Extreme Fatigue In The Morning

Improve Your Sleeping Environment

Is your room too warm? Does light get into your room at night? Is there a lot of noise coming in from outside? What about your pillows and your mattress?

All these factors impact the quality of your sleep and you should look into all of them. Sleep takes up roughly one-third of your day and will continue doing so for the rest of your life, so it is worth optimizing.

Generally, an optimal sleep environment is:

• Cool
• Only used for sleep or intimate relations

How Is A Pots Diagnosis Made

Problems with the autonomic nervous system can be difficult to diagnose. The standard test for POTS is the tilt table test. During the test, you are secured to a table that tilts from being horizontal to almost a 90-degree angle. The test measures your hearts response to switching from laying down to standing up. Some people with POTS faint during this test, even if they rarely faint standing up.

Although the test seems straightforward, many things can interfere with it. Its important that a POTS specialist oversees it. Its best to work with a doctor who has diagnosed and treated patients with POTS. This could be a cardiologist, a neuromuscular specialist or another doctor.

Underactive Thyroid And Fatigue

Symptoms: Extreme fatigue, sluggishness, feeling run-down, depression, cold intolerance, weight gain

The problem may be a slow or underactive thyroid. This is known as hypothyroidism. The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland that sits at the base of your neck. It helps set the rate of metabolism, which is the rate at which the body uses energy.

According to the American Thyroid Foundation, about 17% of all women will have a thyroid disorder by age 60. And most won’t know it. The most common cause is an autoimmune disorder known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Hashimoto’s stops the gland from making enough thyroid hormones for the body to work the way it should. The result is hypothyroidism, or a slow metabolism.

Blood tests known as T3 and T4 will detect thyroid hormones. If these hormones are low, synthetic hormones can bring you up to speed, and you should begin to feel better fairly rapidly.

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Lower Sleep Debt To Raise Energy Levels

If youâre worried about excessive grogginess and the amount of sleep youâre getting, sleep debt is the most important number to consider. Sleep debt is a running total of the hours of sleep youâve missed, compared to the sleep your body needs. Instead of attempting to analyze sleep quality or figure out how much deep sleep or REM sleep youâre getting, try simply keeping track of and minimizing your sleep debt.

To address sleep debt, itâs not enough to look at a single night of sleep. Tabulating the hours of sleep you owe your body over a 14-day period will give you a better picture of your bodyâs energetic capacity as it relates to your sleep habits.

If a full night of restful sleep is followed by prolonged sleep inertia and tiredness or low energy levels the next day, calculate your sleep debt from the two preceding weeks to find out if your sleep debt has been building up unchecked. The RISE sleep app makes such calculations automatic and even provides guidelines for minimizing and lowering sleep debt.

Maintaining a consistent bedtime is a keystone habit that can help keep you in the black. But when you get off track, using afternoon naps and sleeping in on weekends might be necessary to pay down your sleep debt. Getting off your regular sleep schedule is not ideal, but carrying a high sleep debt is worse.

Food Allergies Food Intolerance And Fatigue

Symptoms: Fatigue, sleepiness, continued exhaustion

Although food is supposed to give you energy, medical research suggests that hidden food intolerances — or allergies — can do the opposite. In fact, fatigue may be an early warning sign of food intolerance or food allergy. Celiac disease, which happens when you cant digest gluten, may also cause fatigue.

Ask your doctor about the elimination diet. This is a diet in which you cut out certain foods linked to a variety of symptoms, including sleepiness within 10 to 30 minutes of eating them, for a certain period of time to see if that makes a difference. You can also talk to your doctor about a food allergy test — or invest in a home test such as ALCAT — which may help you identify the offending foods.

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Its Not Completely Normal To Wake Up Tired And Exhausted Trust Us Its A Sign That Something Is Wrong With Your Health

There are days when you dont wake up energised, even after managing a 7-to-8 hour sleep schedule. It may be that youre heavy-headed or you feel too tired to even get out of your bed. But have you ever wondered the reason behind it? Why do you feel exhausted right in the morning? Is it due to stress, diet, or is there something else thats hampering your health?

All these questions need an answer, because an exhausted morning means an unproductive day which is neither good for you personally or professionally. If you cant figure out the reason, we are here to help you out and throw some light on the most basic causes of this tiredness.

Here are some causes:

1. Blue light exposure

It is artificial lighting that tends to emit blue light, which then suppresses the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate your bodys circadian rhythm. This makes it harder for you to get sound sleep at night, leaving one fatigued the next morning.

Bottom line Reduce your screen time, especially, if you are going to bed.

2. Wrong mattress

Are you using a good mattress? Well, if you are not, you are compromising on your sleep and that may make you tired the next morning. A wrong mattress can lead to stiffness and soreness of the body parts.

3. Thyroid disease

4. Depression

5. Anaemia

Having insufficient levels of iron in your blood can make you feel tired when you sleep and wake up the next morning.

6. Sedentary lifestyle

7. Dehydration

8. Alcohol

Avoid Having Sugar Until Lunch

All breakfasts are not created equal, so take stock of your morning food choices. Sugary items like sweetened coffee drinks, pastries, and breakfast cereals can lead to the classic blood sugar spike-and-drop that leaves you feeling drained.

Pro-tip: Pay attention to nutrition labels to see how much sugar youre getting at breakfast and cut back wherever possible. Keep whole foods like apples, carrots, and oranges on hand for easy access.

Thats right, we said less coffee but not none! Though coffee has plenty of health benefits, chugging a lot in the morning may indirectly contribute to increased fatigue later in the day.

Participants in one study reported feeling more tired the day after they had consumed caffeinated drinks. Experimenting with a reduced amount of caffeine in the morning actually may make you less tired.

Pro-tip: Avoid the big mugs. Purchase a smaller cup, if you have to, to help reduce the amount you drink.

Sunlight bumps up your bodys serotonin levels, leading to improved sleep and, therefore, increased daytime energy. And, according to a series of studies at the University of Rochester, spending time in nature makes people feel more alive.

Sounds like a very good reason to carve out a portion of your morning in the great outdoors.

Pro-tip: If going outside is a chore in the early morning, adjust your curtain so that the sunlight seeps in when youre getting ready to wake up.

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The Less Obvious Causes Of Morning Fatigue

The hormone cortisol is intimately tied to your bodys circadian rhythm. High cortisol levels throughout the day help to produce a sense of wakefulness. Low cortisol levels at night assist you in falling asleep. Irregularities in your cortisol rhythm and/or levels are commonly tied to fatigue. If an abnormality in your cortisol hormone occurs in the morning, its likely youre going to be extremely tired. Ill explain exactly what occurs below.

Cortisol 101

Cortisol is a steroid hormone that is produced in your bodys adrenal glands. Adrenal fatigue occurs when cortisol levels are low. But did you know that cortisol follows a specific rhythm every day?

About half an hour after you wake up, your cortisol levels should surge to levels 50-75% higher than they were while you were asleep. This phenomenon is called the cortisol awakening response , and suppression of this could be the reason you cant get out of bed in the morning. Check out the image below for more clarity on the CAR.

The cortisol awakening response

The first dot on the image shows the cortisol level upon waking. The green dots indicate a suppressed cortisol awakening response. The blue dot represents an elevated cortisol awakening response. The grey dots represent a normal cortisol awakening response. If you have a suppressed/lowered CAR, youre not going to have an easy time getting out of bed in the morning.

Is Your Physical Health Be Making You Tired

Tiredness in the morning can be a common experience. However, tiredness that persists for a long time isnt normal and it may be time to see your doctor. There are several physical health conditions that can make you feel tired, some of these include:

• Anaemia15 anaemia is caused by lack of iron, often because of blood loss or pregnancy
• Sleep apnoea15 when your breathing stops and starts while you sleep
• Underactive thyroid15 where your thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones
• Coeliac disease15 a lifelong disease caused by the immune system reacting to gluten
• Chronic fatigue syndrome15 is a severe and disabling fatigue that goes on for at least 4 months
• Diabetes15 is a lifelong condition that causes a persons blood sugar level to become too high. One of the main symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes is feeling very tired
• Glandular fever15 is a common viral infection that causes fatigue, along with fever, sore throat and swollen glands
• Restless legs15 is when you get an overwhelming urge to move your legs, which can keep you awake at night, potentially leading to feeling tired in the morning
• Pregnancy16 the first trimester in pregnancy is associated with tiredness

If you have been feeling constantly tired for more than 4 weeks, its worth seeing your GP so they can confirm or rule out a medical condition that could be causing your tiredness.

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An Underlying Health Problem

Depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder and going through menopause can all make you feel tired, fed up and sluggish as well as disrupt your sleeping pattern.

People who have SAD need a lot of sunshine to boost their mood and energy levels, so much so that many buy light boxes to simulate sunshine during the winter. And if you suffer from depression or are struggling with the symptoms of the menopause there are natural ways you can boost your energy levels which will make you feel happier, more awake and help you cope with all that the menopause might throw at you!

There are other health problems which can make you tired too. These include Restless Leg Syndrome , hypothyroidism, diabetes, high and low blood pressure and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Talk to your doctor or health provider if you are concerned.

If youre feeling tired for longer than a couple of weeks, see your GP, says Dr Shah.

As soon as you notice any change in your appetite, you feel pain, notice blood in your stools or urine, or are worried about any other symptoms, go and see your doctor.

Exercise Can Help Counter The Effects Of Fatigue

Exercise can often help relieve the effects of fatigue, especially more short-lived, acute forms of fatigue. Remaining physically active is important for patients with CFS, however, the approach to exercise must be individualized since exercise can cause the symptoms to become worse for some people. Other things that may help: better hydration, better diet, relaxation, and, of course, more rest and better sleep.

Caffeine and other stimulants may help fight fatigue in the short term, but longer-term, they may actually contribute to the problem.

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How To Improve Your Cortisol Awakening Response

The light-dark cycle affects cortisol: Darkness suppresses cortisol production and exposure to sunlight increases it. To get a healthy surge of cortisol, make sure you expose yourself to the sun as soon as you wake up.

For those of you living at latitudes resulting in minimal hours of sunlight during the winter, look into purchasing a full spectrum light. Expose yourself to this light for 10 minutes after you wake up. This will simulate exposure to the sun which should help cause a surge of cortisol. In the evening, youll want to do the opposite avoid exposure to bright lights as best you can.

If you find that light therapy is not improving your morning tiredness, low circulating levels of cortisol could be to blame. I recommend seeking out a knowledgeable Functional Medicine practitioner to help you assess and treat your cortisol levels.

If no one is available in your area, looking to the food you eat is the logical next step. The food you eat plays a profound effect on your cortisol levels. In fact, in my practice, I see blood sugar irregularities as the #1 cause of both morning fatigue and adrenal fatigue.

To make matters worse, you could have a blood sugar imbalance causing your morning fatigue and not even know it! If your fatigue isnt getting better after altering your sleep habits, be sure to check out my eCourse, Stop Feeding Fatigue. In this course, I show you how to determine exactly which foods are causing your fatigue and which foods give you energy!

Why You Wake Up Tired

Did I get enough sleep? If thatâs the first thing that pops into your mind as soon as your alarm clock beeps, a shift in perspective may be helpful. Constantly worrying about how often youâre waking up tired can be stressful and counterproductive, managing expectations is a good first step toward feeling better about your sleep.

Waking up feeling slightly groggy or tired is just part of the human experience. It’s called sleep inertia: “The transitional state between sleep and wake, marked by impaired performance ⦠and a desire to return to sleep.” The main thing to know about sleep inertia is it is completely normal. It’s misleading marketing â often seen in commercials for mattresses and pharmaceutical sleep aids â that gives us the idea we should wake up with raised, outstretched arms and feel immediately amazing.

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Dont Lose Sleep Over Losing Sleep

Once youâve done what you can to improve your sleep hygiene, do your best not to obsess or stress over morning grogginess or getting the perfect amount of sleep every night. Remember to look at sleep in two-week windows, and keep in mind that managing sleep debt is an ongoing process. Try not to think of waking up tired as a problem to solve. Instead, see it for what it is: the natural transition from sleep to feeling fully awake.

The RISE app is a simple, effective way to get yourself on the path to better sleep and better mornings.

Is It Sleep Inertia Or A Sleep Hangover

If you have a nine-hour sleep need and you wake up after six hours of sleep, you will likely feel tired that day. However, this is not always the case.

Sometimes, after a particularly short sleep, it is possible to feel like you have even more energy than usual during the day. But what you’re feeling may actually be caused by the stress hormone cortisol, as your body’s fight-or-flight functionality kicks in. Poor sleep can increase cortisol production, which can feel good in the moment but is more likely to be detrimental to your health in the long run.

The problem this can cause arises when your body gets accustomed to the good feeling of pumping cortisol, to the point that your body experiences the absence of a fight-or-flight response as a bad feeling. This is why it’s possible to actually feel extra groggy or tired after a night when you sleep longer than you usually do and to “wake up tiredâ after a particularly long night of sleep. It’s called a sleep hangover, and it can be an indicator of being caught in a bad cycle. To steer clear of that unhealthy dynamic, try to meet your sleep need as consistently as possible.

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Q Whats A Normal Level Of Fatigue For An Adult

A. Feeling tiredis one of the most common complaints doctors hear about. And fatigue is normalif you had a late night and then feel tired the next day.

Butfatigue can become a concern when it affects yourhealth and safety. For example, its a problem if youre likely to doze off insituations where you need to maintain alertness, such as while driving oroperating heavy machinery.

Sotalk to your doctor if fatigue is compromising your safety. Your doctor willalso want to know how long youve been experiencing symptoms to help determinethe cause of your exhaustion.

Should I Be Worried If Im Always Tired

In a word, yes. Feeling tired all the time has a number of effects on your body and mind. The National Safety Council estimates that costs related to sleep deficiency in the United States totaled more than $410 billion in 2015.1 This includes factors like missed workdays, affected performance, and illness due to poor sleep.

Heres another surprising fact: Sleep deprivation can impair you so significantly, its like youve been drinking. According to the CDC, being awake for 17 hours can have the same impairment effects as having a blood alcohol content of 0.05%. So, being tired isnt just a nuisance, it can actually be downright dangerous.

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