If you can't wake up, you may have a medical condition, such as chronic fatigue or diabetes, a mental health condition, like anxiety or depression, or a sleep disorder, like hypersomnia and narcolepsy.
So when you're getting eight hours and still feeling tired the next day, it's frustrating. There are four likely culprits behind your low energy: your sleep need is more than eight hours, you're getting less sleep than you think, you've got sleep debt to pay back, or you're out of sync with your circadian rhythm.
Here's a list of causes of lack of sleep that can impact how you wake up early in the morning: Sleep disorders like sleep apnea and shift work sleep disorder. Your body has a sleep deficiency or sleep deprivation. Mental health issues like depression, stress, and anxiety interrupting sleep.
People with ADHD frequently report having trouble waking up in the morning. For help getting out of bed, try using light therapy or plan something enjoyable for when you get out of bed, such as exercise or a nice breakfast.
Parasomnias are a sub-category of sleep disorder. They involve abnormal and unnatural movements, behaviours, emotions, perceptions and dreams that occur while falling asleep, during sleep, between sleep stages or upon waking. Most people experience a parasomnia during their lifetime.
Sure, we all feel tired at different points in our lives. But if you're always feeling tired, it can be more than just not getting enough sleep. Feeling tired can stem from more serious issues like sleep apnea, depression, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
You're probably sleepy no matter how much sleep you get because you don't know your sleep need, you've got high sleep debt, or you're not in sync with your circadian rhythm. Hypersomnia, insomnia, sleep apnea, anxiety or depression, a medical condition, pregnancy, or poor sleep hygiene could also be to blame.
For example: a person needing 8 hours of sleep but getting only 6 would build a sleep debt of 2 hours that day. A person with an 8-hour sleep need who gets 6 hours each day for 5 days builds a sleep debt of 10 hours. As sleep debt builds, brain and body functioning deteriorate. Sleep is needed to “pay down” this debt.
In fact, there can be many underlying reasons why you feel so fatigued, including nutrient deficiency, high stress and anxiety levels, hormonal imbalance, and other medical conditions. By implementing these three takeaways, you are a step closer to getting the sleep you need to feel refreshed the next day.
If you aren't feeling rested when you wake up, despite getting to sleep at least 8 hours prior, then it might not be the quantity of your sleep that's the problem. It could be your sleep quality that needs some attention. The amount of sleep you get is important, but equally important is the quality of that sleep.
And while the occasional long sleep is generally nothing to worry about, oversleeping several days a week could be a sign that something more serious is going on.
Turn down your stress levels
Stress is also why you want to sleep but your brain won't stop talking to itself. That's because when the mind is under pressure, it releases a hormone called cortisol, which is also what the body uses to wake you up in the morning.
Parasomnia sleep disorders cause abnormal activities during sleep, such as sleep terrors or sleep walking. Dyssomnia sleep disorders cause trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Perhaps the most well known dyssomnia is obstructive sleep apnea.
There are several different types of sleep-wake disorders, of which insomnia is the most common. Other sleep-wake disorders include obstructive sleep apnea, parasomnias, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome.
After awakening from a nap or a long sleep episode (for example, 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night), people tend to feel groggy from sleep inertia. Sleep inertia is a temporary disorientation and decline in performance and/or mood after awakening from sleep.
Should you go back to bed if tired? Waking up tired doesn't necessarily mean you should go back to bed and sleep more, especially if you're getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Experiencing a little tiredness upon waking is totally normal and should subside within 15 minutes to an hour.
When you're sleep drunk, your brain doesn't make the transition to wakefulness. Your conscious mind isn't fully awake, but your body can get up, walk and talk. “People who have confusional arousal might act confused or have trouble speaking,” says Dr. Martinez-Gonzalez. “They might appear to be drunk, but they're not.”
Hypersomnia. View Source describes a condition in which you both oversleep and experience excessive sleepiness during the day. Narcolepsy and other sleep disorders commonly cause hypersomnia. Doctors might also call consistent oversleeping that causes you distress in daily life an excessive quantity of sleep (EQS)
How Much Sleep Is Too Much? Sleep needs can vary from person to person, but in general, experts recommend that healthy adults get an average of 7 to 9 hours per night of shuteye. If you regularly need more than 8 or 9 hours of sleep per night to feel rested, it might be a sign of an underlying problem, Polotsky says.
Extreme fatigue in women can be caused by high sleep debt, being out of sync with your circadian rhythm, your menstrual cycle and period, pregnancy, menopause, hormonal contraceptives, poor diet, lack of exercise, stress and anxiety, medication side effects, and medical conditions like thyroid issues or anemia.