Wellness Explained

Why You're Tired Even When You're Getting Enough Sleep

Episode Summary

Getting enough sleep but still waking up exhausted? The problem may not be how long you're sleeping. Sandy explores what can interfere with restorative sleep, from stress, alcohol, and sleep apnea to iron, thyroid function, breathing, and more, and what to consider when a full night's sleep still doesn't leave you feeling rested.

Episode Notes

Getting enough sleep doesn't always mean getting restorative sleep.

You can spend seven or eight hours in bed and still wake up exhausted...and sometimes, the reason has less to do with how long you're sleeping and more to do with what's happening during those hours.

In this episode of Wellness Explained, Sandy explores some of the less obvious reasons you may still feel tired despite getting what seems like enough sleep.

You'll learn about:

• Why sleep duration and restorative sleep aren't necessarily the same thing
• How stress, cortisol, and the HPA axis interact with sleep
• Why “adrenal fatigue” isn't the same thing as true adrenal insufficiency
• When persistent fatigue may warrant looking beyond sleep and discussing bloodwork with your healthcare provider
• The roles of iron, ferritin, vitamin B12, thyroid function, and other potential contributors to fatigue
• Why alcohol can help you fall asleep faster while still disrupting the sleep that follows
• How light exposure and red-light therapy fit into the sleep conversation
• How sleep apnea can repeatedly disrupt sleep without you remembering waking up
• Why snoring, mouth breathing, and waking with a dry mouth may be worth paying attention to
• Why simply mouth taping isn't a solution for unexplained nighttime mouth breathing
• One simple way to give your circadian rhythm a more consistent signal

The big takeaway: Being in bed long enough doesn't necessarily mean your body and brain are getting the restorative sleep they need.

Sometimes the answer isn't another cup of coffee, another supplement, or another sleep hack.

Sometimes it's getting curious about why you're tired in the first place.