If you hardly ever get through the day without feeling sleepy and exhausted at some stage, you’re not alone! In fact, around 30-40% of adults face fatigue or sleepiness on a daily basis. And the reasons behind that are far more complicated than simply not devoting enough hours to sleep-time. Everything – from your diet to your workout regime – affects the way you feel during the day. Here are just a few of the most common reasons you might be feeling sleepy before sunset.
Not enough sleep
Well, duh! As much as we want this article to be the most eye-opening experience of your life, the most common reason behind your daily fatigue is nothing else but the lack of sleep. The average adult needs 7-8 hours of quality sleep every night but, of course, your ideal number depends on many factors – how busy you are during the day, how physically demanding your work is, how good your diet is, etc. So, if none of the reasons below ring a bell, try to increase the amount of sleeping time.
Not enough quality sleep
Not every sleep is the same! If you keep on waking up or hit the pillow far past midnight, even 10 hours wouldn’t be enough. Your body needs to go through all the five stages of sleep to truly recover and re-energise and any interruptions or odd hours prevent it from doing its job properly.
Sleep hygiene plays a great role in increasing the quality of your sleep. It’s all about routines, triggers and luxury linen. Well, the last one is not obligatory but it never hurts. Read our earlier article on clean sleeping to learn more about it.
Too much carbs
When it comes to feeling energised and happy, it’s not all about how you spend your nights. What you eat during the day is equally important. If you’ve been indulging in muffins, pasta or other sugary and refined white carbohydrate-loaded meals, your blood sugar balance will be entirely off. When your body has more sugar than it needs, it produces too much insulin and causes a drop in blood sugar. As a result, you start feeling fatigued, anxious and irritated.
To balance your blood sugar levels, focus on foods high in fibre. It will slow the rollercoaster processes in your body and get you back on track. For example, an apple is so much better (and tastier) when paired with peanut butter. Read these nutrition tips for busy women to learn more about maintaining healthy diet during the workweek.
Not enough exercise
It might seem that the less you move the more energy you store. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Regular workouts enhance your blood flow and help efficiently transport oxygen and nutrients through your body. So, it’s sitting behind a desk that actually causes fatigue and not sweating in the gym! In fact, if you’re not moving your body enough, it doesn’t get enough cues to recognise daytime and keeps releasing only as much energy as you require in bed when in fact, you’re actually desperately in need of a kick to get you through that boring meeting without snoring too loudly.
It’s not you, it’s allergies
If you suffer from any kind of seasonal allergies, you’ve most probably noticed that the symptoms are usually more severe at night. The same goes for year-round allergies. Whether it results in impaired breathing, a runny nose or skin irritations – the symptoms definitely affect your sleep.
If it’s possible, try to remove any allergies from your bedroom. Dust mite covers, closed windows and no pets are your best strategies.
Messed up lights
Did you know that proper lighting can be as effective in keeping you energised as coffee? Exposure to a certain amount of light throughout the day increases brain activity. If your desk doesn’t get enough daylight, your body gets confused, forcing you to feel unnecessarily sleepy. After hours of being forced into a half-sleep mode, you might find it harder to fall asleep in your dark bedroom. Synchronise your internal clock with the actual time by getting more sunlight during the day and dimming the lights in your house closer to bedtime.
Your mental health is suffering
In no way are we experts in this area but it’s important you know there is a strong connection between the feeling of chronic tiredness and depression, anxiety disorder or PTSD. Sleepy afternoons don’t necessarily mean there is something wrong with your mental health but don’t overlook the symptoms as well.
