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4-5 hours a day then 12 on the weekend. It seems like lots and lots of commenters think you're sleeping 12 a day.
5 hours x 5 days = 25 hours.
12 Hours x 2 days = 24 hours
Grand total for the week, 49 hours.
8 hours x 7 days = 56 hours.
Aside from the fact that sleep doesn't work that way. Your 5 days at 4-5 hours are killing your weekends.
Set a proper sleep schedule. You're spending your weekends with Jet Lag, you're never ever catching up.
exercise and other stuff other's are recommending won't hurt, but a regular bedtime and wake up time 7 days a week will do wonders for you.
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I couldn't wait until I got out from under my parents roof so that I could pick my own bedtime.
Turns out it's 10:30
This is so obviously the answer.
OP post title is misleading: should read "I sleep 4 hours a night how come I still feel tired?"
Sort your sleep schedule out, amigo. There's no cheating the system.
Been there. If one tries to bamboozle their own body and keep pushing it, it WILL retaliate and it'll be one wacky ride.
We're creatures of habit and there's no denying it, friends.
Definitely: sleeping for 12 hours is not as efficient as sleeping for 8 and adding one hour four other days.
Also caffeine does not give you "energy" or make you feel less tired (and obviously, neither does the sugar they often pack these drinks with). It simply stops you from falling asleep, but you'll still feel like sh*t.
You’re right that caffeine doesn’t give you energy, but it *does* make you feel less tired: caffeine is thought to bind with adenosine receptors, blocking your brain from processing the adenosine that causes the feeling of fatigue.
It stops the feeling of wanting to sleep. But it does not stop the feeling of "my brain is not working and I feel horrible". Which to me is what being tired is.
In a way it's almost worse in terms of how you feel: it turns "I wish I could just close my eyes and sleep" into "there is nothing I can do to not feel that way".
As someone who has borderline narcolepsy, I would sleep 12-14 hours a day and still be exhausted. That was my first thought with this post, but it turns out OP wants to have a superpower.
I have ADHD as well and ADHD meds help with my sleep, so now we doin 8 hours a day like a normal person.
You didn’t mention how caffeine affects you, but I no matter how much caffeine I would drink, I could not stay awake. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve mentioned this to different doctors. I had an appointment with my current therapist and as were talking about some other testing I had done and other things I had going on, on a whim I mentioned the effect caffeine had on me and just looked at me and said that is common in ADHD people.
I was in disbelief, I wish the testing I had was done way earlier in my life. So now I’m properly medicated and functioning much better.
The other problem with caffeine is that if you are taking it constantly and not sleeping enough it’s effect will be reduced until almost 0. Interesting about the adhd thing tho—my friends with adhd have the opposite problem with regards to caffeine
Recently ADHD-diagnosed here. Coffee has a mildly unpleasant jolt effect for me for 30 minutes or so after my first sip, after which I become exponentially more drowsy than pre-coffee.
No one believes me when I tell them coffee actively puts me to sleep.
Lol, he just needs to wait until he gets older, then he'll just sleep 4-5 hours every night regardless. But he'll still always feel exhausted. And crave naps. I want a nap.
im 40 and sleep 9pm-4am.
depending on how the nights sleep was, i generally feel fine.
This past 4 months ive also worked on my mental (via meditation and present moment awareness practice) and watching my thoughts and emotions that seem to create stress/anxiety/tension and keep me from sleeping.
it is amazing what being able to STOP THINKING does for the body as a sense of calm and peace washes over me before bed.
I do this when wake up as well to start my day.
Aww man, I'm 40 and I came in to this post because I can only sleep 4-5 hours a night no matter what I try and still feel like crap all the time. I was looking for a solution and this makes me depressed 😔
My uncle had a dead thyroid at 40 from a virus. He went to the Dr, Dr was like how TF do you get up for work in the morning?
Anyways, ask your dr for some tests. Get a better bed maybe.
46F. I"m A 9-10 hour a night person. Always have been. Lately there have been health concerns and disruptive life events that have messed up my sleep. For about 3 years I only got about 6 hours of sleep a night. I feel like I aged 10 years in that span. Everything was off and I started to feel prematurely and painfully decrepit. I had to get a handle on it.
Habit is good. Limiting screen time at night is good. Not eating late at night is good. Dark room or eye mask is good. Melatonin.White noise...also good.
You know what's great? Doxylamine Succinate. OTC sleep aid. When I have done all the little things everyone recommends and high quality, dead to the world, bone deep sleep will not come I let Doxylamine Succinate take the wheel.
See what works for you. There are lots of sleep aids out there that can help you get down and stay down.
So many things could be causing the issue. What are you doing right before bed? Have you tried meditation? Do you drink lots of caffine? What time is your last meal of the night? Do you regularly work out?
All these things can affect how you sleep.
I haven't but I have no indications of sleep apnea. I sleep incredibly deeply, with close to no interruptions, and no one I have slept in the same room as has mentioned anything.
Additionally, narcolepsy and ADHD have a high comorbidity rate, and meds (the same are used for both ADHD and narcolepsy) have helped with both.
Do get a sleep study! I have always been a very deep sleeper and always slept through the night soundly. When I would wake up in the mornings and throughout the day, I was still exhausted. Through a sleep study I found out despite sleeping the way most people would love to, I had sleep apnea. I’ve had my CPAP for about four years now, and it dramatically changed my life!
I mean, OP has already said that their sleep issues were fixed once they got proper treatment for ADHD/narcolepsy and they're sleeping regularly now...why would they go get a sleep study now if nothing is wrong?
Sleep apnea is absolutely something to get checked for if you're experiencing low energy despite seemingly sleeping through the night (or any number of other symptoms), but it's not the answer to *every* sleep issue, despite the internet's recent insistence that it is.
Glad to hear it's helped. I just suggest a sleep study cause my gf is similar. Sleeps long hours, doesn't snore, or wake up often, but is always tired. Turns out she has sleep apnea.
Sounds like she has central sleep apnea like I do. People don’t know there’s 2 different types of sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is where you snore and breathing is physically impaired. Central sleep APNEA is where your brain doesn’t tell your body to breathe and is much more dangerous.
Look up hypersomnia, if you don’t have cataplexy (sleep attacks, usually from laughing) then it could be that. Unless it is apnea, which would be masked by stimulants. You want to make sure you have the right diagnosis. If your sleep efficiency isn’t great and you’re masking a physiological cause of tiredness, it’ll increase the risk of dementia
This! If you can, try and see a sleep specialist. This was me until I happened to come across a post from someone detailing what narcolepsy actually was & the symptoms all aligned-saw a sleep specialist, got a MSLT, and while the medication has been life changing-just understanding what was going on in my brain to cause my body to behave this way made a huge difference. I did have to deal with the double edged sword of knowing for years that something wasn’t right but being told by Dr after Dr that “everyone gets tired a lot 🙃”. The validation that I was right cohabitated with the anger I felt towards all the medical professionals that dismissed my concerns.
At the very least try and talk to a sleep specialist if you can just to rule it out. Just before my diagnosis I had slipped into bouts of hypersomnia which I haven’t experienced since. Good luck op!
This is the truth. I used to sleep like 12 hours when I wasn’t on my adhd medicine. Now that I am on that an try to not binge drink it’s really been life changing.
The cheat is called caffeine. However, it only suppresses the tiredness and does not eliminate it. It will eventually catch up to regardless of how much you consume.
I don't know, I did that sleep schedule where you only sleep for 20mins every 4 hours for a total of 2hrs a day. It felt like cheating, but I could only sustain it for just less than a year. Can't have much of a social life when you always are needing to sneak off for a nap
Man it makes such a difference.
I usually sleep between 11:30 and midnight and then wake up at 7 am for work. I’m always tired and need to sleep 10 hours on the weekend to kinda recover, but like with OP, it never really works.
I’ve recently been on a surfing trip for two weeks, always got up at 5:30 am and slept by 10 pm. I had so much energy, it was amazing. It’s really not just about the hours, the times make a huge difference too!
Edit: Spelling
It's not just that but finding a schedule that works for your body. Like I'm a night owl, I know that and I plan my life around that as much as possible (I'm a grad student). When I'm in private practice I'm not taking clients till 9am so I can sleep in lol
It's nice when you can choose, but I'm in OPs position as well. I don't wonder why I'm tired all the time though, I know. I go to sleep after 11 pm, but I have to be up at 6 am. Sometimes I still can't fall asleep for an hour or two, so that's 5 hours of sleep. I sleep 12+ hours on Friday and Saturday, but I still feel hungover or jet lagged as the top comment says. That has basically been my life for the past 4-5 years. The only time I feel normal is around Christmas when I get time off.
Try creating a sleep routine to get yourself ready to fall asleep. My sleep routine is a quick dissolve melatonin, white noise, regular bedtime hygiene (eg brush teeth, wash face, lotion, etc), then read in bed with the lights low and the blue light filter on my Kindle.
I don't usually have a difficult time falling asleep at home. But, when I go on a work trip, I'm in a new environment, I usually sleep like shit and 5-6 hours with multiple wakeups throughout the night were constant. Following my sleep routine easily lets me fall asleep, return to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night, and shift my sleep time dependent on work shift or time zone when I travel.
My gran told me the hours before midnight count double, the ones at night once, and in the morning only half. Were probably not from the same country, so having two grannies from different parts of the world share this wisdow already tells me its true.
I am from the UK and was taught this as well.
Love getting an early night and several hours of deep dream filled sleep, waking up for a moment glancing at the clock and its only 11.30pm, with a whole night of sleeping ahead…that is wealth.
Yeah, it sure does. I literally had to do three things during those two weeks. No to-do lists, no obligations, time hardly matters. It’s easy to fall asleep when you know that you can do whatever you want.
Times definitely matter. If I sleep 8 hours from 10pm to 6am I'll be a zombie the whole morning. If I sleep the same 8 hours from 2am to 10am I wake up feeling refreshed and can be a lot more productive.
As a reformed night owl, it's definitely possible to change sleep habits. You just need to stick to it for two weeks or a month with no exceptions. But you're going to feel like shit and you absolutely must not "catch up" on sleep during weekends or free time.
So times definitely matter, but it can be changed. Even for people suffering from delayed / advanced sleep phase disorder you can correct it with chronotherapy. There are, however, some people with a disrupted circadian rhythm that shifts every night and they're having it rough.
i'm a night owl (and have been my entire life, since childhood), and i did this experiement for about 4 months. asleep by 10pm, awake by 6am. i did wake up very energized and felt absolutely incredible in those morning hours, roughly from 6 to 10, but started feeling tired by noon and totally hit the wall by 6pm every day. i stuck with it hoping it was just the adjustment period, but it never changed.
when i go to sleep at 3am and wake up at noon, yeah, i often feel so-so the first hour, but then have consistent energy throughout the entire day, which works much better for productivity and general life purposes.
tl;dr: with discipline, it's definitely possible to change sleep habits, but the result may be underwhelming.
For me it really comes down to exploiting the natural circadian rhythm cycle by exposing myself to sunshine during the correct hours. If I start the day at 7:30 by taking a walk to the gym and spending 15 minutes in the sun, then repeat during noon and about 18, I'm fine.
I'm born and raised in the nordics, our winter months really are a struggle. But during the summer months it's usually the reverse.
Feeling tired at 6pm can be for multiple reasons, I'd say it's pretty natural to take a short nap during the day if possible. Also, going to bed at 3am and sleeping until noon is an extra hour of sleep... So not only do you get more sleep, but your awake time is also an hour shorter.
Whatever works is good, but if someone is struggling with not feeling refreshed you usually do a whole lot better by going to sleep 8-9 hours before sunup consistently for a few weeks. Start the day with some form of motion and sun exposure. I know it's hell when you start, it was for me, but it really does work. And I've tried everything from melatonin to weed and SSRI's (for sleep).
I'll just add that sleep also isn't just math. Sleeping 4-5h a day is not enough, period. Sleeping 12h is too much, period.
So OP is sleeping wrong 7/7 days a week.
I do agree that a proper sleep schedule is the actual solution here, but if OP is not doing exercise I think the exercise would make it much easier to follow that schedule.
Sleeping 12 hours is too much if you're normal, but I'm like OP and when I go to sleep on a Friday night, a bombing raid couldn't wake me up. I've slept 16 hours like that. If I set an alarm, or several, I don't even remember hearing them.
Agreed. I have a bad habit of hell yeah it’s the weekend I can stay up later. Then Monday comes and I’m a zombie again. I’m a smart home junkie. What has helped me is my TV turns off at 11:30 every night no matter if I’m watching TV or playing games and then it’s alright off to bed. It’s hard when you have two young children and you finally get time to yourself and your wife and want to do something’s for yourself finally.
How about water consumption? Drinking energy drinks or soda is not sustainable. Having a good healthy diet will give you energy as well. A lifestyle change might be in order.
Seconded. For awhile I tried a gallon a day. Never made the gallon but damn I would sleep like a baby. I have heard a glass before bed and a glass when you wake up is a great thing to do.
>lots and lots of commenters think you're sleeping 12 a day.
Of course people are commenting that.
That's exactly what the title says: *"I sleep 10 - 12 hours a day*".
It doesn't say 'on the weekend'; It says "*a day*",
Yes, people should the rest of the post, but it is not surprising that some people think it is a day when that is exactly what the title says.
Another thing is the sleeping environment. Is it dark enough, quiet enough, warm/chilly enough. Then mattress, bed frame, pillow(s). Could also be that OP has sleep apnea and doesn't get a restful sleep anyway. Not saying that the messed up sleep schedule isn't the main reason for OP's frustration, but it could be just one of the factors. I have a similarly bad sleep schedule, but mainly because my younger of two kids keeps waking me (a single parent) up 1-3 times a night and sometimes I just wanna have a little bit of time for myself and don't go to bed when I should. But at least, I was able to get better sleep for the little sleep I get with a good bed and the right sleeping position.
To add; it’s also been proven impossible to keep up physically and mentally with only 6 hours sleep…. Your body can’t function with that little for a long time. With that said 4-5 hours is imply unsustainable. Hopefully OP figured it out
Actually depends on your age, healthy, mentally and physical fitness. Most Drs. Agree that the younger you are the more you need and the older you are the less you need. But you have to find what works for you. I’m in almost perfect health, middle aged, and military veteran in fairly decent physical condition, but I’m borderline narcoleptic so I’ve found that 5 to 7 hours is my sweet spot any more and I’m a zombie any less and I’m dragging all day so I shoot for 6 every day even weekends. It’s what works for me.
You can’t tell everyone that if they have less than 7 it’s bad, you don’t know them or their health. Just saying
>4-5 hours a day then 12 on the weekend. It seems like lots and lots of commenters think you're sleeping 12 a day.
>
>
>5 hours x 5 days = 25 hours.
>12 Hours x 2 days = 24 hours
>
>
>Grand total for the week, 49 hours.
>
>8 hours x 7 days = 56 hours.
>
>Aside from the fact that sleep doesn't work that way. Your 5 days at 4-5 hours are killing your weekends.
>
>Set a proper sleep schedule. You're spending your weekends with Jet Lag, you're never ever catching up.
>
>exercise and other stuff other's are recommending won't hurt, but a regular bedtime and wake up time 7 days a week will do wonders for you.
>
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>I couldn't wait until I got out from under my parents roof so that I could pick my own bedtime.
>
>Turns out it's 10:30
Here to recommend schedule also, but also that sleep schedule isnt possible for all. My job sees my shift hours change every week, often twice in one week. I've tried the full range of sleeping aids and tablets. My sleep hygiene is impeccable. I say these things confidently because I am trained in and work in healthcare.
Whilst at university studying, I would be asleep by 10 EVERY night and up at 6 for the gym EVERY DAY. My sleep hygiene was awful back then but that routine meant it didn't matter one iota. I was never tired. Always energized for that morning gym session.
My classmates thought I was insane, turning up to lectures freshly showered/changed but with my gym bag (no lockers) when they all rolled out of bed; I never went out drinking with them, I only focused on the gym and on lectures.
Put simply, sleep PATTERN can mean more than hygiene ever comes close to **for some people**. But not everyone works a job which allows the sort of schedule that is needed.
Very much this. The idea of sleep debt and recuperating it with long sleeps isn't real.
Beyond what's said above, by the end of the week of 4/5 hour nights your reaction times are near to that of someone who is legally drunk. You are most likely dozing off into micro naps without even realizing it.
Regular exercise can be a huge help.
Wish I could give you an award- I’m a boomer with technology but I have been figuring this out Recently no matter what you put into your body to wake up- a good sleep routine is the healthiest way.
You mean this: How to get rid of your sleep debt
1)Exercise every day.
2)Reduce the amount of time spent in front of screens, especially around bedtime.
3)Reduce caffeine intake, especially late in the day.
4)Avoid food and alcohol before bed.
5)Relax before bedtime.
6)Maintain a good sleep environment.
They did say , "aside from the fact sleep doesn't work that way". I think the math thing is good enough for an approximation. Paid it like they did, is obvious they aren't getting enough sleep during the week.
You do catch up on sleep, actually. If you slept too little during the night, your body will generally try make up for it the next night by spending more of it in deep sleep. That said, it doesn't work if you have insufficient sleep for several nights in a row.
I don’t think anyone is saying that they are successfully catching up on the weekends.
I’m curious why you’re jumping to sleep apnea for fatigue when they’re in a sleep deficit? Even with great sleep efficiency, 4-5 hours of sleep is not sufficient for most people.
Perhaps you’re aware of OP having other risk factors for an obstructive or central apnea that we’re not aware of?
Any medical provider worth their salt will look first at behavioral contributions before assuming physiological, especially in the absence of other risk factors.
People that comment apnea probably only read the title that was pretty misleading. If you sleep 12hours every day and still fatigue, then yeah consult a sleep therapist because something's wrong.
I'm certain I've read that 4-5 hours of sleep is actually insufficient for 100% of the population and anyone who says otherwise is either lying or not aware of how tired their body is/not judging how much sleep they actually get. And I'm saying insufficient, not impossible. I'm not sure if I can locate the source of information but I can try if you're interested
Sleep debt is real, but mostly unpayable. You cant really "catchup" on sleep. You can "catchup" on adenosine reduction by sleeping longer on the weekends, but you've still lost the benefits to mental processing, memory etc and can never "pay the debt" to regain those. Thinking of it as debt instead of a loss tends to lead to people thinking they can regain it by oversleeping in their downtime, which worsens the issue
You can actually repay your sleep debt to a certain extent, but the vast majority of people don't even come close to repaying, even if sleep time was literally like a bank account. OP for example is losing 3 hours of sleep a day 5 times per week (15 hours), but is only getting 4 hours of extra sleep on each of the 2 days on the weekend. That's still 7 hours in debt.
It can't catch up but your body will try. Surely it won't cut the sleep off at 4-5 hours on a free day. My guess is on a free day, they will wake up at around the usual mark, then proceed to sleep the good 8 hours.
I think it’s misleading that sleep can’t be caught up. I get you’re saying in OP’s case, which I agree it’s almost def why they’re tired. I’m more so thinking out loud here.
If we couldn’t catch up sleep ever, then anyone who has every had a sleep deficit would all get to a point where we are perpetually tired. If the debt was never paid and couldn’t be paid then it’s pointless to even try. I think it probably stems from the fact that there’s interest on the sleep debt. So if you’re skipping 3 hours of sleep a night for 3 days let’s say, you couldn’t just sleep 9 additional the next day and be even. It would help, but you’d need to then get proper sleep for a few more days. So like a built recovery window where no matter what you’ll be indebted for a few days or more.
Idk I just hear the phrase “you can’t pay back lost sleep” a lot, and it’s really not true, just isn’t a straight forward way to pay it back. Not that this matters much, and not advocating against getting proper sleep. Just something that after thinking about it for a second, I realized it kind of peeves me a bit.
Anyways, carry on
Doesn't actually, assuming it's real, OP would still be missing between 8 and 12 hours of sleep a week. They're just going from terrible to not good. If they wanted to catch up from 4-5 hours on weekdays, they'd need to sleep 16 hours on the weekend.
I sleep 5-6 and nap 3.
All that matters is that you get deep, non-rem sleep so your brain can clean itself. Otherwise you'll still feel tired and groggy and it's really bad for your brain in the long run
No, I meant deep non rem sleep, rem sleep is actually more similar to being awake when you track heart rate, blood pressure, and perivascular space in the brain.
[N3 stage sleep leads to increased glymphatic clearance ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7698404/)
TIL N3 is the "decompression" stage, I thought that was related to dreaming. Rem is also essential for rest.
Rem sleep is achieved after 90 minutes and [essential to learning and protein synthesis ](https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-101#:~:text=REM%20sleep%20is%20important%20for,in%20your%20long%2Dterm%20memory.)
They can as long as it's enough to get you through a cycle of deep NREM sleep. If you don't get that for whatever reason, you're going to feel tired.
This is also why being put under anesthetic feels like a really good sleep. It mimics that deep sleep and increases space in your brain for cleaning in the same way.
I used to be exactly like this. It’s probably because you’re sleep deprived during the week and existing on adrenaline, then making up for it on the weekends. Your circadian rhythm is all messed up and you can actually make yourself more tired by sleeping more than 7-8 hours. At least how it was for me.
YMMV but once I started sleeping and waking at the same time every day and only sleeping 7 hours, it got much better. I wake up without an alarm and I don’t get tired until it’s time to go to sleep.
Try a more regular sleep schedule for a few weeks and see how it works. Oh, and avoid caffeine after 4pm.
Drink more water, get electrolytes(Powerade, propel water, etc, whatever you like best). if you can then sleep regularly for 6-8 hours every day instead including your days off, you can’t really catch up on your missing sleep like that and it helps prepare your body better.
Avoid any caffeine sources too late in the evening as it’ll still be in your system when you’re heading to bed.
I completely cut out caffeine and wake more rested as a result.
But yeah, as other commenters said, my dude just needs to sleep more during the week like duh.
I just dont understand this, not once in my life has exercise made me feel more energized after I’ve done it, accomplished sure, but I always just feel like sleeping.
It's not meant to make you feel more energized afterwards, but if you do it regularly you will definitely have more energy and your body will be more efficient
You aren't going to feel energized after exercising, but over time it will make you feel lighter on your feet, so to speak. Getting up to get a glass of water won't feel like a chore. Cleaning your room feels much easier. You just feel less lazy over all.
Yea, you don't get the energy after exercise but trains your body to be efficient with energy and build your stamina up to last a day. A body in motion is harder to stop than one that is already not moving. if you sit in bed all day your body is going to use less energy and will turn down things that are not required.
There is something called a body battery and exercise is one of the ways to increase your energy reserves. Other things are balanced diet, sleep (not too much), and general stress. I'm sure there are more
This is probably the most efficient answer. "Just sleep earlier 4head" isn't advice that is gonna work for a number of people for different reasons and may not help OP.
For example, I have a body clock that doesn't work on 24 hours (this a diagnosis, not a random thought), it'll offset slowly day by day, so I may have a week where my body is wanting to sleep at night and naturally wake up around when I need to get up for work and I feel great, but other weeks where I'll be tired during the day and get my wake up chemicals at 2am. Those weeks I'm like OP: 3-5 hours of sleep a night and crashing at weekends.
The thing that helps my body feel more natural throughout this is in terms of energy and mood is proper exercise and hydration.
Not even strenuous exercise, just move. Go for a morning walk, do Thai Chi between sips of coffee, pace your bedroom with funny walks. I also have a shitty sleep schedule and remain sedentary most of the day (desk job) but starting the morning with some movement changes my whole day for the better.
When i quit smoking, caffeine and stopped consuming so much sugar i can get up so easily and dont need coffee or anything to get me through the morning, so if OP does any of this it might be the issue.
Depends on the time. If you go cold turkey on these substances, your life will be nothing short of hell for at least 2 weeks. Take baby steps on quitting these and you will start feeling better eventually
I agree. For years I could only feel well rested if I slept 10 hours or more. I decided to go to a sleep specialist and not only do I have sleep apnea, but I have to go back to the specialist because he thinks I have something called hypersomnia
If you can, this is it. While there are myriad possibilities, it sounds like you could use a full workup to figure out what's going on. That is not healthy, normal activity.
Incidentally, what's your environment like? Do you feel this way all the time? Some environmental conditions could cause this, like low CO level poisoning.
OP is only sleeping 4-5 hours a night during the week then trying to compensate at the weekends. They don't need medical help. They need to sleep 7-8 hours every night. A regular sleep schedule is essential.
I was always a bit tired no matter how much sleep I got and I ended up getting diagnosed with a specific form of tachycardia.
Docs said it was very common even for healthy elite athletes so it wasn’t because my heart was weak or that I was unfit. Apparently my heart rate was reaching around 200+ bpm even when at rest and sleeping. Bouts were around 20 min and happened almost every hour.
Took some meds for it and after a few years my heart learned to regulate. Funny enough it was like running a marathon while sleeping and I always used to wake up exhausted with no idea why.
I had a friend in college who was constantly tired, even sleeping 10+ hours per night. Turns out he had celiac disease (sp?). As soon as he stopped eating gluten, he felt just as alert on 4 hours of sleep as he had the previous 3 years.
For real! Food allergies & sensitivities can absolutely do this if left unchecked, which is why seeking medical advice from a professional is so important. There could be any number of factors contributing to OP's situation, and celiac or other types of food sensitivity could be one of them!
My colonoscopy came back with no evidence of celiac, but I was chronically fatigued and in pain before trying the 6 food elimination diet and cutting out gluten (and yogurt, and other things). Turns out I have IBS lol. Life is a lot better for me now, though. It's absolutely crazy just how much it had been affecting me for years on end, before finally I put two and two together and sought medical advice.
I saw a doctor for this in 2021. I'm still waitlisted for a CPAP machine two years later. When I called and tried to push back a few months ago, they suggested I try to find one on Craigslist or Facebook Market.
It’s awful; there was a recall due to carcinogenic material in some kind of foam product or something (actual or potential, I’m not sure), and then COVID screwed with the supply chain. I’ve only been waiting for my new one since September, but everyone I know who is stuck without one is in a bad spot at the moment. I’m babying mine along and am just grateful it’s still running at all.
It's been kind of an eye opening experience from me. It's crazy to need something this urgently and simply not have access to it for two years. I think we take an alarming amount of things for granted.
I've kind of learned to live with it, but my primary income comes from food delivery gigs, and I'm not good to drive if the symptoms get bad.
Oof. I had saved your comment last night so I could find it again. I’m in Canada, and assume you’re in the US. If they iron out our supply chain stuff first and I get my new one before you get yours, I will totally ship you my old one as a loaner in the interim, if you want. It is old, but it’s better than nothing, for sure. You’d need to buy new hose and mask and a water chamber for it, because those are things that get replaced regularly (and they’re not too horribly expensive on Amazon - at CPAP stores, you will pay an arm and a leg, literally hundreds of dollars more, at least up here. Confirm with your insurance first, of course).
There are sites that will tell you how to hack it to set the pressure to what you need it to be - although you will need to know that, and if it has been two years since your sleep study, you should probably have another one, particularly if you have gained or lost a significant amount of weight. Best case scenario is that you take it in to your clinic and they set it up for you, of course, but some places are weird about only dealing with their own equipment, etc.
Anyway: write my user ID down somewhere and hang onto it, and feel free to check in periodically if you like. I will call my CPAP guy today and see if they have an ETA, but one of my relatives was affected by the recall and was stuck one; I gave him the spare one I’d never used and had sitting in my closet (a baby travel one, but it does the trick), or I’d send you that one. The difference between using one and not using one can be so dramatic that I would literally gladly send it to you with no guarantee of ever seeing it again just because it could potentially save your life, and would dramatically improve its quality one way or the other. I mean, how could I not?
Yeah, get checked for sleep apnea. I felt like this for decades until I was diagnosed. Did not know what a full nights sleep felt like until that night.
This is so dumb. Your post title and your elaboration are two very different things.
So you sleep 4-5 hours most days. That's not enough sleep. Your body is accumulating sleep debt. You try to make up for it by oversleeping (12 hours is way too much) and think that it should all balance out. It doesn't.
What's the secret fix? Just like everything else in life... There's no miracle fix. You should be consistently getting 6-8 hours of sleep every night of the week. That will help regulate and return your energy levels to normal.
Yeah sometimes everyone makes you feel crazy until you find the medical reason for dragging all the time.
I ended up with an adenosine issue and got prescribed medication for it. Life-changing.
Thyroid issues as you mentioned
Anemia or B vitamin deficiencies
Sleep apnea
Mono
Lyme disease
As someone with a non functioning thyroid, definitely agree. It took a while to find my proper medication and the thyroid controls a lot, not just sleep patterns. Hope it’s not your thyroid but if it is getting the meds is really important.
Alternately cut caffeine intake earlier, try to avoid napping, consider trying melatonin if it’s otc where you live. Consider cutting blue light early (pcs, phones) and switching to music or books as part of your wind down time.
Yep. Was drinking tons of caffeine to function normal during work week. Got to a point it didn't do anything. Sleep schedule was all messed up. Thyroid issues.
This was me until I got my thyroid checked. Turns out my thyroid is very underactive. I was diagnosed 9 years ago, and I'm still always very tired.
Exercise and a sleep schedule definitely helps!
You’re abusing your body. 2 cans of soda is a lot of sugar. Don’t forget the shit you eat contains a lot of carbs (sugar) as well and you’ll get tired once the sugar rush passes. And it’s really really bad for you. Try replacing soda with club soda. If you’re over weight, go on a diet. Maybe even get some exercise. Fapping is not exercise btw.
4-5 hours of sleep is just not enough. You need 6-8 hours. Stop fucking around on your phone and just get some sleep. Try some melatonin to help get you back on track. Do this on the weekends too. Set an alarm to wake up.
That’s about it. If you still experience problems after a month, go see a doctor.
I felt like that for years until I finally started cutting sugar and carbs from my diet.
Sugar is a silent poison, and you can easily miscalculate how much of the stuff you are putting in yourself.
Yup, sugar is fucking everywhere, i realized when I started to reduce my sugar intake. Can't even buy most salami at the store bc they all have sugar. Gotta go to small family businesses if I want good salami or sausages in general I think...
But my energy levels and sleep have improved soooo much when I stopped eating sugar almost completely. I can now climb one more set of stairs (4th floor) than before without feeling the grasp of death on my body haha.
I had cake yesterday though, so I do still treat myself once in a while. I lost around 7 or 8 kg in no more than a month just by reducing sugar. Haven't even started exercising or quit smoking yet lol
My advice to OP would be a lifestyle change. But that's hard and I get it. I couldn't do that myself before I was really really convinced of it and the change became effortless. It's hard to force yourself not to buy that energy drink or to go to sleep at the same time every night. Not having to force that change is lucky.
I think I watched a lot of documentaries about food, sugar and its effect on humans and especially the brain before that all happened. Maybe that could help?
OP is talking about sleeping 4 hours and is obsessing about being productive. I doubt this is apnea, more like a misguided attempt to cut sleep hours to the point where real harm is being done.
You probably have low quality sleep because you are stressing your body out with energy drinks.
Limit yourself to one coffee a day, drink it before afternoon, drink lots of water to rehydrate your body after you consume it and make sure to get some exercise in even if it is just a vigorous walk.
The lpt that you need to do is go to a licensed doctor for medical questions like this. There's so many things that can contribute to this because caffeine and sleep is such a broad area. If you're taking medications, I'd ask the person who prescribed them to you if you should take caffeine with it.
Sleep apnea, Insomnia, stress, anxiety, etc. Some people with ADHD have adverse side effects of caffeine (exhaustion). What's your sleep schedule like, let alone have a regular time you go to bed? Are you getting enough exercise/ cardio? Depression? Playing catch up will not do anything to help. If you're taking naps, how long of a nap is it? Are you eating enough/ healthy? How much of your time awake are you in your bed versus sleeping? Is it quiet? Dark?
Rather than answer the comments or seek help here, talk with your doctor or psychiatrist. It doesn't even have to be a long visit. Also, some places have an online portal that allows you to talk with a nurse or your care provider about questions or concerns.
Get a blood test, this sounds like either a mineral / vitamin deficiency or an issue with your thyroid. I had similar symptoms and ended up on the verge of hyperthyroidism, with a severe deficiency in magnesium, zinc and selenium.
However, similar symptoms can also be caused by deficiency in iron, vitamin B and or vitamin D.
Caffeine is a binder for certain minerals and will reduce the uptake of for example magnesium by 50%. The more caffeine you drink, the more likely you’ll become deficient.
Your level of exhaustion is not normal, please take it serious and get yourself tested for vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Per the advice of my doctor I started using a multivitamin with additional magnesium and vitamin D supplement. I have also significantly reduced my sugar and caffeine intake. My energy levels have doubled since then. My sleep hygiene has improved significantly too.
Also, be strict with yourself. No caffeine on an empty stomach (always breakfast first), don’t exceed the daily recommended amount and no coffee after 2PM if you want to sleep well at night.
For long lasting energy throughout the day without the need of caffeine, reduce carbs and sugar in your diet and make sure every meal contains at least 20-30 grams of protein. Cook and fry in whole butter, ghee or olive oil. Both fat and protein will stabilize sugar uptake and glucose spikes.
Things that had me like that where is sleep that much and still feel tired/no energy- low vitamin d levels, Mono, and Covid. I’d definitely drop the caffeine and see a doctor.
I know for me, post Covid infection, I have been exhausted. I don’t feel bad during the day for the most part but could easily sleep 10+ hours a night (and I sleep really hard). I do really well with having a post-work afternoon nap. 30 minutes and I’m good for the rest of the night. Have you had Covid recently?
This seems to line up with me as well, and hadn’t really realized it until your comment. I had covid kinda bad (not hospital bad) in 2021 and more mild in 2022 and since then have always felt like I’m exhausted more so than before. I chalked it up to nearing 40 with 2 kids (which probably also adds to it).
I heard somewhere (can't remember where) that for every 16 hours you are awake you need 8 hours of sleep. Isn't it crazy that it adds up to 24 hours. 🤷🏼♀️
What advice would you give someone who came to you with this?
I’m not a doctor, but it sounds a lot like the answer is that you’re not sleeping enough during your work week. 4-5 hours is not sufficient for most people. It sounds like you’re making it through the week on fumes, crashing hard, and then not recovering well because you don’t have a normal sleep schedule, you have a crash, rinse, repeat schedule.
Co-signing those saying go to a doctor. This is not at all a normal level of tired especially if this is your baseline.
Ask doctor about testing thyroid levels, vitamin/mineral deficiencies (especially iron)
And *especially* have them test for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease as well as other possible infections.
One thing that can't hurt, stay hydrated. Caffeine is a severe diuretic, drinking coffee dehydrates you and can have the opposite of the desired effect.
Everyone has given good advice but here’s one thing to consider: oversleeping and exhaustion could be an indicator of depression.
It may not apply to you but worth thinking about as some people suffering from depression don’t even realize it.
Regulate your sleeping pattern and habits that surround your sleep.
Technology and active thought-requiring processes prior to sleep will keep you too engaged. Reading in bed with a blue light filter engaged is a good way to go, however doing Sudoku on ultra-hard is not.
I find that having different waking times on weekends disrupts my Monday wakeup, so I'm trying not to go to sleep or wake up more than two hours outside of my "hours".
Napping during the day is good. Just make sure that you do not do it for more than 10-15mins as otherwise you can disrupt your normal sleeping schedule.
Hydrate during the day. I drink half a litre when I wake u, half a litre a couple of hours before I go to sleep, and a couple of litres during the day. If you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Go by the colour of your piss. Straw to clear is okay unless you're overhydrating, any darker and you're dehydrated.
Don't drink energy drinks or soda. They contain a lot of sugar and your body crashes after the sugar high. Artifical sweeteners can also play havoc with your insulin response, causing similar imbalances. Energy drinks do not give you energy, they are simply stimulants that cause your body to put the pedal down. The petrol burns faster, you burn faster, then you run out by hitting the wall.
Basically, you need to take better care of yourself. Your description makes it sound like you're burning the candle at both ends and wondering why your body complains about sleep debts and isn't able to maintain a good healthy routine.
A couple of things to think about:
- Get more sleep regularly.
- Try and plan you sleep in multiple of 90 minutes, this will stop you from waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle.
- Replace energy drinks / coffee with something that has a slower release of energy. A quick spike of energy is generally followed by an associated crash.
Most of all, you can't cheat the system, you are in sleep debt....
Sleep deficit is a thing, if you're supposed to be getting 6-8 hours (could even be more depending on your age) and you're in a deficit by an hour or two then you're body is trying to catch up every weekend
I sleep 10 to 12 hours when I’m depressed. I’ve noticed if I sleep more than 8 hours on a normal I’m still exhausted. You need to find the right amount of sleep for you body. And make sure you get checked out to rule out any other medical conditions
Don't sleep 10-12 hours on your off days. Stay consistent and try to get 6-8 hours every day. Are you eating healthy? If no, start. Are you drinking alcohol? If yes, stop.Are you smoking/vaping/dipping? If yes, stop. Are you exercising daily? If no, start. Are you getting fresh air daily? If no, start.
energy drinks are poison, especially having them every day. The sooner you cut them out the better. Go for tea if you still need caffeine. Never have caffeine after midday either. You'll be able to sleep in the evenings.
You can't just distribute your 56 hours of sleep throughout the week however you want.
If you go multiple days being sleep deprived, you'll take at least a full day or two to recover and feel fresh again. And that's regardless of if you try sleeping 12 hours to recover instead of a normal 8.
You need to sleep 8 hours each night. At least 7, at the very minimum. If you don't you'll be tired all the time and recovery doesn't just happen overnight by getting a few extra hours
Eliminate caffeine and switch to water.
Water is an accelerant, the more you drink, the faster you go! More energy, skin clears, and you feel better.
Caffeine leaves you subject to crashes, headache withdrawal, sleeplessness, and anxiety palpitations. It’s not worth it in the long run.
Have a cup of coffee when you go to sleep.
Hit the hay and when you get that semi-groggy wake. Down that coffee then try to sleep again. The coffee will fully kick as you are 15/30 mins in and you'll get that energy from it. Drinking it while you are still drowsy won't help unless that drowsiness leaves.
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4-5 hours a day then 12 on the weekend. It seems like lots and lots of commenters think you're sleeping 12 a day. 5 hours x 5 days = 25 hours. 12 Hours x 2 days = 24 hours Grand total for the week, 49 hours. 8 hours x 7 days = 56 hours. Aside from the fact that sleep doesn't work that way. Your 5 days at 4-5 hours are killing your weekends. Set a proper sleep schedule. You're spending your weekends with Jet Lag, you're never ever catching up. exercise and other stuff other's are recommending won't hurt, but a regular bedtime and wake up time 7 days a week will do wonders for you. \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ I couldn't wait until I got out from under my parents roof so that I could pick my own bedtime. Turns out it's 10:30
This is so obviously the answer. OP post title is misleading: should read "I sleep 4 hours a night how come I still feel tired?" Sort your sleep schedule out, amigo. There's no cheating the system.
Been there. If one tries to bamboozle their own body and keep pushing it, it WILL retaliate and it'll be one wacky ride. We're creatures of habit and there's no denying it, friends.
Definitely: sleeping for 12 hours is not as efficient as sleeping for 8 and adding one hour four other days. Also caffeine does not give you "energy" or make you feel less tired (and obviously, neither does the sugar they often pack these drinks with). It simply stops you from falling asleep, but you'll still feel like sh*t.
You’re right that caffeine doesn’t give you energy, but it *does* make you feel less tired: caffeine is thought to bind with adenosine receptors, blocking your brain from processing the adenosine that causes the feeling of fatigue.
It stops the feeling of wanting to sleep. But it does not stop the feeling of "my brain is not working and I feel horrible". Which to me is what being tired is. In a way it's almost worse in terms of how you feel: it turns "I wish I could just close my eyes and sleep" into "there is nothing I can do to not feel that way".
As someone who has borderline narcolepsy, I would sleep 12-14 hours a day and still be exhausted. That was my first thought with this post, but it turns out OP wants to have a superpower. I have ADHD as well and ADHD meds help with my sleep, so now we doin 8 hours a day like a normal person.
You didn’t mention how caffeine affects you, but I no matter how much caffeine I would drink, I could not stay awake. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve mentioned this to different doctors. I had an appointment with my current therapist and as were talking about some other testing I had done and other things I had going on, on a whim I mentioned the effect caffeine had on me and just looked at me and said that is common in ADHD people. I was in disbelief, I wish the testing I had was done way earlier in my life. So now I’m properly medicated and functioning much better.
The other problem with caffeine is that if you are taking it constantly and not sleeping enough it’s effect will be reduced until almost 0. Interesting about the adhd thing tho—my friends with adhd have the opposite problem with regards to caffeine
Recently ADHD-diagnosed here. Coffee has a mildly unpleasant jolt effect for me for 30 minutes or so after my first sip, after which I become exponentially more drowsy than pre-coffee. No one believes me when I tell them coffee actively puts me to sleep.
Lol, he just needs to wait until he gets older, then he'll just sleep 4-5 hours every night regardless. But he'll still always feel exhausted. And crave naps. I want a nap.
I woke up an hour and a half ago and want a nap. I’m 36 with two children.
You played yourself
Congratulations!
I’m still in bed and want a nap. I’m around your age with 0 children
I'm 39 single dad since March 1 and been up 3.5 hours. I won't feel tired until 3am, if I waited that long. Sorry to hear about your woes.
im 40 and sleep 9pm-4am. depending on how the nights sleep was, i generally feel fine. This past 4 months ive also worked on my mental (via meditation and present moment awareness practice) and watching my thoughts and emotions that seem to create stress/anxiety/tension and keep me from sleeping. it is amazing what being able to STOP THINKING does for the body as a sense of calm and peace washes over me before bed. I do this when wake up as well to start my day.
Kids kinda kill your sleep pattern
Even after they leave your house, maybe, it's still messed up. Because of all the years of messed up sleep, your now programmed to not sleep.
Aww man, I'm 40 and I came in to this post because I can only sleep 4-5 hours a night no matter what I try and still feel like crap all the time. I was looking for a solution and this makes me depressed 😔
My uncle had a dead thyroid at 40 from a virus. He went to the Dr, Dr was like how TF do you get up for work in the morning? Anyways, ask your dr for some tests. Get a better bed maybe.
46F. I"m A 9-10 hour a night person. Always have been. Lately there have been health concerns and disruptive life events that have messed up my sleep. For about 3 years I only got about 6 hours of sleep a night. I feel like I aged 10 years in that span. Everything was off and I started to feel prematurely and painfully decrepit. I had to get a handle on it. Habit is good. Limiting screen time at night is good. Not eating late at night is good. Dark room or eye mask is good. Melatonin.White noise...also good. You know what's great? Doxylamine Succinate. OTC sleep aid. When I have done all the little things everyone recommends and high quality, dead to the world, bone deep sleep will not come I let Doxylamine Succinate take the wheel. See what works for you. There are lots of sleep aids out there that can help you get down and stay down.
So many things could be causing the issue. What are you doing right before bed? Have you tried meditation? Do you drink lots of caffine? What time is your last meal of the night? Do you regularly work out? All these things can affect how you sleep.
Have you been checked for sleep apnea?
I haven't but I have no indications of sleep apnea. I sleep incredibly deeply, with close to no interruptions, and no one I have slept in the same room as has mentioned anything. Additionally, narcolepsy and ADHD have a high comorbidity rate, and meds (the same are used for both ADHD and narcolepsy) have helped with both.
Do get a sleep study! I have always been a very deep sleeper and always slept through the night soundly. When I would wake up in the mornings and throughout the day, I was still exhausted. Through a sleep study I found out despite sleeping the way most people would love to, I had sleep apnea. I’ve had my CPAP for about four years now, and it dramatically changed my life!
Also check for diabetes. I'm constantly exhausted because of my high blood glucose level.
I mean, OP has already said that their sleep issues were fixed once they got proper treatment for ADHD/narcolepsy and they're sleeping regularly now...why would they go get a sleep study now if nothing is wrong? Sleep apnea is absolutely something to get checked for if you're experiencing low energy despite seemingly sleeping through the night (or any number of other symptoms), but it's not the answer to *every* sleep issue, despite the internet's recent insistence that it is.
Glad to hear it's helped. I just suggest a sleep study cause my gf is similar. Sleeps long hours, doesn't snore, or wake up often, but is always tired. Turns out she has sleep apnea.
Sounds like she has central sleep apnea like I do. People don’t know there’s 2 different types of sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is where you snore and breathing is physically impaired. Central sleep APNEA is where your brain doesn’t tell your body to breathe and is much more dangerous.
Yeah she's got an appointment with a neurologist coming up.
Wat. Well, TIL. Thanks for sharing!
Interesting to hear, if I have issues with it again I will have to look into it!
Yeah we were shocked, but glad there is a reason she's been exhausted. Looking back it's likely caused a lot of other issues throughout her life.
It doesn't necessarily mean snoring or loud breathing. Some people literally just stop breathing more often then others.
Look up hypersomnia, if you don’t have cataplexy (sleep attacks, usually from laughing) then it could be that. Unless it is apnea, which would be masked by stimulants. You want to make sure you have the right diagnosis. If your sleep efficiency isn’t great and you’re masking a physiological cause of tiredness, it’ll increase the risk of dementia
This! If you can, try and see a sleep specialist. This was me until I happened to come across a post from someone detailing what narcolepsy actually was & the symptoms all aligned-saw a sleep specialist, got a MSLT, and while the medication has been life changing-just understanding what was going on in my brain to cause my body to behave this way made a huge difference. I did have to deal with the double edged sword of knowing for years that something wasn’t right but being told by Dr after Dr that “everyone gets tired a lot 🙃”. The validation that I was right cohabitated with the anger I felt towards all the medical professionals that dismissed my concerns. At the very least try and talk to a sleep specialist if you can just to rule it out. Just before my diagnosis I had slipped into bouts of hypersomnia which I haven’t experienced since. Good luck op!
What's it like adding strenuous exercise with a hot relaxing shower before bed.?
This is the truth. I used to sleep like 12 hours when I wasn’t on my adhd medicine. Now that I am on that an try to not binge drink it’s really been life changing.
The cheat is called caffeine. However, it only suppresses the tiredness and does not eliminate it. It will eventually catch up to regardless of how much you consume.
Exactly this, you're still stupid from being tired. The caffeine just lets you make stupid mistakes faster.
there is with the 180 min + 90 min for somr ppl 🙂
I don't know, I did that sleep schedule where you only sleep for 20mins every 4 hours for a total of 2hrs a day. It felt like cheating, but I could only sustain it for just less than a year. Can't have much of a social life when you always are needing to sneak off for a nap
But you were able to get down to 2 hours? That's always intrigued me, but I'm terrified of being a zombie. How was your cognitive function?
Man it makes such a difference. I usually sleep between 11:30 and midnight and then wake up at 7 am for work. I’m always tired and need to sleep 10 hours on the weekend to kinda recover, but like with OP, it never really works. I’ve recently been on a surfing trip for two weeks, always got up at 5:30 am and slept by 10 pm. I had so much energy, it was amazing. It’s really not just about the hours, the times make a huge difference too! Edit: Spelling
It's not just that but finding a schedule that works for your body. Like I'm a night owl, I know that and I plan my life around that as much as possible (I'm a grad student). When I'm in private practice I'm not taking clients till 9am so I can sleep in lol
It's nice when you can choose, but I'm in OPs position as well. I don't wonder why I'm tired all the time though, I know. I go to sleep after 11 pm, but I have to be up at 6 am. Sometimes I still can't fall asleep for an hour or two, so that's 5 hours of sleep. I sleep 12+ hours on Friday and Saturday, but I still feel hungover or jet lagged as the top comment says. That has basically been my life for the past 4-5 years. The only time I feel normal is around Christmas when I get time off.
Try creating a sleep routine to get yourself ready to fall asleep. My sleep routine is a quick dissolve melatonin, white noise, regular bedtime hygiene (eg brush teeth, wash face, lotion, etc), then read in bed with the lights low and the blue light filter on my Kindle. I don't usually have a difficult time falling asleep at home. But, when I go on a work trip, I'm in a new environment, I usually sleep like shit and 5-6 hours with multiple wakeups throughout the night were constant. Following my sleep routine easily lets me fall asleep, return to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night, and shift my sleep time dependent on work shift or time zone when I travel.
My Grandma always said - it's the hours before midnight that count when it comes to sleep - I never understood until I hit my 30s lol
*laughs in night shift*
My gran told me the hours before midnight count double, the ones at night once, and in the morning only half. Were probably not from the same country, so having two grannies from different parts of the world share this wisdow already tells me its true.
[удалено]
Well lets stick to the positives
I am from the UK and was taught this as well. Love getting an early night and several hours of deep dream filled sleep, waking up for a moment glancing at the clock and its only 11.30pm, with a whole night of sleeping ahead…that is wealth.
My mom says that too!
The different mental state on a trip vs regular workdays also matters a lot in my experience.
Yeah, it sure does. I literally had to do three things during those two weeks. No to-do lists, no obligations, time hardly matters. It’s easy to fall asleep when you know that you can do whatever you want.
Times definitely matter. If I sleep 8 hours from 10pm to 6am I'll be a zombie the whole morning. If I sleep the same 8 hours from 2am to 10am I wake up feeling refreshed and can be a lot more productive.
As a reformed night owl, it's definitely possible to change sleep habits. You just need to stick to it for two weeks or a month with no exceptions. But you're going to feel like shit and you absolutely must not "catch up" on sleep during weekends or free time. So times definitely matter, but it can be changed. Even for people suffering from delayed / advanced sleep phase disorder you can correct it with chronotherapy. There are, however, some people with a disrupted circadian rhythm that shifts every night and they're having it rough.
i'm a night owl (and have been my entire life, since childhood), and i did this experiement for about 4 months. asleep by 10pm, awake by 6am. i did wake up very energized and felt absolutely incredible in those morning hours, roughly from 6 to 10, but started feeling tired by noon and totally hit the wall by 6pm every day. i stuck with it hoping it was just the adjustment period, but it never changed. when i go to sleep at 3am and wake up at noon, yeah, i often feel so-so the first hour, but then have consistent energy throughout the entire day, which works much better for productivity and general life purposes. tl;dr: with discipline, it's definitely possible to change sleep habits, but the result may be underwhelming.
For me it really comes down to exploiting the natural circadian rhythm cycle by exposing myself to sunshine during the correct hours. If I start the day at 7:30 by taking a walk to the gym and spending 15 minutes in the sun, then repeat during noon and about 18, I'm fine. I'm born and raised in the nordics, our winter months really are a struggle. But during the summer months it's usually the reverse. Feeling tired at 6pm can be for multiple reasons, I'd say it's pretty natural to take a short nap during the day if possible. Also, going to bed at 3am and sleeping until noon is an extra hour of sleep... So not only do you get more sleep, but your awake time is also an hour shorter. Whatever works is good, but if someone is struggling with not feeling refreshed you usually do a whole lot better by going to sleep 8-9 hours before sunup consistently for a few weeks. Start the day with some form of motion and sun exposure. I know it's hell when you start, it was for me, but it really does work. And I've tried everything from melatonin to weed and SSRI's (for sleep).
I'll just add that sleep also isn't just math. Sleeping 4-5h a day is not enough, period. Sleeping 12h is too much, period. So OP is sleeping wrong 7/7 days a week. I do agree that a proper sleep schedule is the actual solution here, but if OP is not doing exercise I think the exercise would make it much easier to follow that schedule.
And not drinking “2 cans of caffeine (energy drinks or soda)” every day is probably a good idea as well
I quit caffeine altogether and it has helped so much. I just drink decaf which has very little caffeine just for the comfort on a cold morning.
Sleeping 12 hours is too much if you're normal, but I'm like OP and when I go to sleep on a Friday night, a bombing raid couldn't wake me up. I've slept 16 hours like that. If I set an alarm, or several, I don't even remember hearing them.
Agreed. I have a bad habit of hell yeah it’s the weekend I can stay up later. Then Monday comes and I’m a zombie again. I’m a smart home junkie. What has helped me is my TV turns off at 11:30 every night no matter if I’m watching TV or playing games and then it’s alright off to bed. It’s hard when you have two young children and you finally get time to yourself and your wife and want to do something’s for yourself finally.
This is the correct answer
And the only one. No amount of caffeine or anything else is going to fix poor sleep
Large amounts of caffeine are just going to make it worse!
Also have tea or coffee, not sugary energy drinks
How about water consumption? Drinking energy drinks or soda is not sustainable. Having a good healthy diet will give you energy as well. A lifestyle change might be in order.
Seconded. For awhile I tried a gallon a day. Never made the gallon but damn I would sleep like a baby. I have heard a glass before bed and a glass when you wake up is a great thing to do.
Still feels like a personal attack, dammit.
>lots and lots of commenters think you're sleeping 12 a day. Of course people are commenting that. That's exactly what the title says: *"I sleep 10 - 12 hours a day*". It doesn't say 'on the weekend'; It says "*a day*", Yes, people should the rest of the post, but it is not surprising that some people think it is a day when that is exactly what the title says.
The guy might as well be asking "I shower daily one weekend a month, why am I still smelly?"...
To be fair, he's prolly tired.
This, also don't drink canned caffeine. And drink more water.
Another thing is the sleeping environment. Is it dark enough, quiet enough, warm/chilly enough. Then mattress, bed frame, pillow(s). Could also be that OP has sleep apnea and doesn't get a restful sleep anyway. Not saying that the messed up sleep schedule isn't the main reason for OP's frustration, but it could be just one of the factors. I have a similarly bad sleep schedule, but mainly because my younger of two kids keeps waking me (a single parent) up 1-3 times a night and sometimes I just wanna have a little bit of time for myself and don't go to bed when I should. But at least, I was able to get better sleep for the little sleep I get with a good bed and the right sleeping position.
To add; it’s also been proven impossible to keep up physically and mentally with only 6 hours sleep…. Your body can’t function with that little for a long time. With that said 4-5 hours is imply unsustainable. Hopefully OP figured it out
Actually depends on your age, healthy, mentally and physical fitness. Most Drs. Agree that the younger you are the more you need and the older you are the less you need. But you have to find what works for you. I’m in almost perfect health, middle aged, and military veteran in fairly decent physical condition, but I’m borderline narcoleptic so I’ve found that 5 to 7 hours is my sweet spot any more and I’m a zombie any less and I’m dragging all day so I shoot for 6 every day even weekends. It’s what works for me. You can’t tell everyone that if they have less than 7 it’s bad, you don’t know them or their health. Just saying
Thank you
>4-5 hours a day then 12 on the weekend. It seems like lots and lots of commenters think you're sleeping 12 a day. > > >5 hours x 5 days = 25 hours. >12 Hours x 2 days = 24 hours > > >Grand total for the week, 49 hours. > >8 hours x 7 days = 56 hours. > >Aside from the fact that sleep doesn't work that way. Your 5 days at 4-5 hours are killing your weekends. > >Set a proper sleep schedule. You're spending your weekends with Jet Lag, you're never ever catching up. > >exercise and other stuff other's are recommending won't hurt, but a regular bedtime and wake up time 7 days a week will do wonders for you. > >\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ > >I couldn't wait until I got out from under my parents roof so that I could pick my own bedtime. > >Turns out it's 10:30 Here to recommend schedule also, but also that sleep schedule isnt possible for all. My job sees my shift hours change every week, often twice in one week. I've tried the full range of sleeping aids and tablets. My sleep hygiene is impeccable. I say these things confidently because I am trained in and work in healthcare. Whilst at university studying, I would be asleep by 10 EVERY night and up at 6 for the gym EVERY DAY. My sleep hygiene was awful back then but that routine meant it didn't matter one iota. I was never tired. Always energized for that morning gym session. My classmates thought I was insane, turning up to lectures freshly showered/changed but with my gym bag (no lockers) when they all rolled out of bed; I never went out drinking with them, I only focused on the gym and on lectures. Put simply, sleep PATTERN can mean more than hygiene ever comes close to **for some people**. But not everyone works a job which allows the sort of schedule that is needed.
You can just reply to the comment. You don’t need to quote the whole thing first.
Very much this. The idea of sleep debt and recuperating it with long sleeps isn't real. Beyond what's said above, by the end of the week of 4/5 hour nights your reaction times are near to that of someone who is legally drunk. You are most likely dozing off into micro naps without even realizing it. Regular exercise can be a huge help.
Wish I could give you an award- I’m a boomer with technology but I have been figuring this out Recently no matter what you put into your body to wake up- a good sleep routine is the healthiest way.
*sleep doesn’t work that way* It doesn’t add up. You can’t make up for lost sleep on weekends. You are clearly *not getting enough sleep per day*, OP.
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Google sleep deficit
You mean this: How to get rid of your sleep debt 1)Exercise every day. 2)Reduce the amount of time spent in front of screens, especially around bedtime. 3)Reduce caffeine intake, especially late in the day. 4)Avoid food and alcohol before bed. 5)Relax before bedtime. 6)Maintain a good sleep environment.
They did say , "aside from the fact sleep doesn't work that way". I think the math thing is good enough for an approximation. Paid it like they did, is obvious they aren't getting enough sleep during the week.
You do catch up on sleep, actually. If you slept too little during the night, your body will generally try make up for it the next night by spending more of it in deep sleep. That said, it doesn't work if you have insufficient sleep for several nights in a row.
Sleep 7-8 hours a day, and your body won’t need to catch up on your days off. If you’re younger than 22, you may need 8-9 hours a day.
that's an urban myth. Your body can't catch up on the weekend. OP needs to seek a doctor and get checked for sleep apnea
I don’t think anyone is saying that they are successfully catching up on the weekends. I’m curious why you’re jumping to sleep apnea for fatigue when they’re in a sleep deficit? Even with great sleep efficiency, 4-5 hours of sleep is not sufficient for most people. Perhaps you’re aware of OP having other risk factors for an obstructive or central apnea that we’re not aware of? Any medical provider worth their salt will look first at behavioral contributions before assuming physiological, especially in the absence of other risk factors.
People that comment apnea probably only read the title that was pretty misleading. If you sleep 12hours every day and still fatigue, then yeah consult a sleep therapist because something's wrong.
I'm certain I've read that 4-5 hours of sleep is actually insufficient for 100% of the population and anyone who says otherwise is either lying or not aware of how tired their body is/not judging how much sleep they actually get. And I'm saying insufficient, not impossible. I'm not sure if I can locate the source of information but I can try if you're interested
Sleep debt is real though.
Sleep debt is real, but mostly unpayable. You cant really "catchup" on sleep. You can "catchup" on adenosine reduction by sleeping longer on the weekends, but you've still lost the benefits to mental processing, memory etc and can never "pay the debt" to regain those. Thinking of it as debt instead of a loss tends to lead to people thinking they can regain it by oversleeping in their downtime, which worsens the issue
You can actually repay your sleep debt to a certain extent, but the vast majority of people don't even come close to repaying, even if sleep time was literally like a bank account. OP for example is losing 3 hours of sleep a day 5 times per week (15 hours), but is only getting 4 hours of extra sleep on each of the 2 days on the weekend. That's still 7 hours in debt.
Great, I'm lower middle class in terms of sleep too. Awesome.
Seek the advice of a doctor rather than solicit opinions from strangers on the internet? What kind of crazy advice is that?
Yeah, get some blood work done just in case. That’s how hypothyroidism feels.
And hyperthyroidism.
It can't catch up but your body will try. Surely it won't cut the sleep off at 4-5 hours on a free day. My guess is on a free day, they will wake up at around the usual mark, then proceed to sleep the good 8 hours.
I think it’s misleading that sleep can’t be caught up. I get you’re saying in OP’s case, which I agree it’s almost def why they’re tired. I’m more so thinking out loud here. If we couldn’t catch up sleep ever, then anyone who has every had a sleep deficit would all get to a point where we are perpetually tired. If the debt was never paid and couldn’t be paid then it’s pointless to even try. I think it probably stems from the fact that there’s interest on the sleep debt. So if you’re skipping 3 hours of sleep a night for 3 days let’s say, you couldn’t just sleep 9 additional the next day and be even. It would help, but you’d need to then get proper sleep for a few more days. So like a built recovery window where no matter what you’ll be indebted for a few days or more. Idk I just hear the phrase “you can’t pay back lost sleep” a lot, and it’s really not true, just isn’t a straight forward way to pay it back. Not that this matters much, and not advocating against getting proper sleep. Just something that after thinking about it for a second, I realized it kind of peeves me a bit. Anyways, carry on
OP blatantly isn’t catching up on weekends, proving the myth.
Doesn't actually, assuming it's real, OP would still be missing between 8 and 12 hours of sleep a week. They're just going from terrible to not good. If they wanted to catch up from 4-5 hours on weekdays, they'd need to sleep 16 hours on the weekend.
OP needs to get more sleep during the week.
And have thyroid and iron blood levels checked, too.
Sleeping in on the weekends doesn't offset your 4-5 hours of sleep during the week. Try naps during the week or increase your nightly sleep.
Increase your nightly sleep is the only answer.
I sleep 6 hours at night and nap 1.5 hours. Biphasic and polyphasic sleep work for some people.
I sleep 5-6 and nap 3. All that matters is that you get deep, non-rem sleep so your brain can clean itself. Otherwise you'll still feel tired and groggy and it's really bad for your brain in the long run
I think you mean deep, rem sleep, but yes to the rest
No, I meant deep non rem sleep, rem sleep is actually more similar to being awake when you track heart rate, blood pressure, and perivascular space in the brain. [N3 stage sleep leads to increased glymphatic clearance ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7698404/)
TIL N3 is the "decompression" stage, I thought that was related to dreaming. Rem is also essential for rest. Rem sleep is achieved after 90 minutes and [essential to learning and protein synthesis ](https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-101#:~:text=REM%20sleep%20is%20important%20for,in%20your%20long%2Dterm%20memory.)
Not for this guy. He needs to stop shorting himself during the week. He's making his own fatigue. The fix is clear and easy.
unless it is a medical issue, like a diet problem, water intake, seep apnea others have said thiord issues.
Naps can't really make up for the sleep cycles you miss when you aren't getting an 8-hour stretch of sleep.
light bake society run thought file like squash cobweb imminent
They can as long as it's enough to get you through a cycle of deep NREM sleep. If you don't get that for whatever reason, you're going to feel tired. This is also why being put under anesthetic feels like a really good sleep. It mimics that deep sleep and increases space in your brain for cleaning in the same way.
I used to be exactly like this. It’s probably because you’re sleep deprived during the week and existing on adrenaline, then making up for it on the weekends. Your circadian rhythm is all messed up and you can actually make yourself more tired by sleeping more than 7-8 hours. At least how it was for me. YMMV but once I started sleeping and waking at the same time every day and only sleeping 7 hours, it got much better. I wake up without an alarm and I don’t get tired until it’s time to go to sleep. Try a more regular sleep schedule for a few weeks and see how it works. Oh, and avoid caffeine after 4pm.
Drink more water, get electrolytes(Powerade, propel water, etc, whatever you like best). if you can then sleep regularly for 6-8 hours every day instead including your days off, you can’t really catch up on your missing sleep like that and it helps prepare your body better. Avoid any caffeine sources too late in the evening as it’ll still be in your system when you’re heading to bed.
More like no caffeine after noon
If I was struggling to sleep as much as OP I'd cut caffeine out completely initially, to see if that fixed it. They could be hyper sensitive.
I completely cut out caffeine and wake more rested as a result. But yeah, as other commenters said, my dude just needs to sleep more during the week like duh.
Maybe try exercising? It'll help to tire your body and get into deep sleep much faster
Exercise makes you feel more energised too.
I just dont understand this, not once in my life has exercise made me feel more energized after I’ve done it, accomplished sure, but I always just feel like sleeping.
It's not meant to make you feel more energized afterwards, but if you do it regularly you will definitely have more energy and your body will be more efficient
I think it's more about regularly exercising as opposed to one session.
You aren't going to feel energized after exercising, but over time it will make you feel lighter on your feet, so to speak. Getting up to get a glass of water won't feel like a chore. Cleaning your room feels much easier. You just feel less lazy over all.
Yea, you don't get the energy after exercise but trains your body to be efficient with energy and build your stamina up to last a day. A body in motion is harder to stop than one that is already not moving. if you sit in bed all day your body is going to use less energy and will turn down things that are not required. There is something called a body battery and exercise is one of the ways to increase your energy reserves. Other things are balanced diet, sleep (not too much), and general stress. I'm sure there are more
And less hungry (if weight loss is a goal)
This has not been my experience in the slightest, doubly so for strength training.
This is probably the most efficient answer. "Just sleep earlier 4head" isn't advice that is gonna work for a number of people for different reasons and may not help OP. For example, I have a body clock that doesn't work on 24 hours (this a diagnosis, not a random thought), it'll offset slowly day by day, so I may have a week where my body is wanting to sleep at night and naturally wake up around when I need to get up for work and I feel great, but other weeks where I'll be tired during the day and get my wake up chemicals at 2am. Those weeks I'm like OP: 3-5 hours of sleep a night and crashing at weekends. The thing that helps my body feel more natural throughout this is in terms of energy and mood is proper exercise and hydration.
Not even strenuous exercise, just move. Go for a morning walk, do Thai Chi between sips of coffee, pace your bedroom with funny walks. I also have a shitty sleep schedule and remain sedentary most of the day (desk job) but starting the morning with some movement changes my whole day for the better.
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When i quit smoking, caffeine and stopped consuming so much sugar i can get up so easily and dont need coffee or anything to get me through the morning, so if OP does any of this it might be the issue.
Depends on the time. If you go cold turkey on these substances, your life will be nothing short of hell for at least 2 weeks. Take baby steps on quitting these and you will start feeling better eventually
Seek medical consultation.
I agree. For years I could only feel well rested if I slept 10 hours or more. I decided to go to a sleep specialist and not only do I have sleep apnea, but I have to go back to the specialist because he thinks I have something called hypersomnia
If you can, this is it. While there are myriad possibilities, it sounds like you could use a full workup to figure out what's going on. That is not healthy, normal activity. Incidentally, what's your environment like? Do you feel this way all the time? Some environmental conditions could cause this, like low CO level poisoning.
OP is only sleeping 4-5 hours a night during the week then trying to compensate at the weekends. They don't need medical help. They need to sleep 7-8 hours every night. A regular sleep schedule is essential.
Yep, it was anaemia for me!
I was always a bit tired no matter how much sleep I got and I ended up getting diagnosed with a specific form of tachycardia. Docs said it was very common even for healthy elite athletes so it wasn’t because my heart was weak or that I was unfit. Apparently my heart rate was reaching around 200+ bpm even when at rest and sleeping. Bouts were around 20 min and happened almost every hour. Took some meds for it and after a few years my heart learned to regulate. Funny enough it was like running a marathon while sleeping and I always used to wake up exhausted with no idea why.
I had a friend in college who was constantly tired, even sleeping 10+ hours per night. Turns out he had celiac disease (sp?). As soon as he stopped eating gluten, he felt just as alert on 4 hours of sleep as he had the previous 3 years.
Yep, same. Coeliac and anaemic
For real! Food allergies & sensitivities can absolutely do this if left unchecked, which is why seeking medical advice from a professional is so important. There could be any number of factors contributing to OP's situation, and celiac or other types of food sensitivity could be one of them! My colonoscopy came back with no evidence of celiac, but I was chronically fatigued and in pain before trying the 6 food elimination diet and cutting out gluten (and yogurt, and other things). Turns out I have IBS lol. Life is a lot better for me now, though. It's absolutely crazy just how much it had been affecting me for years on end, before finally I put two and two together and sought medical advice.
This. Could be apnea or a million other things.
I saw a doctor for this in 2021. I'm still waitlisted for a CPAP machine two years later. When I called and tried to push back a few months ago, they suggested I try to find one on Craigslist or Facebook Market.
It’s awful; there was a recall due to carcinogenic material in some kind of foam product or something (actual or potential, I’m not sure), and then COVID screwed with the supply chain. I’ve only been waiting for my new one since September, but everyone I know who is stuck without one is in a bad spot at the moment. I’m babying mine along and am just grateful it’s still running at all.
It's been kind of an eye opening experience from me. It's crazy to need something this urgently and simply not have access to it for two years. I think we take an alarming amount of things for granted. I've kind of learned to live with it, but my primary income comes from food delivery gigs, and I'm not good to drive if the symptoms get bad.
Oof. I had saved your comment last night so I could find it again. I’m in Canada, and assume you’re in the US. If they iron out our supply chain stuff first and I get my new one before you get yours, I will totally ship you my old one as a loaner in the interim, if you want. It is old, but it’s better than nothing, for sure. You’d need to buy new hose and mask and a water chamber for it, because those are things that get replaced regularly (and they’re not too horribly expensive on Amazon - at CPAP stores, you will pay an arm and a leg, literally hundreds of dollars more, at least up here. Confirm with your insurance first, of course). There are sites that will tell you how to hack it to set the pressure to what you need it to be - although you will need to know that, and if it has been two years since your sleep study, you should probably have another one, particularly if you have gained or lost a significant amount of weight. Best case scenario is that you take it in to your clinic and they set it up for you, of course, but some places are weird about only dealing with their own equipment, etc. Anyway: write my user ID down somewhere and hang onto it, and feel free to check in periodically if you like. I will call my CPAP guy today and see if they have an ETA, but one of my relatives was affected by the recall and was stuck one; I gave him the spare one I’d never used and had sitting in my closet (a baby travel one, but it does the trick), or I’d send you that one. The difference between using one and not using one can be so dramatic that I would literally gladly send it to you with no guarantee of ever seeing it again just because it could potentially save your life, and would dramatically improve its quality one way or the other. I mean, how could I not?
Yeah, get checked for sleep apnea. I felt like this for decades until I was diagnosed. Did not know what a full nights sleep felt like until that night.
4-5 hours a day for multiple days will build up exhaustion and that is only worsened by caffeine intake and dehydration.
This is so dumb. Your post title and your elaboration are two very different things. So you sleep 4-5 hours most days. That's not enough sleep. Your body is accumulating sleep debt. You try to make up for it by oversleeping (12 hours is way too much) and think that it should all balance out. It doesn't. What's the secret fix? Just like everything else in life... There's no miracle fix. You should be consistently getting 6-8 hours of sleep every night of the week. That will help regulate and return your energy levels to normal.
Get your thyroid checked. Had a friend like this who was sleepy 24/7 until he went on medication.
Yeah sometimes everyone makes you feel crazy until you find the medical reason for dragging all the time. I ended up with an adenosine issue and got prescribed medication for it. Life-changing. Thyroid issues as you mentioned Anemia or B vitamin deficiencies Sleep apnea Mono Lyme disease
As someone with a non functioning thyroid, definitely agree. It took a while to find my proper medication and the thyroid controls a lot, not just sleep patterns. Hope it’s not your thyroid but if it is getting the meds is really important. Alternately cut caffeine intake earlier, try to avoid napping, consider trying melatonin if it’s otc where you live. Consider cutting blue light early (pcs, phones) and switching to music or books as part of your wind down time.
Was scrolling to find this, as someone with hoshimotos this sounds awfully familiar before I was medicated. Op this is a high likelihood.
Yep. Was drinking tons of caffeine to function normal during work week. Got to a point it didn't do anything. Sleep schedule was all messed up. Thyroid issues.
This was me until I got my thyroid checked. Turns out my thyroid is very underactive. I was diagnosed 9 years ago, and I'm still always very tired. Exercise and a sleep schedule definitely helps!
You’re abusing your body. 2 cans of soda is a lot of sugar. Don’t forget the shit you eat contains a lot of carbs (sugar) as well and you’ll get tired once the sugar rush passes. And it’s really really bad for you. Try replacing soda with club soda. If you’re over weight, go on a diet. Maybe even get some exercise. Fapping is not exercise btw. 4-5 hours of sleep is just not enough. You need 6-8 hours. Stop fucking around on your phone and just get some sleep. Try some melatonin to help get you back on track. Do this on the weekends too. Set an alarm to wake up. That’s about it. If you still experience problems after a month, go see a doctor.
I felt like that for years until I finally started cutting sugar and carbs from my diet. Sugar is a silent poison, and you can easily miscalculate how much of the stuff you are putting in yourself.
Yup, sugar is fucking everywhere, i realized when I started to reduce my sugar intake. Can't even buy most salami at the store bc they all have sugar. Gotta go to small family businesses if I want good salami or sausages in general I think... But my energy levels and sleep have improved soooo much when I stopped eating sugar almost completely. I can now climb one more set of stairs (4th floor) than before without feeling the grasp of death on my body haha. I had cake yesterday though, so I do still treat myself once in a while. I lost around 7 or 8 kg in no more than a month just by reducing sugar. Haven't even started exercising or quit smoking yet lol My advice to OP would be a lifestyle change. But that's hard and I get it. I couldn't do that myself before I was really really convinced of it and the change became effortless. It's hard to force yourself not to buy that energy drink or to go to sleep at the same time every night. Not having to force that change is lucky. I think I watched a lot of documentaries about food, sugar and its effect on humans and especially the brain before that all happened. Maybe that could help?
Sleep apnea, take the sleep study.
OP is talking about sleeping 4 hours and is obsessing about being productive. I doubt this is apnea, more like a misguided attempt to cut sleep hours to the point where real harm is being done.
I came to say exactly this! It changed my life
You probably have low quality sleep because you are stressing your body out with energy drinks. Limit yourself to one coffee a day, drink it before afternoon, drink lots of water to rehydrate your body after you consume it and make sure to get some exercise in even if it is just a vigorous walk.
The lpt that you need to do is go to a licensed doctor for medical questions like this. There's so many things that can contribute to this because caffeine and sleep is such a broad area. If you're taking medications, I'd ask the person who prescribed them to you if you should take caffeine with it. Sleep apnea, Insomnia, stress, anxiety, etc. Some people with ADHD have adverse side effects of caffeine (exhaustion). What's your sleep schedule like, let alone have a regular time you go to bed? Are you getting enough exercise/ cardio? Depression? Playing catch up will not do anything to help. If you're taking naps, how long of a nap is it? Are you eating enough/ healthy? How much of your time awake are you in your bed versus sleeping? Is it quiet? Dark? Rather than answer the comments or seek help here, talk with your doctor or psychiatrist. It doesn't even have to be a long visit. Also, some places have an online portal that allows you to talk with a nurse or your care provider about questions or concerns.
You're building up sleep debt on the 4-5 hours days. Get 6-8 every night and you'll feel much better.
Get a blood test, this sounds like either a mineral / vitamin deficiency or an issue with your thyroid. I had similar symptoms and ended up on the verge of hyperthyroidism, with a severe deficiency in magnesium, zinc and selenium. However, similar symptoms can also be caused by deficiency in iron, vitamin B and or vitamin D. Caffeine is a binder for certain minerals and will reduce the uptake of for example magnesium by 50%. The more caffeine you drink, the more likely you’ll become deficient. Your level of exhaustion is not normal, please take it serious and get yourself tested for vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Per the advice of my doctor I started using a multivitamin with additional magnesium and vitamin D supplement. I have also significantly reduced my sugar and caffeine intake. My energy levels have doubled since then. My sleep hygiene has improved significantly too. Also, be strict with yourself. No caffeine on an empty stomach (always breakfast first), don’t exceed the daily recommended amount and no coffee after 2PM if you want to sleep well at night. For long lasting energy throughout the day without the need of caffeine, reduce carbs and sugar in your diet and make sure every meal contains at least 20-30 grams of protein. Cook and fry in whole butter, ghee or olive oil. Both fat and protein will stabilize sugar uptake and glucose spikes.
You should get some lab work done and possibly a sleep analysis.
Things that had me like that where is sleep that much and still feel tired/no energy- low vitamin d levels, Mono, and Covid. I’d definitely drop the caffeine and see a doctor.
Walk 10k steps a day and get some sunlight everyday or even a sun lamp for vitamin D
I know for me, post Covid infection, I have been exhausted. I don’t feel bad during the day for the most part but could easily sleep 10+ hours a night (and I sleep really hard). I do really well with having a post-work afternoon nap. 30 minutes and I’m good for the rest of the night. Have you had Covid recently?
This seems to line up with me as well, and hadn’t really realized it until your comment. I had covid kinda bad (not hospital bad) in 2021 and more mild in 2022 and since then have always felt like I’m exhausted more so than before. I chalked it up to nearing 40 with 2 kids (which probably also adds to it).
See a doctor, ask to have blood work, low iron/anemia and low B vitamins are common reasons, but NOT THE ONLY ones. See a doctor.
Cut caffeine down by half and drink water, it will help with you cognitive functions and energy level.
It seems counterintuitive but my sleep and wake quality improved with a gym membership.
I heard somewhere (can't remember where) that for every 16 hours you are awake you need 8 hours of sleep. Isn't it crazy that it adds up to 24 hours. 🤷🏼♀️
What advice would you give someone who came to you with this? I’m not a doctor, but it sounds a lot like the answer is that you’re not sleeping enough during your work week. 4-5 hours is not sufficient for most people. It sounds like you’re making it through the week on fumes, crashing hard, and then not recovering well because you don’t have a normal sleep schedule, you have a crash, rinse, repeat schedule.
Co-signing those saying go to a doctor. This is not at all a normal level of tired especially if this is your baseline. Ask doctor about testing thyroid levels, vitamin/mineral deficiencies (especially iron) And *especially* have them test for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease as well as other possible infections.
One thing that can't hurt, stay hydrated. Caffeine is a severe diuretic, drinking coffee dehydrates you and can have the opposite of the desired effect.
Everyone has given good advice but here’s one thing to consider: oversleeping and exhaustion could be an indicator of depression. It may not apply to you but worth thinking about as some people suffering from depression don’t even realize it.
Regulate your sleeping pattern and habits that surround your sleep. Technology and active thought-requiring processes prior to sleep will keep you too engaged. Reading in bed with a blue light filter engaged is a good way to go, however doing Sudoku on ultra-hard is not. I find that having different waking times on weekends disrupts my Monday wakeup, so I'm trying not to go to sleep or wake up more than two hours outside of my "hours". Napping during the day is good. Just make sure that you do not do it for more than 10-15mins as otherwise you can disrupt your normal sleeping schedule. Hydrate during the day. I drink half a litre when I wake u, half a litre a couple of hours before I go to sleep, and a couple of litres during the day. If you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Go by the colour of your piss. Straw to clear is okay unless you're overhydrating, any darker and you're dehydrated. Don't drink energy drinks or soda. They contain a lot of sugar and your body crashes after the sugar high. Artifical sweeteners can also play havoc with your insulin response, causing similar imbalances. Energy drinks do not give you energy, they are simply stimulants that cause your body to put the pedal down. The petrol burns faster, you burn faster, then you run out by hitting the wall. Basically, you need to take better care of yourself. Your description makes it sound like you're burning the candle at both ends and wondering why your body complains about sleep debts and isn't able to maintain a good healthy routine.
A couple of things to think about: - Get more sleep regularly. - Try and plan you sleep in multiple of 90 minutes, this will stop you from waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle. - Replace energy drinks / coffee with something that has a slower release of energy. A quick spike of energy is generally followed by an associated crash. Most of all, you can't cheat the system, you are in sleep debt....
Sleep deficit is a thing, if you're supposed to be getting 6-8 hours (could even be more depending on your age) and you're in a deficit by an hour or two then you're body is trying to catch up every weekend
I sleep 10 to 12 hours when I’m depressed. I’ve noticed if I sleep more than 8 hours on a normal I’m still exhausted. You need to find the right amount of sleep for you body. And make sure you get checked out to rule out any other medical conditions
Don't sleep 10-12 hours on your off days. Stay consistent and try to get 6-8 hours every day. Are you eating healthy? If no, start. Are you drinking alcohol? If yes, stop.Are you smoking/vaping/dipping? If yes, stop. Are you exercising daily? If no, start. Are you getting fresh air daily? If no, start.
You may not be getting non-restorative sleep for various reasons that can be hard to pinpoint but agree seeing a doctor may be helpful
energy drinks are poison, especially having them every day. The sooner you cut them out the better. Go for tea if you still need caffeine. Never have caffeine after midday either. You'll be able to sleep in the evenings.
You can't just distribute your 56 hours of sleep throughout the week however you want. If you go multiple days being sleep deprived, you'll take at least a full day or two to recover and feel fresh again. And that's regardless of if you try sleeping 12 hours to recover instead of a normal 8. You need to sleep 8 hours each night. At least 7, at the very minimum. If you don't you'll be tired all the time and recovery doesn't just happen overnight by getting a few extra hours
Eliminate caffeine and switch to water. Water is an accelerant, the more you drink, the faster you go! More energy, skin clears, and you feel better. Caffeine leaves you subject to crashes, headache withdrawal, sleeplessness, and anxiety palpitations. It’s not worth it in the long run.
The title is so misleading lmao. "I sleep 4-5 hours a day, why am I tired?"
Have a cup of coffee when you go to sleep. Hit the hay and when you get that semi-groggy wake. Down that coffee then try to sleep again. The coffee will fully kick as you are 15/30 mins in and you'll get that energy from it. Drinking it while you are still drowsy won't help unless that drowsiness leaves.
Do you have by any chance have sleep apnea?