This post is all about the everyday habits making you wonder why you're so tired, and how to fix them!
Do you find yourself always wondering “why am I so tired??”. Me too - and it turns out there are way more things involved in getting a good night's sleep than I thought.
Everything from what you eat to the temperature in the room can lead to you getting a less-than-ideal sleep. Since we need all the help we can get, I did a deep dive into studies to see how we can work on our sleep hygiene to hopefully start catching some much needed Z’s.
Check out this list to see what sneaky culprits are making you wake up feeling like a hot mess (emphasis on the hot). Keep reading if you want deep sleep in your future, and no more mornings where you wonder why you're so tired.
| Table of Contents: |
|---|
| Why is sleep important? |
| Why am I so tired? |
| How to avoid waking up so tired |
| Best products for sleep |
Why is sleep important?
Do you find yourself less able to rough it on only a few hours of sleep like you could in college? It's not your imagination! Our ability to bounce back from a bad night's sleep decreases as we get older. It turns out that we get less and less deep sleep as we age, which means you get less restful sleep and can’t get by with as little sleep as you used to.
Sleep is essential to basically everything your body does including:
- Memory
- Learning
- Mood
- Productivity
- Recovery
Just to name a few!
It turns out that 1 in 3 adults aren't getting enough sleep. That might not sound like much, but thats a third of the population!
Why am I so tired?
Problems with sleep can be split into three main categories:
- Mental
- Environmental
- Physical
1. Napping
Calling all Nap Queens! Napping is a wonderful thing, and lots of studies suggest that napping as a young adult can help our mind and memory. But napping well is a skill (that I still have not acquired) and there are things to remember to make sure you’re still getting a good sleep at night.
Dr. Neustein warns “don’t nap past 3 PM otherwise it can impact your sleep”. She also says to keep it short! If your body starts to move into the deeper stages of sleep, you’ll end up feeling worse when you wake up. This means if you must nap, keep them between 15-30 minutes.
2. Looking at screens
It’s no secret that electronics are bad before bed. Experts have been yelling this for years - do we follow their advice?
Looking at your phone or watching TV before bed stimulates the brain making it harder to fall asleep. Even if you don’t have trouble falling asleep, the quality of your sleep is affected, meaning you’ll feel more tired and less rested when you wake up.
Especially things like social media might spur some new emotions and thoughts that will circle around in our head while you try and zone out.
3. Eating
I for one and all for night time snacks (and all day snacks). Dietitians recommend you stop eating 3 hours before bed to allow your body to digest. If you struggle with getting good sleep or have gastric reflux, consider cutting your midnight snack to see if it can help.
This study states that eating up to an hour before you go to bed can negatively influence sleep quality. Food can wake your body up and may be a reason you have a hard time sleeping. That said, some experts say that you just need to know yourself.
Some foods like turkey and cherries have small amounts of melatonin. Sound familiar? That’s what's in those little capsules that you might take before bed!
4. Using an e-reader
I must admit I thought e-readers were exempt from the “no-screens” rule, but it turns out they’re also a culprit! Experts say “the use of portable light-emitting devices immediately before bedtime has biological effects that may perpetuate sleep deficiency and disrupt circadian rhythms”.
Reading before bed is a great habit, just try and keep a good old-fashioned paper book on your nightstand to help you get a good night's sleep.
5. Exercise
Exercise is a natural great remedy for trouble falling asleep, but the time of day you exercise matters too! Experts suggest that exercising within 3 hours before going to bed can make it harder to fall asleep as your body comes down from the adrenaline high.
Another reason you might be having trouble falling asleep is you're not getting enough exercise during the day. Often we feel our brains are so tired but we can't sleep since our body hasn't expended enough energy during the day.
So if you’re into late night workouts (or skipping them all together), consider the time you’re done if you’re trying to catch up on sleep.
6. Room Temperature
The temperature of the room you're sleeping in also plays a role! I'm sure I'm not alone who prefers not waking up to feeling like a popsicle, but warm rooms are actually linked to worse sleep.
The Sleep Foundation says the ideal sleep temperature is on the cooler side, but to make sure it's a comfortable temperature for you. Aka a temperature where there's no waking up in night sweats, but no shivering, ya feel?
7. Routine
Having a routine is critical for preparing your body and brain to know it’s time to wind down. Getting into a routine like washing your face, reading, and brushing your teeth will help trigger the mind so it’s relaxed and ready to sleep when you finally hit the hay.
People who have consistent sleep/wake times report higher sleep quality. If you’re someone who has a scattered routine everyday, consider setting yourself a regular bedtime and wake-up (even on weekends!).
Once your body is used to it, it will be easier to fall asleep, and you’ll wake up feeling more rested!
8. Lights
Do you have blackout curtains? It turns out that light when you’re trying to sleep doesn’t only impact your ability to fall asleep, but it also impacts the quality.
The major issue with light is that it screws with your circadian rhythm. This is your body’s “internal clock”. In other words, the thing that keeps your body on a routine of when to wake up and fall asleep!
Light coming in from the street, your clock, and any other light source will stop you from having the super restful stages of sleep (known as deep sleep and REM). This means having lower quality sleep, so when you wake up it feels like you’re exhausted!
9. Coffee
It's no secret that caffeine can mess with your sleep schedule. Thanks to a heavy workload and deadlines, a regular sleep schedule is a luxury most students don't have.
That said, there's ways to strategize when to have that coffee that's the size of your head so it doesn't completely destroy your chances of sleeping tonight.
The long story is that the half life of an average cup of coffee is about 8 hours, which means after 8 hours there's still half of it in your system. In other words, it takes a lot less time to drink it than it does for it to leave your system.
The general rule would be to avoid coffee after 12 noon. A way around the afternoon lull would be to drink tea (or other drink) with a small amount of caffeine in it. This way it can give you a boost but won't linger as long in your body.
10. Alcohol
Yes, alcohol can make you sleepy, but stay with me for a sec! Alcohol can make it easier to fall asleep, but the quality of sleep you get is worse.
You may have noticed you fall asleep super fast and stay asleep a long time after a night out but wonder why you're so tired the next day. You're not alone!
Studies show that alcohol reduces the amount of REM sleep you get, which is considered restorative. This means you feel more tired during the day, and have trouble concentrating.
11. Smoking
If you needed one more reason to cut this habit - here it is! It’s not surprising that there are a bunch of negative effects that come with smoking other than the obvious.
Nicotine is a stimulant that wakes your body up making it hard to fall asleep, also reducing the quality of your sleep when you do finally do.
Best Products for Sleep
Hush Weighted Blanket
I've wanted a weighted blanket for so long and these Hush blankets are the best it can get. Weighted blankets are known to help comfort, and Hush says they're perfect for insomniacs, people who toss and turn, and people who find themselves waking up a lot at night. It's definitely an investment, but if you can spring for it you won't regret it!
Cariloha Bamboo Sheets
Fitness guru Whitney Simmons swears by this brand. They're known for their super soft and eco-friendly products, which promotes giving back to the environment. Their website looks like a tropical oasis, and they have raving reviews about how soft their bedding is.
Cariloha is a brand focused on sustainability. They aim to save the planet through the use of more renewable resources, and have made eco-friendly their guiding principle.
If you like their sheets, they have so many other products for sleeping: duvets, towels, and even robes!
Fitbit Sleep Tracker
Fitbit is known for their superior sleep tracking products, and are always releasing upgraded wearables. The Fitbit Luxe (pictured) is an affordable tracker that will measure how much sleep you get, and break it down for you.
It can tell you how much REM you got, how long you were tossing and turning, how long it took to fall asleep, and more! You can even set it to wake you up with vibrations on your wrist, instead of the *panic inducing* alarm on your phone.
By measuring your sleep, you can keep track of when you're feeling drowsy, and how you actually slept. You can also see how your sleep improves as you introduce better sleep hygiene into your nights.
Kitsch Eye Mask
This sleep mask from Kitsch is made of satin, so it's great for your skin, and is super comfortable! Sleep masks are great if you don't have blackout curtains, and have light shining into your room keeping you up at night.
How to avoid waking up so tired
There are so many distractions and stressors today that sleep is often an unfortunate casualty. It might see like a good night's sleep is out of reach, and you're destined to wake up and ask yourself why you're so tired every morning, but you're not!
Most people struggle with getting good quality sleep, but don't realize the impact of their daily habits that are sabotaging them. These sneaky culprits are often a simple fix, and you should be snoozing in no time!
To summarize, to get a good night's sleep:
- Don't nap after 3 PM
- Dedicate an hour before bed as "no-screen time"
- Stop your snacking an hour before bed
- Read a paper book (no e-reader!)
- Exercise earlier in the evening
- Keep your room a comfortable temperature
- Set up a bedtime routine
- Turn off extra lights in your room (and get blackout curtains!)
- Drink tea in the evening
- Skip alcohol and cigarettes before bed
And there you have it!
No more wake ups where you ask yourself why you're so tired! Kick these habits to the curb.
What is your bedtime routine? Comment below!
If you want to learn more about sleep, check out Matthew Walker's book "Why We Sleep"
Neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker provides a revolutionary exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Charting the most cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and marshalling his decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels, regulate hormones, prevent cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity. He also provides actionable steps towards getting a better night's sleep every night.
- Goodreads
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