7 possible reasons you still feel exhausted after sleeping  

You went to bed tired, slept for several hours and expected to wake up refreshed. Instead, you opened your eyes feeling as though you had barely slept. Your body feels heavy. Your mind is slow. You may struggle to get out of bed and spend the first few hours of the day trying to shake off the tiredness.

For some people, this happens occasionally. But when you regularly wake up exhausted despite getting what seems like enough sleep, the problem may not simply be that you need more hours in bed.

The quality of your sleep, your daily routine and some underlying health conditions can all affect how rested you feel when you wake up.

In this article, Tribune Online highlights some possible reasons.

Your sleep may not be as restful as you think

Being in bed for eight hours does not necessarily mean that you had eight hours of good-quality sleep. Sleep occurs in different stages, and your body needs to move through these stages properly for you to feel rested.

Frequent awakenings during the night can interrupt this process, even if you do not remember waking up. Noise, light, an uncomfortable sleeping environment , an irregular sleep schedule and other disturbances can all affect sleep quality. As a result, you may wake up feeling tired even though you spent many hours in bed.

Your sleeping pattern may be irregular

Going to bed and waking up at very different times from one day to another can interfere with your body’s internal clock.

For example, sleeping at midnight on some days, 3 a.m. on others and waking up at different times can make it harder for your body to maintain a consistent sleep-wake rhythm.

A regular sleep schedule can help your body know when it is time to become sleepy and when it is time to wake up.

Stress may be keeping your brain active

Sometimes, the body is in bed but the mind is still working. Worries about school, work, finances, relationships or other problems can make it difficult to fall asleep or remain asleep.

You may technically spend enough time sleeping but still wake up feeling unrefreshed because your sleep has been disrupted. Persistent stress can also affect how you feel during the day, making tiredness more noticeable.

ALSO READ: Irregular bedtimes could be harming your heart, brain, doctors warn

You may be sleeping poorly because of sleep apnoea

One important cause of unrefreshing sleep is sleep apnoea , a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep.

A person with sleep apnoea may snore loudly, gasp or choke during sleep. However, the person may not realise that these interruptions are happening.

Repeated interruptions can prevent normal restorative sleep and may result in daytime tiredness, difficulty concentrating and morning headaches. If someone regularly tells you that you snore loudly, stop breathing or gasp during sleep, it is worth discussing this with a healthcare professional.

Your lifestyle can affect how rested you feel

What you do during the day can influence your sleep at night. Too little physical activity, excessive alcohol intake, late caffeine consumption and spending long periods on electronic devices close to bedtime can interfere with sleep for some people.

Large meals close to bedtime may also make some people uncomfortable at night.Good sleep is therefore not only about what happens after you get into bed. Your daily habits can also play a role.

Some health conditions can cause tiredness

Feeling tired after sleep can sometimes be associated with an underlying  health problem.

Conditions such as anaemia, thyroid disorders, depression and other illnesses can cause persistent fatigue.Some medicines can also cause drowsiness or affect sleep.

This is why persistent tiredness should not automatically be blamed on staying up late.

If you have been waking up exhausted for a prolonged period without an obvious explanation, a healthcare professional can help determine whether there is an underlying cause.

You may simply not be getting enough sleep

Sometimes, the explanation is straightforward.

Adults generally need at least seven hours of sleep each night, although individual needs vary. If you regularly stay awake late and have to wake up early, the hours you spend sleeping may simply not be enough.

Trying to compensate by sleeping longer only on weekends may not completely make up for consistently inadequate sleep during the week.