Yahoo Lifestyle Why Are You So Tired?
You’re tired; we know. Most of us are, with a whopping 96 per cent of Australians waking up that way. But having an attack of the yawns in a meeting might not have anything to do with your alarm clock. “The cure for sleepiness and fatigue relates to finding the underlying cause,” says Dr Colleen Carney, author of Goodnight Mind. Fight fatigue by finding out what type of tiredness you’re up against.
So Very Sleepy
YOU FEEL... Like you can’t keep your eyes open.
WHAT’S GOING ON: Generally, you’re not getting enough sleep — something a recent US study discovered is more common now than 20 years ago, when people were getting, on average, an extra two hours of shut-eye.
“People may put off sleep to get other things done,” says Carney. “They may not understand that not getting enough sleep carries risk for early mortality, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and more.”
If you feel like a snooze between two and four o’clock, blame your body clock. “We have a ‘lull’ in the afternoon, when there is a drop in the ‘keeping awake’ hormone, melatonin, that means that we have a propensity to feeling sleepy then,” says sleep physician Dr Maree Barnes, from the Sleep Health Foundation (www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au). But if you’re nodding off during meetings, driving or at the dinner table, you could have a sleep disorder, like sleep apnoea, where your z’s are unconsciously interrupted.
FIX IT: “On average, people need eight and half hours sleep each night,” says Dr Barnes. Prioritise your sleep time and your fatigue should subside. “If you’re having enough time in bed and sleeping through, but still feel sleepy, then you probably have a sleep disorder. You should see your doctor to sort it out - it may involve a referral to a sleep physician or to a specialist sleep psychologist.”
Emotionally Drained
FEELS LIKE... You need a lie down—not to sleep, but maybe for a good cry
WHAT’S GOING ON: When you’re wide awake but feel deeply tired, it’s likely you’ve just been through something significant: an exam, work presentation or stressful family event. “You’re more prone to this type of fatigue if you’re generally anxious and worry about the future," says Dr Barnes.
FIX IT: By normalising your stress levels. Break out some anxiety-busting dark chocolate and cue up the funny YouTube videos — one study shows they can reduce levels of stress hormones by almost 40 per cent.
Zero Energy
FEELS LIKE... You can’t concentrate, and worse, you don’t really care.
WHAT’S GOING ON: Usually it’s nothing to do with what happens in your bedroom. “There are many causes, including depression, chronic illness (heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, cancer, anaeamia) and infections,” says Dr Barnes. Your thyroid might be malfunctioning, too.
FIX IT: If you’re sleeping enough and eating well, it’s time to schedule a visit to your GP for a complete check-up.
Post-lunch grogginess
YOU FEEL: Suddenly foggy and sleepy an hour or so after your lunchbreak.
WHAT’S GOING ON: “That energy slump many experience is often a result of poor diet choices earlier in the day,” says holistic health coach Claire Obeid. Simple carbs, like cereal, toast, pastries and muffins, “kick-start a pattern of highs and lows in our blood sugar. Come lunchtime we’re usually ravenous and we’ll often scoff down a refined carbohydrate-filled lunch, like pasta, bread or noodles. Or we try and be “good” and choose a salad which isn't complete with enough protein and good fat.” Without the right combination of protein, fat and carbohydrates to refuel and re-energise, we crash.
FIX IT: Start the day right with a breakfast that mixes healthy fat, low-GI carbs and protein, says Obeid (think something like avocado on wholegrain toast with a poached egg). At lunch, aim to fill your plate with veggies, lean protein and healthy fat and avoid simple carbs. Hungry? Opt for a sweet potato over white-flour carbs.
Physically Spent
YOU FEEL... Weak, tired and sore, but it’s more about your muscles than your mind.
WHAT’S GOING ON: A hardcore spin class, a day rearranging your living room or being on your feet all day can cause tiny tears in your muscles. As your body’s repairing, your strength can feel sapped.
FIX IT: Your body needs a break, so lay off the workouts and soothe your muscles with stretches or a soak in hot water with Epsom salts.
Wired-but-tired
YOU FEEL... Exhausted, but your mind’s racing so much sleep is impossible.
WHAT’S GOING ON: “Although they feel as though you could sleep, you can’t,” says Dr Carney. “This is because the body compensates for insomnia with increased arousal.” Sometimes it’s just plain old stress that’s keeping you up way past your bedtime: our fight-or-flight hormones that kick in when we’re under pressure aren’t conducive to nodding off.
FIX IT: With gentle exercise in the evening, Dr Carney suggests. If you’re stressing out as soon as your head hits the pillow, “Try setting aside a “worry time” during the day,” says Dr Barnes. “Pick a time when you are usually able to sit quietly without being disturbed for half an hour. Go through all the worries and concerns that you have, and do your thinking and planning. Then, although you may still start to think about these things and worry about them at bedtime, you should be able to put them aside quickly.”
Young women in their early twenties who experience sleeping difficulties have five times the risk of developing depression in the following decade of their life.
Top 10 Sleep Saboteurs
The ten most common causes of a bad night’s sleep, according to Dr Maree Barnes of The Sleep Health Foundation (www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au)
• Screen time just before bed (including phones)
• A bedroom that’s too hot or cold
• Caffeine in the afternoon
• Nicotine
• Excessive alcohol
• A heavy meal
• Exercise within two hours of going to bed
• A noisy bedroom
• A bedroom that’s not dark enough
• An uncomfortable mattress and pillow
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