Why Do I Feel Sleepy All Day?

Do you often ask yourself, why am I feeling sleepy all the time? Are you always exhausted, or drowsy meaning lethargic and run down? Well, always feeling like taking a nap is a sign that your health is not as good as it may seem. It may not only interfere with your daily productivity, but can also damage your brain in the long term.

What is Causing You to Feel Sleepy All the Time?

Girl sleepy at work, Credit: Pixabay

One of the famous laziness quotes says that ‘laziness is the mother of all evil.’ It is true, for laziness caused by sleep deprivation can greatly hamper your daily productivity. Not getting enough sleep makes you feel cranky and can lead to anger issues. It might be useful for you to take a step back and assess yourself. Here are the various reasons that might be contributing to your excessive daytime sleepiness, i.e, when staying awake during the day becomes a challenge.

1. Not prioritizing sleep

2. Poor quality of sleep

3. Obstructive sleep Apnea

4. Misaligned circadian rhythm

5. Insomnia

1.  Not Prioritizing Sleep

Today’s hectic lifestyle has left people punching sleep to the very end of their list of priorities. People stay up at night working till late and wake up early to go to work in the morning. It causes exhaustion and drowsiness and can also lead to insufficient sleep syndrome. It is a condition characterised by a natural restriction of sleep that is way below your biological requirements of sleep.

2.  Poor Quality of Sleep

Poor sleep habits like an inconsistent sleep schedule and excessive consumption of caffeinated drinks at night can reduce your sleep quality. Other such habits include alcohol intake, using sleeping pills, and using mobile devices before going to bed.

3.  Obstructive Sleep Apnea

It is a breathing disorder in which your breathing becomes irregular at night. It results in fragmented sleep causing you to feel excessively sleepy and drowsy during the next day.

4.  Misaligned Circadian Rhythm

Your body’s natural clock helps you adjust and coordinate with the activities associated with morning, evening and night. When your timing of falling asleep and waking up is misaligned with your natural circadian rhythm it disrupts your natural sleep patterns. It is common in people who work in shifts.

5.  Insomnia

It is a disorder that makes it extremely difficult for a person to fall asleep at night. It is one of the major reasons for excessive daytime sleepiness.

6.  Underlying Medical and Brain Conditions

Mental health disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD can also disrupt your sleep patterns. Brain injury and brain tumors can render it ineffective to regulate your sleep-wake cycles. Diabetes, hypothyroidism, and anemia are other medical conditions that may be a cause of your excessive sleepiness.

How to Find Out if Your Excessive Sleepiness is a Symptom of a Sleep Disorder

To find out whether your feeling of excessive daytime drowsiness is linked to any sleep disorder, epworth sleepiness scale is used. It is a set of eight questions in which a person is asked to rate on a scale of 0-24. The questions are related to various activities and your chances of being dozed off while engaging in those. Some of the examples of activities on the scale are watching TV, reading, sitting and talking to someone, etc.

A score of 0 in the scale means that you are active and not liable to doze off while engaging in the activities. On the other hand, a score of 3 would mean that you are highly prone to dozing off in such situations. However, your total score can also reach as high as 24. A high score is connected to more sleepiness and ultimately a sleep disorder and even cancer.

How to Get Rid of Sleepiness

Woman smiling in bed, Credit: Pixabay

Excessive sleepiness can leave you feeling lazy and unmotivated. We give you the best tips so that you can know how to overcome laziness.

1. Avoid watching TV and using electronic devices like mobile phones and laptops an hour before going to bed. They make it hard for you to fall asleep easily.

2. Maintain a proper sleeping schedule by making sure that you get 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep everyday.

3. Make sure to eat your meals at least 2-3 hours prior to hitting the bed. It will make sure that the food is well-digested by the time you go to sleep.

4. Exercise everyday to fall asleep easily. However, make sure not to indulge in a workout session an hour before you go to bed.

Feeling sleepy during the day is quite common, especially if you work hard all day and indulge in strenuous activities. However, a persistent feeling of drowsiness and fatigue can have serious implications for your health. In such cases, first assess your lifestyle and habits then seek the advice of a doctor to better understand the cause of your sleepiness.