Have weakness and fatigue, lethargy and apathy, depression and sudden pain become constant companions? You may go to bed on time but feel tired after sleep. The reasons lie not only in the number of hours spent in bed; the quality of sleep and quality of life require attention.
Increased sleepiness during the day is an epidemic in the modern world, hooked on coffee and energy drinks.
The constant demand to do more causes the opposite effect - the nervous system requires rest and simply turns off. An excess of information puts pressure on a person’s creation, the data does not have time to be organized in the head - our brain does not care whether it needs to remember what new advertisement is displayed on the billboard outside the window. Everything is remembered, taken into account by the subconscious, and only sleep clears the neurons of debris. How well do we sleep?
Increased sleepiness during the day: causes and consequences
Someone takes a nap on the bus, dozes off during a boring presentation, people with heavy eyelids stand in a cafe in the middle of the day. Sudden falling asleep while driving will cause an accident. Sleeping at work can result in a fine or dismissal. Lack of sleep is associated with the risk of hypertension, diabetes and obesity.
Deliberate sleep restriction is the enemy of modern human health. About 20% of Russians sleep less than 6 hours a day. In 2001, this figure was 13%. Many people do not get enough sleep due to air travel, shift work, the desire to earn more, or communication on the Internet... Insomnia occurs if you try to get enough sleep at night. And only 3-5% of people have sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome and narcolepsy as the causes of sleepiness.
Some people try to cope with excessive sleepiness with caffeine or stimulants, but only join the ranks of insomnia sufferers by drinking too much coffee in the afternoon.
Severe daytime sleepiness due to night sleep disorders
It seems that enough time has been spent in bed, but weakness and drowsiness during the day haunt you and reduce productivity at work. Sleep disorders can be associated with the quantity and quality of sleep, and are defined by the following symptoms:
- It takes more than 30 minutes every day to fall asleep.
- There are frequent awakenings and problems falling asleep.
- Severe daytime sleepiness is accompanied by frequent bouts of unintentionally falling asleep at inopportune times.
- Loud snoring, choking sounds, or pauses in breathing during sleep indicate sleep apnea.
- Tingling or crawling sensations in the legs or arms while falling asleep.
- Sudden shaking of the limbs during sleep.
- Waking up due to headache.
- Vivid, dream-like experiences and visions during dozing or falling asleep.
- Unusual behavior during sleep: talking, walking, getting up.
- Episodes of sudden muscle weakness during attacks of anger, fear or laughter.
- Inability to move the body immediately after waking up.
The listed symptoms indicate that one or another phase of sleep is disturbed. The causes of daytime sleepiness in men are most often associated with apnea - short-term breath holdings during sleep due to a large dinner before bed, alcohol consumption, smoking or excess weight.
Daytime sleepiness in the elderly is caused by a reduction in the duration of rapid eye movement sleep (sleep with dreams), and an increased need for the comfort of a sleeping place. Drowsiness in the afternoon indicates excessive consumption of coffee in the morning - there should be moderation in everything.
Daytime sleepiness warns of a serious thyroid disease if accompanied by obesity, high blood pressure, and sweating.
However, the main factor is sleep quality.
Causes of lethargy
Overwork
Lethargy and fatigue after a hard day of work or during intense physical activity are observed in absolutely healthy people. When you are overtired, you feel heaviness in the muscles of the legs and arms, apathy, and there is no desire to continue working. Drowsiness occurs, the head “buzzes”. Normally, symptoms disappear after a break or full sleep. If weakness develops with minor loads, habitual daily work, or the feeling of powerlessness does not go away after sufficient rest, you should consult a doctor to rule out serious causes of the disorder.
Poor nutrition
It has been proven that coffee can have both stimulating and depressing effects on the body, which depends on the dose of caffeine and the type of higher nervous activity. In people with a strong nervous system, small amounts of caffeine have a sedative effect, causing fatigue and lethargy, while large doses of coffee stimulate mental and physical activity. For people with a weak type of nervous system, the opposite pattern is typical - high doses of caffeine cause apathy and drowsiness.
After consuming fatty foods, lethargy and drowsiness develop, which is due to the increased load on the digestive system. If you overeat heavily in combination with alcoholic drinks, severe fatigue continues the next day. Severe weakness that occurs constantly every day 20-30 minutes after eating indicates problems with digestion and absorption of food or the presence of dumping syndrome. In such a situation, a full medical examination is required.
Hormonal fluctuations in women
The combination of lethargy and emotional lability is a typical sign of premenstrual syndrome. Apathy and increased fatigue appear 2-3 days before menstruation; normally, symptoms disappear with the onset of bleeding. Similar manifestations develop during menopause, when patients report morning weakness and fatigue that occur against a background of hot flashes and chills. Constant lethargy, combined with discomfort in the lower abdomen or cycle disorders, is caused by pathological causes - dishormonal or inflammatory diseases of the female genital organs.
Hypothyroidism
The lack of thyroxine and triiodothyronine in the body causes changes in all organs and tissues, which is associated with the appearance of lethargy and malaise. The symptom occurs in various pathologies - hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroiditis, thyroid adenomas. The severity of lethargy depends on the degree of hormone deficiency and the duration of the disease. In severe cases, there is a loss of strength, a complete loss of interest in life and favorite activities. Characteristic changes in appearance: the skin becomes pale and cold to the touch, swelling forms, and body weight increases.
Convalescence period
After the disappearance of the main clinical manifestations of various diseases, lethargy and severe fatigue persist for a long time, worsening with minor physical exertion. Malaise is caused by exhaustion of the body during the period of illness, consumption of muscle glycogen reserves, and lack of proteins and vitamins. Symptoms persist for 2-4 weeks after recovery; in chronic, sluggish processes, asthenic syndrome lasts up to several months. Lethargy is caused by various reasons - nonspecific inflammatory, dystrophic, infectious processes.
Neurological diseases
Brain damage is often accompanied by lethargy and apathy. Neurological pathologies deplete the reserves of neurotransmitters, disrupt the functioning of the reticular formation and limbic system - structures responsible for mood and general well-being. Residual (residual) manifestations after illnesses persist from several months to a year. In the elderly, lethargy is combined with progressive cognitive impairment. Frequent etiological factors of illness:
- Infectious lesions of the central nervous system
: meningitis, encephalitis, arachnoiditis. - Degenerative processes
: dyscirculatory encephalopathy, Alzheimer's disease. - Acute conditions
: cerebral hemorrhages, ischemic strokes. - Tumors
: neuroblastoma, astrocytoma, glioblastoma, etc.
Vegetative-vascular dystonia
With VSD, all the signs of illness are present: drowsiness, lethargy, constant fatigue. Pathological symptoms are caused by imbalances between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and periodic surges in blood pressure. Lethargy increases with prolonged stay in a stuffy room without access to fresh air. After short-term work, patients complain of loss of strength caused by neuropsychic exhaustion. Also typical are dull, pressing headaches and dizziness, and emotional instability.
Mental disorders
Severe lethargy with apathy is characteristic of depression. The person is absolutely indifferent to what is happening around him and does not want to engage in everyday activities. There is constant drowsiness - patients sleep 12-14 hours a day, but do not feel cheerful and energetic. Similar disturbances are observed in the depressive phase of bipolar disorder. Loss of strength is typical of neurotic reactions with asthenic syndrome (“irritable weakness”), which often worries young and middle-aged women.
Chronic fatigue syndrome
With this disorder, severe drowsiness and lethargy do not disappear even after a long rest or several days off. The patient constantly feels exhausted, and due to sleep disturbances, he appears groggy in the morning. Against the background of insomnia, headaches and muscle heaviness progress. Interest in work and hobbies disappears, and anxiety and irritability arise over time. The most common causes of chronic fatigue syndrome are infection with herpes virus type 6, endocrine and somatic diseases, and poor lifestyle.
Bronchial asthma
During the interictal period, pathological changes in the lungs and bronchi persist, which cause chronic hypoxia. Against the background of mild oxygen starvation, lethargy develops, which intensifies with physical activity. There is shortness of breath, heaviness in the arms and legs. The clinical picture is supplemented by objective signs: pallor of the nasolabial triangle, changes in the frequency and nature of breathing. In the event of an attack of bronchial asthma, the condition is replaced by severe weakness and lack of air, and the person requires emergency assistance.
Autoimmune pathology
A long-term inflammatory process causes the accumulation of cytokines and mediators in the body, which negatively affect overall well-being. Lethargy increases gradually; at first it becomes more difficult to perform professional duties; when playing sports, you need to take long breaks. Over time, motivation disappears, the person becomes indifferent, complains of a general loss of strength, severe weakness and drowsiness. Autoimmune causes that most often provoke malaise are the initial stage of rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, systemic lupus erythematosus.
Rare causes
- Allergic diseases
: rhinitis and pharyngitis, angioedema, anaphylactic reactions. - Pathology of the blood system
: thrombocytopenia, aplastic anemia, lymphoma and leukemia. - Bleeding
. - Kidney damage
: glomerulonephritis and chronic pyelonephritis, renal failure, uremia.
How to deal with daytime sleepiness?
Analyze all life factors and make adjustments:
- To the home medicine cabinet. The cause of drowsiness may be taking anti-allergy medications, painkillers, antipsychotics and antidepressants, anti-cold complexes such as Theraflu due to the sedative component, as well as sedatives, including herbal ones.
- Nutrition. Drowsiness is caused by eating carbohydrate foods (potatoes, bread, pastries), after which the blood glucose level rises sharply and quickly decreases, causing drowsiness caused by the action of insulin.
- Obtaining oxygen. In a closed and unventilated room, yawning often begins, which is associated with a lack of oxygen. Anemia, caused by a decrease in red blood cells that carry oxygen in the blood, also provokes weakness, lethargy, and a constant desire to sleep.
- Physical activity. Movement eliminates the three main causes of fatigue and drowsiness: depression, obesity, diabetes. Increased levels of inflammatory molecules in the blood can cause drowsiness and weakness. Regular exercise reduces levels of C-reactive protein, tissue necrosis factors and interleukins, reducing the risk of heart disease, arthritis and other inflammation.
Everyone chooses their own way to correct their lifestyle. Someone purchases a subscription to a fitness center with a full range of services, from a gym, swimming pool to yoga classes and a sauna for 4-8 thousand rubles per month.
Someone undergoes a comprehensive examination of the body, shelling out up to 30 thousand rubles in clinics, and receives familiar recommendations on proper nutrition and exercise.
Some people track activity and rest using a sleep diary, a pedometer, or a convenient fitness bracelet that reads the amount of sleep and movement throughout the day. The assistant cannot be deceived: it displays the exact time of sleep on the mobile application, indicates the duration of deep (healthy) and light sleep, the number of awakenings and the time spent falling asleep.
The norm for the average adult is 7-8 hours of sleep with a minimum number of awakenings (no more than two) and falling asleep within 30 minutes.
Pathological conditions
Increased fatigue may be a sign of:
Why does my head hurt after a long sleep?
- Insomnia. Sleep disorders appear as a result of stress and loss of interest in life. Without enough sleep at night, the patient suffers from daytime sleepiness.
- Idiopathic hypersomnia. With this disease, a person sleeps fully at night, but during the day he is constantly in a state of doze. It is difficult for him to deal with his studies and work responsibilities. At the same time, he feels irritability and apathy.
- Narcolepsy as a sleep disorder. The patient cannot overcome lethargy and weakness; he sleeps constantly. Feeling anxious and suffering from hallucinations, a person may become frightened by the slightest sound, becoming irritable and nervous.
- Pickwick's syndrome, or hypoventilation of the obese. People with 3-4 degrees of obesity move little. As a result of their heavy weight, they experience difficulty breathing and thickening of the blood. During sleep, breathing stops, apnea. Since sleep is interrupted, they feel overweight and unimportant. In addition to lethargy, they look tired and constantly want to sleep.
- Iron deficiency anemia. A drop in hemoglobin levels leads to a decrease in oxygen supply to tissues.
- Hypotension. Slow blood flow through the vessels prevents the brain from being saturated with oxygen. Hence the hypoxia of the brain. At the same time, headache, dizziness, and nausea appear.
- Thyroid diseases. Due to a lack of thyroid-stimulating hormones, drowsiness, absent-mindedness, and chilliness appear. Along with loss of strength, they suffer from a constant desire to sleep.
- Vascular diseases, osteochondrosis. Narrow vessels, their compression due to inflammation of the spine, impairs blood circulation in areas of the brain.
Fatigue often occurs in spring or autumn, when the body needs vitamins and sunlight. Treatment of diseases of the psyche and nervous system involves taking sedatives. Medicines in this group cause symptoms of hypersomnia and fatigue.
How to get rid of sleepiness at work?
Give a light head massage to speed up blood circulation and stimulate brain function. Eating an apple, which is better than a cup of coffee, fills the body with energy and vitamins. Get up and walk if you feel lethargic and drowsy - endorphins will help you come to your senses faster. Listen to your own body: a sudden desire to eat chocolate may indicate a drop in blood sugar levels, and it is worth listening to your body and returning your brain to fighting capacity - just do not eat a cake, cookies, butternut squash or waffle. Excess carbohydrates will have the opposite effect - increased drowsiness after twenty minutes. Coenzyme Q10, together with B vitamins, will become a source of vigor in every cell and renew the nervous system.
When does it occur
Frequent worries and stress at work and in the family lead to emotional exhaustion. At the same time, the person constantly wants to sleep, he does not have the energy to engage in even ordinary activities. Over time, a person's condition worsens, and fatigue becomes chronic. This is mixed with diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and digestive tract.
Lack of life goals
Constant fatigue and drowsiness occurs in those who are not satisfied with their life. This is what leads to a job you don’t like, when you force yourself to go to the office or enterprise every morning. Those who stop developing, not realizing their potential, become emotionally burnt out.
The same result awaits workers who devote all their strength to the work they love, but do not receive a final positive result. A reduced emotional background causes muscle weakness and irritability.
Nervous tension, shock
Everyone has enough troubles in life. When life goes through a dark period: a loved one dies, a divorce is coming, children bring grief - then the body cannot cope with the stress and fails. It is expressed by the appearance of drowsiness and fatigue. You give up, it seems that life is over. It is in this situation that depression develops.
It’s important to set yourself up for the fact that everything will pass. Problems will subside and life will return to normal.
No support
An adult’s psyche suffers when loved ones do not support him in difficult life situations. When faced with a choice, it is difficult to determine what the right thing to do is. And when there is no person nearby who can understand and forgive, then lethargy and apathy come. At the same time, they feel muscle weakness and a reluctance to think and reason. With a long-term condition, a feeling of anxiety, suspiciousness, and irritability is mixed in.
Weakness of character
Personality traits influence why fatigue occurs. For pampered people it is more difficult to deal with problems. Any deviation from everyday life in one direction or another causes panic. And decision making is difficult.
The weak-willed person always needs support like no one else. Without it, you give up, panic and stress begin. They are accompanied by irritability and anxiety in some, and lethargy and drowsiness in others.
Increased fatigue
Chronic fatigue syndrome is the scourge of modern people, especially residents of big cities. Excessive fatigue due to poor nutrition, prolonged exposure to high or low temperatures, diseases associated with metabolic disorders, major bleeding, and injuries can lead to weakness of the body.
Often, for six months, a state persists when you don’t want to do anything, just sleep. After all, at this time the level of melatonin in the blood is increased. Fatigue syndrome complicates life, lasting for a long time with varying severity of symptoms. Women between 20 and 40 years of age suffer from the pathology more often.
Stress
Everyone knows what it means to feel tired, exhausted, weak and depressed, and what suffering this brings. Everyday stress negatively affects the entire body:
- increased blood pressure;
- increased heart rate;
- suppression of the immune system.
The release of stress hormones leads to the fact that energy reserves are depleted, reducing the protective response. The supply of nutrients, B vitamins, antioxidants, zinc and other substances necessary for the functioning of the immune system is depleted. The body begins to age faster. It’s not for nothing that stress is called the silent killer. If you do not remove stress using reasonable methods, its consequences will negatively affect your health.
How to get rid of insomnia?
A fulfilling life begins with proper rest.
It is completely normal for people to constantly feel tired after insomnia. The reason is lack of rest, which causes severe sleepiness during the day.
The reasons should be sought in relation to sleep and comfort. Sleep is a therapy for the whole body, and modern man neglects the time of healing, choosing the dubious benefits of entertainment.
Spending a third of his life in sleep, a person does not think about properly preparing the main process for the body. No one understands the importance of sleeping space for the brain, body, well-being and mood. No one understands that the mind, overloaded with information throughout the day, will not simply enter a relaxing sleep.
The body needs help:
- Ensure enough sleep, learn to rest again and prepare for it correctly. Half an hour before rest, turn off the TV, computer, smartphone, music. Sleep from 22:00 to 2:00 is the deepest and most relaxing; it is at this time that the brain produces somatotropin or the hormone of youth to burn fat and rejuvenate the skin.
- Record your wake-up time. Get up at the same time for a month, regardless of the time you fall asleep. This will help rebuild circadian rhythms and train the brain to correctly switch sleep and rest phases.
- Use light and darkness. During the day, spend time in the fresh air as often as possible, try to go out into daylight, at least in the morning and evening, when the sun is not too hot. At night, avoid electrical appliances that interfere with the darkness in the bedroom and use thick curtains.
- Avoid hot baths and hot showers before bed. When falling asleep, the body, on the contrary, lowers its temperature, and bath procedures speed up the heartbeat and excite the nervous system. You need to fill the bathtub with water at room temperature, sit in it for 5-7 minutes to relax, or dip your feet in cool water for a minute, and quickly wipe with a towel.
- Do light exercises. Lying on your back, pull your toes towards you and away from you. Clench your fists and relax them several times. Close your eyes and roll your pupils up - in this position the brain sends a signal to relax.
- Drink a glass of warm milk with a spoon of honey. Place three drops of lavender oil on a piece of sugar and eat before bed.
Attention needs to be paid to both the mind and body:
- Pain in the back and neck appears on a too soft, worn-out mattress with dents and bumps, since the necessary support for the body is not created.
- Insomnia occurs due to insufficient relaxation of the body, the inability to find a comfortable position during sleep, and frequent awakenings.
- Disturbed sleep habits and muscle imbalances - an uncomfortable bed forces the body into forced postures, which provokes muscle strain.
The result of such a dream will be not only drowsiness during the day, but also weakness, body aches, and lack of energy. An uncomfortable sleeping place gives rise to a persistent association “sleep – discomfort”, so a person subconsciously tries to avoid rest that does not bring relief, and starts a vicious circle of insomnia. Drowsiness is accompanied by cravings for unhealthy foods, overeating, and decreased self-control and libido.
Who would have thought that an uncomfortable bed could ruin your personal life and figure?
A mattress that is too soft or too hard, an uncomfortable pillow, or an old, worn-out bed can all make it difficult to fall asleep quickly and get a good night's sleep. Twice a year you need to check the mattress for signs of wear and update the pillows. If pain in the neck, lower back and joints intensifies after sleep, you can visit an osteopath who uses gentle manual therapy practices. In one or two sessions, a specialist will remove muscle blocks, and an orthopedic mattress will support the health of the spine, correct muscle balance, help recover from physical activity, maintain posture, and ensure a good mood without the blues.
An integrated approach to relaxation restores vigor, activity and health.
Why do you always feel sleepy in the fall?
In autumn, hours decreases . Sunny summer days are replaced by cloudy weather. A person receives less ultraviolet radiation. The production of the hormone melatonin, which is involved in regulating the body’s circadian rhythms, decreases. If it is deficient, the biological clock does not work as accurately, and it is difficult for a person to fall asleep in the evening, wake up in the morning, and want to sleep .
Melatonin is needed for the synthesis of serotonin. If its quantity decreases, the body produces less of the joy hormone, and the person feels unhappy for no apparent reason.
It is genetically determined that in preparation for winter , the body accumulates fat reserves. Because of this, your appetite increases and you crave high-calorie food. In order to store fat reserves, he strives to reduce physical activity, resulting in greater weakness , apathy, and drowsiness.
This is a natural seasonal phenomenon. There is no need to be afraid of your condition or create additional stress by going on a strict diet or increasing physical activity. Don't be afraid to gain 2-3 kg. A slight increase in body weight reduces the risk of colds and flu. And it’s easier to regain your previous weight in the spring, when your biorhythms change again and you feel a surge of energy.
