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Do you ever wonder why you sleep 8 hours or more and still wake up feeling tired? Does it seem weird that no matter how much you sleep, you still feel tired and disoriented? Are you looking for practical ways to get out of this boat?
I know how you feel. For several months, I have experienced the discomfort of sleeping eight hours and still waking up feeling tired. I didn’t know what to do and every attempt to get a solution felt frugal. I tried herbal teas but they didn’t bring me much results. Its until I learnt the reasons why I was waking up feeling tired that I cut off half the chase to finally get real results.
In this post, I will highlight 12 reasons why you wake up feeling tired. Each point will be well explained to help you understand what you have been doing wrong. Afterwards, I will teach you practical steps to help you overcome the ordeal. As a bonus, I will give you a FREE morning routine planner to help you create a morning routine so that you never wake up feeling tired ever again.
Here are a few related articles you may want to read ,too:
- 8 Things You Should Never do in the Morning After Waking Up.
- 7 Healthy Habits to do in the Morning Before Work.
- How to Wake Up Early and not Feel Tired
- Morning Routine Ideas That will Make you Want to Wake Up Early.
- How to Start an Effective Morning Workout Routine.
- How to Wake up Early in the Morning Without an Alarm.
- How To Create a Productive Morning Routine.
Let’s dive right in.
What are the reasons why you get tired even after a full 8 hours sleep?
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1.Sleeping at the wrong time.
Creating a sleeping routine not only improves your sleep quality but also enables you to be fully rested and rejuvenated. Its easy to wake up at the same time every day especially when you have work or school. The challenge comes with sleeping at the same time every day.
Sleeping at inconsistent time overtime leads you to feeling tired after waking up. There are many reasons why you might be having a hard time sleeping at the same time. It might be because you have a baby or you have trouble falling asleep instantly at night. I have written some rich article sharing points that have enabled me to sleep instantly at night.
Of course, there is no right and wrong time for falling asleep. It all comes down to what your sleeping needs are.
2.Having a snoring bed partner.
Science shows that having a snoring bed partner could lead to losing one hour of sleep every night. We all know how losing one hour of sleep can have a big impact on you. As I have highlighted above, having a sleeping routine is essential in waking up without feeling tired. If you lose one hour of sleep due to having a snoring partner, it could be the reason you wake up feeling tired.
Of course, you cannot stop sleeping with your partner just because you he or she snores. But, you can help your partner get relief by seeing a doctor for more specialized care. Check out this article by Mayo Clinic on snoring diagnosis,treatment and home remedies that you can start doing as soon as possible.
3. Anxiety and depression.
When a person suffers from depression or anxiety, he or she tends to sleep too much or less. This results in having an inconsistent sleeping routine which later makes you feel tired even after sleeping many hours. Depression can be stressful and exhausting. It can make you feel helpless and hopelessness added up with feeling tired after waking up. But there are some things that you can do to help you cope with feeling tired after waking up if you suffer from depression:
- Keeping a regular sleeping and waking up routine.
- Getting some form of exercise daily.
- Avoiding afternoon naps if you have insomnia.
- Asking loved ones for help.
- Limit caffeine and alcohol.
If you are experiencing symptoms of depression, it is very important to seek treatment as soon as possible.
4.Noise from external sources.
There is nothing more annoying than having external noise when you are trying to sleep. Being a college student means that I have to live around other students who tend to play loud music into the night. This has been a major cause of my insomnia which later translates to me waking up feeling tired.
What has helped me so far is to listen to white noise whenever I want to sleep.
White noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies giving it a constant power spectral density. Okay, I do not want to complicate your life by giving you hard terminologies. In simple terms, white noise is produced by combining sounds of all different frequencies together. Because it contains all frequencies, it is used to mask other noises.
Its like being in a noisy room and turning on the fan or television to drown out the other noise. So how is it going to make you sleep? If you have trouble sleeping or staying asleep, creating a constant ambient sound could help mask activity from inside and outside your house. It should be anything that creates a consistent and soothing backdrop throughout the night.
The kind of white noise I listen to when sleeping is rain sounds. Have you ever asked yourself why you sleep like a baby when its raining? Well its because it is a form of white noise. It masks noise from in an out of your house. but the fact is it won’t rain every single day. There are many rain songs available in the internet. Spotify, Soundcloud or itunes are some platforms that you can stream rain songs from. A better option is to get a white noise machine that can be used by adults and babies. The advantage of having a white noise machine is that it can be timed and help you drift to sleep by a sleep sound rhythm. Its a better option than streaming it online.
5. Poor eating habit before bed.
Eating a few minutes before sleeping is a cause for waking up feeling tired. This is because Digestion tends to continue when you are sleeping which shouldn’t be the case. Your whole body, including your digestive system, needs to rest. So when you eat before sleeping without taking a few hours interval, you overwork your body.
Take your digestive system like an employee and you as the employer. When you give your employee extra work yet they have been working all day long, they tend to be tired which also affects you as the employer. Your workforce will slow down because your employee is not as productive as he or she is supposed to be. That’s how eating before sleeping affects you which is translated to you feeling tired even after sleeping all night long.
6. Consuming anti-sleep products.
Anti-sleep products include alcohol and caffeine. When you consume them especially before sleeping, you tend to experience insomnia due to having difficulty falling asleep. Coffee has various benefits including helping you stay focused and alert. However, coffee causes insomnia and restlessness. This is because it contains caffeine which keeps one awake.
Taking coffee or alcohol before bed isn’t the best move to make especially if you want to wake up not feeling tired.If you have to take coffee, take it a few hours before your bedtime to minimize its likelihood of causing sleeplessness.
Alcohol has been shown to have sedative effects but it doesn’t lead to good sleep.Alcohol increases the number of times you wake up once the relaxing effect wears off and prevents you from getting deep sleep.The more alcohol you consume before bed, the more you are not getting enough sleep increasing your likely hood of waking up tired.
7.Sleep apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder whereby breathing repeatedly stops and starts. This in turn causes repeated awakenings making normal sleep impossible leading to severe daytime drowsiness and fatigue. You might not even realize when you have the condition.
Sleep apnea sometimes causes snoring which is likely to affect your sleeping partner negatively. If you are experiencing severe fatigue during the day and snoring at night, please consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
8. Having a poor sleep environment
Sleeping in a room which is not conducive for sleep is a leading cause of feeling tired when you wake up. Such poor environments include rooms with blue light which reduces melatonin production. Melatonin is crucial for a good night’s rest.
Also using your phone,laptop,desktop or watching television before bed exposes you to blue light. This may delay your sleeping time which in turn reduces your number of sleep hours.
Mattress problems is also another cause of waking up tired.If your fatigue is accompanied by stiffness and aching body parts, then your mattress might be the cause of your morning fatigue. Mattress are also home to common allergens such as dust mites which can cause nighttime sneezing and coughing , which can reduce sleep quality hence be a cause of waking up tired.
9.Spending more time than necessary in bed.
I have to admit that I am a victim of spending more time than necessary in bed. This is especially common when one wakes up to snooze the alarm and gets a hard time falling back asleep. The simple act of spending more time in bed when you aren’t sleeping or doing anything of importance wears you out.
I noticed that the more I spent time in bed than necessary the more fatigued I felt afterwards especially when I spent my time scrolling social media.
Too hot or too cold bedrooms can also cause restlessness and make it hard to fall and stay asleep.A cooler bedroom is suitable when it comes to getting comfortable sleep. your personal preference should play a big role in adjusting your bedroom temperature.
10.Reliance on sleeping medication.
When most people experience insomnia, they opt to buy sleeping medication over the counter. Self-medication is dangerous and it can have a more negative impact on your sleep than benefit. The more you get used to them, the more you relay on medication for sleep. This in turn makes it difficult for you to fall asleep without taking the medication.
If you have to take medication for your insomnia, get on a doctor’s instructions.
11.Lack of exercise
When you realize that you wake up feeling tired, the last thing that you might wan tot do is get up and start working out. Lack of exercise may be causing you to feel tired after waking up. This is because , exercise improves your brain function and mental health by releasing endorphins which keeps you less stressed and happy. As I earlier stated, stress and depression is a leading cause of feeling tired when you wake up.
When you exercise, your brain releases endorphins, a chemical that fights stress, which reduces the perception of pain and releases other mood enhancing hormones such as serotonin and dopamine. Endorphins is the reason why exercise makes you feel good. It has a similar and addictive behavior like nicotine and morphine but it is good for us. The feeling that exercise gives is known as “runner’s high.” However, unlike morphine, the activation of receptors by the body’s endorphins does not lead to addiction or dependence.
12.Restless leg syndrome
Restless leg syndrome is when one experiences uncomfortable sensations in your legs and a strong urge to move them that intensifies when one is trying to sleep. This in turn reduces your sleep quality causing one to sleep less hours hence waking up feeling tired.
So how you prevent waking up tired after a full 8 hour sleep?
1.Leave the snooze button alone.
The more you wake up snooze the alarm and get back to bed, the more your likely to spend more time than necessary in bed. So if you are aiming to wake up early and not feel tired, leave the snooze button alone.
2.Take a walk or exercise
The benefits of exercising are endless. It is more beneficial in helping with dealing with stress and falling asleep instantly at night. Research shows that 30 minutes of exercise three times a week is more effective when it is done consistently. However, I recommend you to consult your physician to determine the best exercise for you especially if you have an underlying health condition. Some examples of moderate exercise are:
- Biking
- Dancing
- Gardening
- Housework
- Jogging
- Swimming
- Walking
- Low impact aerobics
Joining a group exercise class may be beneficial for those undergoing depression. They benefit from the physical activity and emotional comfort.
3. Splash water on your face.
Splashing water on your face speeds up your waking time and helps you feel refreshed and relaxed after waking up.
4.Take less coffee.
Reduce your coffee intake especially a few hours before bedtime to reduce its chances of keeping you awake when you are supposed to be asleep.
5. Drink water
Your body is composed of about 60% of water. It is an essential nutrient meaning that the body cannot produce enough of it through metabolism. All your organs and tissues depend on water to function. Since your body losses water regularly, you need to compensate for the losses to avoid dehydration. That’s why you need to drink water immediately after waking up. Dehydration is also a cause of fatigue after waking up. It has a lot of benefits apart from being a healthy option. The other benefits are:
- Rehydrating your body.
- Increasing your level of alertness.
- Fuel your brain which improves productivity.
- Fight sickness.
- Jump start your metabolism.
The best way to get the most from drinking water in the morning is to drink three glasses of water immediately after waking up. You should do this before brushing your teeth and on an empty stomach. If you find it difficult to start with four glasses, start with one and gradually increase the amount. Do not eat anything for the next 45 minutes. After 45 minutes are over, you can eat and drink as normal.
6. Create a morning routine
Lacking a morning routine is one of the leading causes of waking up feeling tired. This is because you tend to spend unnecessary time on your bed even after waking up which builds up to fatigue. However, if you create a morning routine, you will be motivated to wake up, get out of your bed and start your day on a positive note leaving you energized.
I wrote a detailed guide of how you can create a productive morning routine step-by-step which will help you stop waking up tired. I earlier promised you that I will gift you with a free morning routine planner to help you get started and create an productive morning routine. Download it down below for FREE.
