A good 7- 9 hours of sleep is the best natural detox. But what if you don’t feel energetic, even after getting enough shut-eye? You’re obviously going to slump back in your bed or get some coffee! Chances are you’re going to feel tired until you rule out what’s wrong.
In this article, we will discuss the reasons behind all that tiredness you have to face every morning. Has it got to do with how much water you drink? Does drinking alcohol cause difficulty in sleeping? We’re discussing all that, and more…
1. You’re Not Active Throughout The Day
Exercising has over a hundred benefits. If you feel noticeably tired every day, it’s time to reassess your lifestyle, and what you’re doing to your body. Today’s culture involves a lot of sitting. If you have a desk job, you’re hunched over at a computer for up to 8 hours a day.
When you finally get home, you’re usually in front of the TV, or back in front of your laptop. If this sounds like you, you need to ditch this sedentary lifestyle and become more active. Take 20 minutes out of your day to get some exercise. Push-ups, sit-ups, anything quick. If you have time, go for a walk around your neighborhood. It will energize your body, and help you stay attentive throughout the day.
What’s your favorite type of exercise? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
2. You’re Dehydrated
Your body is made of about 60% water. It lubricates joints, maintains your body temperature, and provides electrolytes to your brain and spinal cord. Despite having so much water already in your system, you need to drink at least 2 to 3liters per day to maintain the volume of your blood. A lot of water is lost through urine, sweat, and stool. And if that’s not replenished, you could put your body at risk of cramps.
Vital organs like the brain, heart, and lungs also contain a significantly large percentage of water. A dehydrated brain would not work as efficiently as a hydrated one. Make a rule to drink a glass of water before you go to bed so you wake up feeling fresh the next morning.
3. Depression
Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses around. Everybody feels down from time to time. But if you’re constantly depressed, it’s going to affect your sleeping patterns. Not only can it reduce the amount of time you sleep, but it can also have the exact opposite effect.
Depression can make you sleep longer hours. This will have you feeling tired throughout the day, as your body is used to being in a state of rest. Depression can have an effect on your daily life. It will hurt your productivity at work, as well as your personal relationships. This will only make your sleep schedule worse.
Sometimes depression may go undiagnosed, but paying closer attention to your sleep patterns can help you diagnose it.
4. Alcohol
Have you been partying a little too hard lately? Pay close attention to the number of drinks you’re having in a night. It will affect how you sleep. Many people drink booze to help them sleep at night. The truth is alcohol can make you sleepy, but only in the short term.
People often fail to realize that in the long run, drinking hurts your ability to go into a deep sleep. Consuming lots of alcohol close to bedtime can lead you to take frequent bathroom trips. When the alcohol starts to metabolize in your body, it disturbs deep sleep.
This stage of sleep is reserved for your memory and learning process. You don’t want anything to take these things from you. If you feel like unwinding in the evening, have a glass of wine 2 or 3 hours before bed.
5. Having Coffee Near Bedtime
Nothing picks you up quite like a cup of coffee in the morning. Caffeine is a powerful stimulant. But coffee sticks around in your system for a long time. Experts recommend having your last cup of coffee 6 hours before your bedtime. Any after that can make it harder for you to sleep throughout the night. If you drink a cup of espresso with dinner and still sleep well, you’re not getting the best quality of sleep.
This could be the reason why you’re so sluggish in the morning. It’s not just coffee. Caffeine is present in energy drinks, teas, and chocolate. If you rely on these foods throughout the day, you’ll sure feel pumped up for a few hours. But the crash is worse. Slowly decrease the amount of caffeine you have each day, or switch to decaffeinated drinks.
6. Night Time Phone Use
How many of us struggle to sleep, scrolling mindlessly through Facebook? Probably every one of us at one point or another. All the phones have bright, blue screens and when your eyes keep staring at them, it triggers the brain. The light keeps on telling the brain to stay awake.
In this process, your body accumulates toxins. Studies have shown that blue light stops the production of melatonin, which influences the circadian rhythm. Poor sleep at night will make you cranky the next morning. If you generally sleep around 10 p.m, try to turn off your screen by 9. Let your brain adjust in that one hour and understand that it’s time to sleep.
7. Your Diet Is Terrible
One of the main reasons you’re so tired is because of your diet. If you fill your stomach with chocolates and chips before bed, the fats and sugars keep you up. These foods can mess with the natural sleep cycle and try to push it ahead, keeping you up for a longer time.
Try replacing it with low carb and high fiber foods. These are less likely to cause a sugar rush. It’s not just what you eat before bed. It turns out that breakfast also has a significant impact on your sleep pattern. A study found out that people who skip breakfast are bound to have poor sleep at night.
8. Nutritional Deficiencies
Iron deficiency alters sleep quality. It’s something you can prevent by simply changing your diet. Include more beans, grains, nuts, and leafy vegetables in your meals. A simple bowl of veggies can make a difference. Getting enough iron in your system is important for maintaining hemoglobin. This is the taxi service that carries oxygen to all parts of your body.
With no iron, there will be less oxygen supply to your brain, muscles, lungs, and heart. Low vitamin B levels can also make you feel gross. You’re fatigued even after eating right and getting long hours of sleep. Vitamin B converts food into energy. When you don’t have enough of this vitamin, you’re bound to feel less active.
If you have a magnesium deficiency, it’s likely to alter your blood glucose level and make you feel tired. If this sounds like you, get to a doctor, and figure out which nutrients you need.
9. Stress and Anxiety
Most of us feel anxious from time to time. Life is hard, and stress gets to you. Perhaps you’re stressed at work? Maybe you’re hanging around a toxic friend. There are so many things that can work us up. Whatever your problem may be, it can get in the way of your sleep time.
One of the things you can do to combat stress is breathing. Do a few breathing exercises. Meditation also helps. On top of that, try keeping a journal and writing down your thoughts. These can also contribute to better sleep.
10. Hormonal Imbalance
How often do you check your hormones? It’s important to get yourself checked for diabetes, or thyroid-related disease because these diseases have a direct link to sleep quality. Exhaustion is a major sign of both these disorders.
Diabetes can stop you from long hours of sleep because of peripheral neuropathy or limb pain. Certain cancers, bleeding disorders, and kidney diseases also involve shortness of breath, weakness, and fatigue due to poor blood supply to the organs.
11. Sleep Disorders
We all feel a little sluggish when we wake up. But generally, we pick up pace within a few minutes to an hour. If this condition doesn’t seem to resolve itself throughout the day, it could point towards sleep disorders. You must check-in with your doctor to get yourself diagnosed.
Read Also: 11 Vitamin C Rich Foods That Are Natural Fat Burners