficient amount of rest. If you are someone who regularly gets very little sleep due to work or lifestyle issues then we hope that this article will enlighten you to the benefits of sleeping on time.
Why do I Wake Up Tired in the Morning?
There are multiple reasons behind waking up tired. Many people struggle in the morning to find the reason behind the tiredness they face. Below are some of the common reasons why you wake up tired in the mornings.
1 Sleep Inertia:
As you might know, inertia is an opposing force that is applied when you suddenly stop moving. While you are travelling in a bus the reason why you go forward when the bus driver applies brake is due to inertia. Sleep inertia is something similar, it refers to the sudden discomfort that you experience when waking up from a deep sleep.
This feeling can make you feel very tired and confused making it one of the most common reasons behind waking up tired in the mornings. Sleep inertia can pull you back to sleep quite easily, this feeling goes away in 15 to 20 minutes.
2 Sleep Drunkenness:
Also called as confusion arousals, this condition is a sleep disorder which is slightly different from sleep inertia. This usually occurs when you wake up from a deep sleep just after falling asleep for a few hours. You might not remember this happened, yet, you will feel really tired when you wake up in the morning.
3 Blue Light Exposure:
Melatonin is one of the key chemicals that affect your sleep cycle(Circadian Rhythm). Blue light is a particular emission of light that comes from digital screens. Blue light is much more prevalent in households with new bright lights and this can cause a serious issue to the sleep cycle.
The increased use of energy-efficient lighting and time spent in front of digital screens are increasing the blue light exposure causing people serious sleep problems. The viable alternative would be to control the use of electronic devices.
4 Bad Mattress:
A bad mattress can be a major reason behind waking up tired. Most studies have shown that people wake up feeling much more refreshed when they sleep on a new and improved mattress. There are many other factors associated with beds, such as mites, bed bugs and other allergens that can cause disturbances to your deep sleep. It’s ideal that you keep your bed clean or purchase a new one if you are using a mattress that is old.
5 Bedroom Temperature:
Bedroom temperature has a lot to do with your sleep patterns. When the bedroom is extremely hot or cold most people find it difficult to fall asleep. How your body adjusts to the room temperature can have a huge impact on your sleep.
In a recent study published in the Physiology and Behaviour Journal showed that people who wear neutral or heated socks are able to attain deep sleep easily than the people who do not use it. It’s ideal that you use a temperature control device inside your bedroom so that you can sleep peacefully with optimum temperature aiding you to get deep sleep and wake up refreshed.
6 Noise Pollution:
Noise pollution can reduce the quality of your sleep by a lot. Even if you are a person who is comfortable sleeping with music in the background, there is a certain amount of reduction in the quality of the sleep that can make you feel tired when you wake up in the morning.
Using ear plugs to cancel noise, or using them to drown the sound of your snoring partner are both advisable if you feel like you are unable to sleep well due to background noise. Also, remember to keep your alarm turned on just once and away from you so that you will get up at the first ring.
7 Excessive Caffeine Intake:
As much as you enjoy caffeine rushing through your system filling you with energy, there are some issues it poses to your sleep cycle. If you consume more coffee during day time or close to bedtime, it can increase the difficulty faced in falling asleep. This can be a major reason why you wake up tired in the mornings.
The stimulating qualities which come with caffeine can make you stay awake through the night causing serious deprivation in the sleep required to wake up refreshed. Waking up tired due to overtaking caffeine needs to be curbed soon as it can develop into an addiction rather quickly.
8 Excessive Alcohol Intake:
A little bit of wine after dinner is said to have a sedative effect that can bring you good sleep. However, when consumed in excess you may tend to sleep sooner, yet there is very little time for you to plunder into a deep sleep. When the effects of alcohol wear off you tend to wake up feeling more tired and dehydrated.
Hangovers are one of the major reason why most people wake up tired after sleeping. Since alcohol reduces the time you get to go into deep sleep, the effect it will have on your overall health can be alarming. The advice would be to control drinking in the evenings.
9 Nocturia:
This is a condition where you tend to wake up in between sleep frequently for urination. If you drink a lot of liquid before going to sleep, then its quite natural that you may wake up a couple of times in the middle of the night to urinate. In the case of people suffering from nocturia, the amount of water consumption does not matter.
Nocturia is usually a symptom of some underlying medical condition. Since the people suffering from the same is unable to get any proper sleep during the night there are high chances that they might wake up tired in the mornings.
10 Sleep Apnea:
This is one of the serious sleep disorders that causes your breathing to abnormally stop during your sleep. Most patients are often not aware that they are suffering from sleep apnea. It is very common among people who snore during sleep and this disrupts the resting brain which causes extreme tiredness even after sleeping for a long time.
You should consult a doctor as immediately as possible if you doubt that you are suffering from sleep apnea. This sleep disorder can become extremely concerning in the long run if left untreated. One of the classic symptoms of sleep apnea is waking up with a dry mouth.
11 Insomnia:
Insomnia is yet another sleep disorder that can lead to waking up tired in the mornings. People suffering from insomnia almost always find it hard to fall asleep and even if they do its extremely difficult for them to stay asleep for a longer duration of time.
Insomnia can be both acute and chronic. Sometimes you may find it difficult to sleep in a new surrounding such as a hotel room. In the case of chronic insomnia, the patient will have to depend on medications to stay asleep at night.
FAQ’s
Now that you know the main reasons behind waking up tired there might be some questions that might be troubling you. In the below section we will answer a few of the most commonly asked questions about this topic.
1. Why do I still feel sleepy after waking up?
Simply logging in 9 hours of sleep does not guarantee you proper rest. Your body needs to be in deep sleep mode for it rejuvenate and refresh itself. There are many factors as listed above that can reduce the quality of your sleep and thereby make you feel tired even after waking up.
2. Does waking up and sleeping again make me tired?
Yes, you might be under the false conception that more time you spend on the bed trying to sleep is going to make you feel more refreshed. This is not true, waking up and going back to sleep will only make you feel more tired when you finally wake up.
3. Why am I tired even after sleeping enough?
There are various mental and physical factors that can hinder a good night’s sleep. As seen in the article above, there are many reasons that can make you feel tired after waking up ranging from sleep apnea to a bad mattress.