I’m sure we all had a day like this: You managed to get your things settled early, went to bed early, and slept for 7 to 8 hours only to find out you don’t wake up energized and refreshed as expected. Instead, your body feels heavy, or you feel tired to get out of bed. It’s frustrating to know that you’re getting a full night’s sleep and still feel shitty.

An exhausted morning can lead to a lack of energy, alertness, and not being able to make better decisions, which is neither good for you in personal matters nor work-wise.

You must have wondered the reason behind it even after a full night of sleep. Why do you feel tired waking up? Why do you feel exhausted right before the day starts?

If you can’t seem to figure out the reason, I’m here to help you out and give you some idea of the most common causes of this problem.

1. Not Getting Enough Exercise

Getting regular daily exercise is crucial in promoting a restful night’s sleep. According to studies, an adult needs 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. 150 minutes sounds like a lot, but you don’t have to do it all at once. If you know how to spread your activity out during the week, you’ll realize it actually takes up just a small chunk of time per session. However, you should avoid doing an exercise right before bed. This may raise your body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure, which makes you stay awake.

2. Inadequate exposure to sunlight

Sun exposure regularly each day helps regulate a person’s internal body clock. We naturally feel more awake and energetic during the day, and when it’s dark out, our internal clock tells us it’s time for bed. Seeing sunlight in the morning slows down melatonin production (the sleep-inducing hormone) to wake you up during the daytime and fall asleep easier at night. Sunlight’s vitamin D is a critical component to fight fatigue, boost mental health, and enhance sleep patterns. People who do not go outside during the day may lack exposure to natural sunlight which can cause tiredness.

3. Having Caffeine Before Bedtime

Caffeine is a drug that stimulates a person’s central nervous system. Think of you grabbing a cup of Americano during the mid of the day to help you stay awake. Similarly, this will cause you to stay awake and reduce the quality of sleep when you have caffeine late in the day. If you enjoy caffeinated beverages, try to stop consuming caffeine after 2PM, or consider the non-caffeinated versions of your favourite.

4. Consuming Foods that Disrupt Sleep

Some foods will disrupt sleep if eaten close to bedtime and cause digestive issues for some people. Foods that are high in fat will make people sleepy in the daytime and interrupt their sleep at night. They cause a feeling of discomfort. Spicy foods also need to be avoided before bed. It will cause heartburn when you lie down and a change in body temperature. These issues may affect both the quantity and quality of a person’s sleep. When quantity or quality of sleep is disturbed, it will cause you to wake up tired.

5. Drinking Alcohol Before Bed

Alcohol may cause you to fall asleep more quickly, but after a few hours, it acts as a stimulant that increases the number of awakenings throughout the night. This stops a person from entering rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and results in poor sleep quality. It also worsens snoring and sleep apnea if consumed near your bedtime. Keep it at least 4 to 6 hours before bedtime if you want to drink.

The Takeaway

A healthy lifestyle is crucial to solving this problem. It all comes down to the quality of sleep you’re getting. A healthy lifestyle improves the quality of your sleep and eventually helps you feel energized and refreshed in the morning.