Why You Feel Tired All The Time — A Surprising Way to Feel Better
It started when she had young children; she longed for some time to herself so she stayed up indulging in her favorite thing; engrossing herself in a book.
Yes, she was tired in the morning, but she felt like this time to herself was necessary for her soul, for a tiny bit of independence, and self-care.
As her children grew and needed her less, she continued to cherish this time to herself.
She would still get up in the morning with the family, but after everyone had left, she would crawl back into bed and finally get the sleep she wasn't getting at night.
But this came at a price.
Over time, she found it near impossible to fall asleep until early in the morning.
There were days when she had to get up for early meetings and on those days she would end up taking two-hour naps late in the afternoon.
She was always tired.
She felt completely out of sync with her family and the rest of the world. She cocooned and isolated herself.
Here is why Sharon was so tired:
She had an erratic pattern of sleep. She would go to sleep at different times and wake up at different times. Sometimes she would nap in the afternoon for hours.
She often wasn’t getting enough sleep
She was out of sync with her circadian rhythms, telling her body what to do according to the time of day.
Maintaining a sleep schedule is key to getting good sleep.
It is also fundamental to health and well-being.
Good sleep requires consistency.
This is because our bodies prepare for different physiological activities according to a routine.
If your body knows it's going to get up at a given time, it will be preparing the hormones needed for you to feel alert when you wake up.
From this, a cascade of other functions comes into play, including muscle tone, digestion, and elimination.
A similar process happens at bedtime when the body expects to wind down, preparing itself with sleep hormones for the rest and maintenance that goes on while we sleep at night.
In the absence of a sleep routine, you will develop an erratic pattern of sleep.
This not only messes with sleep but also contributes to poor health outcomes. Irregular sleep times increase the risk of heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), stroke, diabetes, and obesity.
When Sharon came to me, she was always tired, she was overweight, and she felt sluggish all the time.
One of the key things we did to turn things around for her was to establish a sleep schedule so that she was waking up and going to bed at regular times.
If you are someone who suffers from erratic sleep, consider implementing a schedule that will allow you to finally get a routine in your life.
You will feel more anchored and stable, you will get more done, and your body will thank you for it.
Here is how to maintain a sleep schedule:
Decide what time to get up in the morning. Choose a time that you can stick to, and that will not be disrupted by other demands. For example, if you have an early event twice a week, choose a time you can wake up every day that can accommodate this event.
Plan for how you will be spending your day and create some structure to your time
Develop evening routines and rituals in order to create boundaries for your day. Aim for a consistent bedtime and plan to wind down at least an hour in advance. Make your wind-down something you enjoy and will look forward to. Reward yourself at the end of the day with something that is calming, relaxing, and enjoyable.