It's common to feel a little drowsy when you first get up. For many, a cup of coffee or a shower can solve the problem. However, if you frequently have morning lethargy, particularly if you feel exhausted all day long, there might be another issue at play. It can start to negatively affect your capacity to live life to the fullest if you consistently struggle to get out of bed even after a restful night's sleep or if your sleepiness lasts for an extended period of time. There are actions you can do to reduce the amount of time you spend in the morning grogginess zone and there are ways to maximise your energy levels throughout the day. (Also read: How to get a good night's sleep? Health and wellness experts share tips )
Dr. Michael Breus, Sleep Expert, explains reasons why you might be waking up tired in his recent Instagram post.
1. You are going to bed at the wrong time
Remember you have a specific chronotype (early bird, night owl etc), and if you wake up, at a time that is not consistent with your chronotype, it can make mornings miserable.
2. You stay in bed too long
Many people snooze 4-10 times while trying to get up in the morning. This is a terrible idea and here is why: the average snooze button is about 7-9 minutes long, but this does not give your brain the time it needs to get back into a deeper more refreshing stage of sleep. So, during the last 30-60 min of shuteye you are actually getting broken, fragmented sleep. Set your alarm for the last minute until you need to get up or if you must have a snooze, then limit it to one time.
3. Your bedroom environment is disturbing your sleep
There are many different things that can be impacting your sleep in your bedroom. For one, your environment’s temperature is crucial to your sleep quality, so consider turning the A/C down or trying out a cooling mattress to help set the stage for restful sleep. You can also get a blue light night lamp as blue light will keep Melatonin from being produced, which is critical for good rest.
4. Your bed partner is keeping you from getting good sleep
If you sleep next to a snoring bedpartner you lose an hour of sleep each night. And, if your bedmate is keeping you up not from an abundance of snoring, but rather from tossing and turning too much, consider trying out a memory foam mattress that limits motion so you can rest uninterrupted.
5. You ate or drank something that is reducing your sleep quality
The two biggest issues are alcohol and caffeine. While alcohol may make you feel sleepy, it actually keeps you out of the deep stages of sleep, which makes you feel awful in the morning. Caffeine does that same thing, this stimulant keeps your brain out of the deeper stages of sleep, which also makes sleep unrefreshing. Stop caffeine by 2 pm and stop alcohol 3 hours before bed. Caffeine has a half-life of 6-8 hours so stopping by 2 means that by 10 at least ½ is out of your system. As for alcohol, it takes the average human 1 hour to metabolize 1 alcoholic beverage, so if you have 2-3 glasses with dinner, make sure it is out of your system before bed, by waiting 3 hours.
6. You could have a sleep disorder
While the symptoms may be mild, there are many sleep disorders that can affect sleep quality. A typical one is sleep apnea, but others include narcolepsy, insomnia, and restless legs syndrome.
Feeling exhausted is so common that it has its own acronym, TATT, which stands for "tired all the time".
We all feel tired from time to time. The reasons are usually obvious and include:
- too many late nights
- long hours spent at work
- a baby keeping you up at night
But tiredness or exhaustion that goes on for a long time is not normal. It can affect your ability to get on and enjoy your life.
Unexplained tiredness is one of the most common reasons for people to see their GP.
Why you might be tired all the time
Before you see a GP, you may want to work out how you became tired in the first place.
It can be helpful to think about:
- parts of your life, such as work and family, that might be particularly tiring
- any events that may have triggered your tiredness, such as bereavement or a relationship break-up
- how your lifestyle may be making you tired
A GP will look at the following causes of tiredness:
- psychological causes
- physical causes
- lifestyle causes
Psychological causes of tiredness
Psychological causes of tiredness are much more common than physical causes.
Most psychological causes lead to poor sleep or insomnia, both of which cause daytime tiredness.
Psychological causes include:
Stress
The strains of daily life can worry most of us at some point. It's also worth remembering that even positive events, such as moving house or getting married, can cause stress.
Read more about how to deal with stress.
Emotional shock
A bereavement, redundancy or a relationship break-up can make you feel tired and exhausted.
Depression
If you feel sad, low and lacking in energy, and you also wake up tired, you may have depression.
Check how to tell if you have depression. See your GP if you think you are depressed.
Anxiety
If you have constant uncontrollable feelings of anxiety, you may have what doctors call generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) in adults.
As well as feeling worried and irritable, people with GAD often feel tired. See a GP, as medication and talking therapies can help.
If you think your tiredness may be a result of low mood or anxiety, try this short audio guide to dealing with your sleep problems.
Audio: Sleep problems
In this audio guide, a doctor explains what you can do to give yourself the best chance of a good night's sleep.
Media last reviewed: 2 March 2021
Media review due: 2 March 2024
Physical causes of tiredness
There are several health conditions that can make you feel tired or exhausted.
These include:
- iron deficiency anaemia
- underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
- sleep apnoea
Tiredness can also be the result of:
- pregnancy – particularly in the first 12 weeks
- being overweight or obese – your body has to work harder to do everyday activities
- being underweight – poor muscle strength can make you tire more easily
- cancer treatments, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy
- carbon monoxide poisoning – especially if your gas boiler has not been serviced regularly
- side effects of medicines and some herbal remedies
If you have been feeling constantly tired for more than 4 weeks, it's a good idea to see your GP so they can confirm or rule out a medical condition that could be causing your tiredness.
Lifestyle causes of tiredness
In today's 24/7 "always on" world, we often try to cram too much into our daily lives.
And to try to stay on top of things, we sometimes consume too much alcohol or caffeine, or eat sugary and high-fat snacks on the go rather than sitting down for a proper meal.
The main lifestyle causes of tiredness include:
Alcohol
Drinking too much interferes with the quality of your sleep. Stick to the guidelines of no more than 14 units a week for both men and women.
Read more about tips on cutting down on alcohol.
Exercise
Too much or too little exercise can affect how tired you feel.
Read more about the benefits of exercise.
Caffeine
Too much of this stimulant, found in tea, coffee, colas and energy drinks, can upset sleep and make you feel wound-up as well as tired.
Try decaffeinated tea and coffee, or gradually cut out caffeine altogether.
Night shifts
Night workers often find they get tired more easily. This is more likely if the timing of the shifts keeps changing.
Daytime naps
If you're tired, you may nap during the day, which can make it more difficult to get a good night's sleep.