Health & Fitness

4 Reasons You Wake Up Feeling Exhausted

You tried to be good and go to bed early. But, you still woke up this morning feeling like you only slept for 3 hours. You’re exhausted, you’re groggy and you’re wondering why you even bothered.

Is this just what mornings are like at this age? Are you simply doomed to wake up feeling crappy every day for the rest of your adult life, regardless of whether you get 8 hours or not? No, not exactly.

You might be getting sleep, but you also may be doing a few things to hurt the quality of that sleep. And quality is just as important as quantity.

1. You’re Not Actually Fully at Rest

When you lie in bed, do you really only have one or two positions you can be in to fall asleep peacefully? That’s not good, and possibly more the product of an uncomfortable mattress than it is because you’re a “picky sleeper.”

You may be holding onto an old mattress because you don’t feel like you can afford a new one. If this is the case, you should know that a memory foam mattress is more affordable than ever if you shop online instead of going through a big box store.

2. You’re Wrong About How Much Sleep You Need

You might think that you’re “OK” getting 5 or 6 hours of sleep. You feel you know your body and you can function well enough on that much sleep. Well, you may not know your body as well as you think you do.

The truth is most people need at least 7.5 hours to truly get the rest that the human body needs. There are some people who legitimately only need 6 or so hours of sleep, but they are in an incredibly small percentage of the population. Most of the people who think they can get by with so little sleep are actually hurting their bodies.

3. You Travel a Lot

You might be blaming hotel beds and exhausting travel schedules if you’re always on the road and always tired.

However, what most people don’t know is that only half of your brain is asleep when you’re trying to sleep in an unfamiliar place. The rest of your primitive brain is standing on guard for threats.

4. You’re Sleeping Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol

If you’re using drugs or alcohol to relax before bed, you’re likely hurting the quality of your sleep.

Being intoxicated can prevent you from entering the restorative phase of REM sleep that your body really needs. Even though you think you’re helping yourself unwind, you’re actually hurting your day tomorrow.

These are only a few of the things that may be killing the quality of your sleep. If you’ve tried addressing them but still waking up tired every morning, you may need to see a sleep therapist.

This is something you need to take seriously! The level of sleep you get has a direct impact on how healthy you are, and how happy you feel.

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