Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that around 15% of women and 10% of men “often feel very tired or exhausted,” highlighting that tiredness is a serious issue that many deal with on a daily basis.¹ Here are some of the most common reasons you may be feeling unrested and some simple solutions you can try out.

Your Cell Phone

A study by the National Sleep Foundation found that 20% of people ages 19 - 29 were woken up by their phone notifications at least a few times a night. Along with light given off of the screen which disrupts internal sleep responses, phones can cause you to stay up or wake you frequently in the night, not giving you the rest you need.²

Try: Turning your phone on do not disturb, and changing settings so only certain contacts notifications get through.

Jaw Clenching

The American Sleep Association states that bruxism, grinding of the teeth during sleep affects as much as 10% of adults. This can happen in the day, but also unintentionally during sleep, where you are unaware of it happening. Although it could happen without you realizing, it still causes tiredness the next day by occurring numerous times a night and causing sleep disturbances.³

Try: sleeping in a different position, meditating, practicing yoga, and avoiding caffeine or nicotine too close to bedtime.

Snoring

Snoring can cause awakenings throughout the night, disturbing your sleep sometimes without you even realizing it. This disrupts the ability to enter deep sleep and restorative sleep cycles, which are the ones that make you feel well rested and rejuvenated in the morning.⁴

Try: wearing a snoring mouthpiece to bed. This will eliminate snoring, giving you and your partner a restful sleep. 

Restless Legs Syndrome

Affecting 1 in 10 people at some time in their life, those with restless legs syndrome experience discomfort and uncontrolled movement in their legs, often right after going to bed. This leads to a difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, possibly causing insomnia as well, all of which can can lead to extreme tiredness while waking up in the morning.⁵

Try: seeing a doctor about underlying cause of the condition, and continue with recommended treatment options.

Your Bedroom Lighting

Although most lights are not ideal for getting to sleep, don’t be quick to shut all your blinds for the night. The rising sun has a powerful influence on your ability to jump out of bed feeling energized and not tired. Getting more natural light will even help you get to get better sleep at night!⁶

Try: Going outside, letting natural light in, and if there is a lack of sun, try a blue light device.

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 References

1 https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/SIAP_2011_Summary_of_Findings.pdf

2 https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6214a5.htm

3 https://www.sleepassociation.org/sleep-disorders/more-sleep-disorders/bruxism/

4 https://www.sleepscore.com/much-less-sleep-get-snore/

5 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7882.php

6 https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/a34610/things-in-your-house-making-you-tired/