8 Possible Reasons Why You Wake up Tired (Even After a Full Night of Rest)

You did the responsible thing and went to sleep at a reasonable time instead of watching that next episode, and yet you still woke up exhausted. Is it just a case of the (week-long) Mondays, or is there a reason you always wake up tired, no matter how much sleep you get?

Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night, and not just to feel awake and alert. Getting too little sleep is linked to high blood pressure, mood changes, a weaker immune system, and more negative side effects, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

But if you’re in bed for plenty of time and still not feeling refreshed when the alarm goes off, there could be something more serious going on with your health than a temporary sleepy spell. Here, sleep experts share common reasons why you may be tired after a full night’s sleep.

Why You Always Wake up Tired, No Matter How Much Sleep You Get

Below, check out a few of those possible reasons you’re waking up tired all the time. Keep in mind it’s always best to talk to your doctor about your particular symptoms to figure out what’s behind your fatigue and the best steps forward for you.

1. Sleep Apnea

“Obstructive sleep apnea [OSA] may be the most common undiagnosed disorder that can lead to daytime sleepiness or feelings of tiredness,” says Jennifer Goldschmied, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where she specializes in sleep medicine. When someone with OSA is asleep, they momentarily stop breathing five or more times per hour and for at least 10 seconds at a time, according to NYU Langone. In severe cases, people might experience these temporary breathing pauses 300 times a night.

“This results in both a lack of oxygen in our blood and sleep disruption because these pauses in breathing cause frequent arousals from sleep,” Goldschmied explains. And when you’re woken up a bunch, you miss out on the deepest, most restorative type of sleep, she says, and you’re more likely to wake up tired. Even though it sounds a little hard to believe that you could stop breathing in your sleep and not realize it, Goldschmied says almost 60 percent of people with OSA don’t know they have it. (Other experts say that number could be as high as 90 percent.) Loud snoring is one telltale sign.

2. Restless Legs Syndrome

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is another physiological movement and sleep disorder that could be causing you to wake up feeling sleepy still, says sleep psychologist Janet Kennedy, PhD. Both RLS and OSA “are sneaky—you think you’re getting a lot of sleep, but it’s not restorative,” she says.

RLS makes you feel an unstoppable urge to move your legs that often gets worse when you lie down in bed. Unsurprisingly, this can be disruptive to sleep, leaving you extra tired in the morning—even if you were in bed for a full nine hours, according to Penn Medicine.

3. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

If you feel an overwhelming sense of exhaustion that makes it hard to go to school or work or spend time with friends and family, you could have myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Experts don’t fully understand why ME/CFS happens, and many people with the condition still feel tired after a full night’s sleep, even with the help of sleep medications, per the CDC. That said, people with ME/CFS can work with their healthcare provider to treat and manage some symptoms.

4. Depression

Depression can change your sleep patterns, Goldschmied says. Sleep becomes more fragmented, and you spend less time in the REM stage of sleep and the restorative, slow-wave stage of sleep, so you might wake up tired.

“This lack of restorative sleep could contribute to feeling unrefreshed in the morning and throughout the day,” she says. “It is also important to note that behavioral changes associated with depression, including decreases in both activity and exposure to natural light, can also contribute to daytime sleepiness.” 

5. Lifestyle Habits

Taking a hard look at what you eat and drink might help you figure out the cause of your fatigue. “Alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and even THC can erode sleep quality,” Kennedy says. “Blood sugar fluctuations also affect sleep quality, so highly restrictive dieting can backfire when it comes to sleep.” 

Certain sleep medications and antidepressants might also make you feel drowsier than normal, she says. But don’t quit these cold turkey: Always talk to your doctor before stopping any prescription meds if you think they’re making you wake up tired. 

6. Menopause

Approaching menopause? It could be sapping your energy, even if you thought you got enough rest. “Hormonal changes in women cause fatigue both because of their impact on sleep—temperature fluctuations, insomnia, night waking—and because of their impact on overall energy and irritability,” Kennedy says. A 2018 study in Nature and Science of Sleep found that 26 percent of women had so much trouble sleeping due to menopause that it affected their ability to function during the day. 

7. Iron Deficiency

If you’re short on iron—say, from heavy menstrual periods or a digestive condition like celiac disease—you might feel more fatigued in general, including after plenty of sleep, Kennedy says. “Iron deficiency also disrupts sleep, causing night waking and worsening restless legs [syndrome],” she notes.

8. Thyroid Issues

When your body doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone, you’re said to have an underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism. As a result, you’re likely to feel tired all the time, Kennedy says, regardless of how much rest you get. 

Hypothyroidism is most frequently due to Hashimoto’s disease, which causes your body to mistakenly attack your thyroid, according to the Office on Women’s Health.

7 Tips to Help You Feel Rested After Sleeping

Fortunately, many of the possible causes of excessive daytime sleepiness above can be treated with medications, lifestyle modifications, or both, so make sure to discuss your symptoms with a trusted doctor. If your doctor finds signs of a sleep disorder or another condition that’s causing you to feel tired all the time, the most important step to take to feel more refreshed will be to follow your unique treatment plan. Together, you and your provider can figure out the best potential path forward to managing or treating your symptoms.

If nothing serious is up and you’re able to manage some of the fatigue on your own, these sleep hygiene tips may help:

1. Stick to a Consistent Sleep Schedule

This means going to bed and waking up around the same time every day, “even on weekends and holidays,” Goldschmied says. “Varying your sleep schedule too much confuses the body clock and creates a sort of chronic jet lag,” Kennedy says. “Start by setting a consistent wake-up time. Over time, you’ll naturally become tired around the same time at night.”

2. Give Yourself Time to Wind Down Before Bed

How much time you need to wind down will vary for everyone, but make sure you have the opportunity to “process the day and let your mind settle down,” Kennedy says. “The brain can’t go from the speed of the day to shutdown mode all at once.”

3. Cut Caffeine After Noon

Try to stop consuming caffeine after 12 PM (or at least six hours before bed) and avoid other sleep-disrupting substances like alcohol too close to bedtime. “If you feel the effects when you’re going to sleep, it’s likely to affect your sleep quality,” Kennedy says.

4. Get Regular Physical Activity

“Exercise can be a great way to help you feel more alert, both in the morning and during periods of the day when alertness naturally decreases,” Goldschmied says. (Looking at you, 3 PM slump!) Plus, people who report exercising regularly are more likely to report better sleep every night or almost every night compared to people who say they don’t exercise, according to a 2013 NSF poll, even though both groups got about seven hours of rest each weeknight.

5. Seek Out Natural Light

Try getting some sunshine when you’re feeling sleepy. “Light exposure can boost our alertness,” Goldschmied says, which can help ease those tired feelings.

6. Make Your Environment Sleep-Friendly

“Your bedroom should be comfortable, dark, quiet, and cool,” Goldschmied says. (Aim for around 60–67 degrees Fahrenheit.) 

7. Get Out of Bed

You might be tempted to go back to sleep if you wake up feeling tired, but that could make things worse at night, Goldschmied says. “Sleep is a drive, just like hunger or thirst. The less you have, the more you need,” she explains. “You need to build [that drive] across the day to be able to fall asleep quickly and maintain good quality sleep.” 

If you wake up tired, try to get out of bed soon after, soak up some natural light, and exercise to help you feel more awake, she recommends. Although it might feel contradictory, “getting extra sleep doesn’t necessarily make you feel better,” Kennedy says.

When to Talk to Your Healthcare Provider

If you always wake up tired no matter how much sleep you got, “it’s never too soon to talk to a sleep expert,” Kennedy says. “Waiting leads to developing patterns that exacerbate or reinforce the problem—like spending too much time in bed, taking long naps, or overdoing caffeine.” 

That said, a healthcare provider will likely look for pretty significant daytime sleepiness to warrant treatment, such as sleepiness getting in the way of your work or personal life or making it seriously difficult to stay awake during the day, Goldschmied says. If you’re nodding off in the middle of a work meeting, for example, but you slept for seven to nine hours and your bedroom is conducive to sleep, it’s a good idea to get evaluated. 

Your doctor will talk to you about your symptoms and may order a sleep study, Goldschmied says, which involves recording your brain waves and monitoring your oxygen levels, breathing, and heart rate as a way to measure how well you sleep and diagnose any underlying issues, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

The Takeaway

Daytime sleepiness that makes it super hard to drag yourself through the day isn’t normal if you’re getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Talk to a doctor about how much sleep you’re getting, how often you wake up feeling tired, and any other symptoms you’re experiencing.

Otherwise, make sure you’re following the basics of good sleep hygiene, and give yourself some grace in the AM. “It can take some time to feel fully alert after waking in the morning,” Kennedy says. “How you feel when you first open your eyes isn’t necessarily an indication of how well you’ve slept.”

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice. It is not intended to replace professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician for questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. If you are having a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.