Overworked and worn yourself to a shadow, you’re struggling to jazz up! You’ve even tried to fix fatigue by hitting the sack more often— only to wake up more exhausted. If that’s you, here’s the secret: Sleep and rest are not the same thing, as many incorrectly confuse the two; ; yet one won’t come without the other either!

It’s 7.00 am and dogs and diaries are all lined up for the day. But more than feeling energized, everything is pissing me off. In no less the same way brothers would hurl nuclear weapons at each other and get out unscathed, I snap at nobody in particular;

“Why the hell do we get to face another day uninvited?” but her around, then in a more resigned tome;

“Suppose I’ll have to make do with what I get”.

She ignores me and tersely retorts; “What this Putin is doing? Have you been following the news? You know what; I can’t get him, Zelenski or the war out of my head”.

I remembered; we were talking about the war in East Europe last evening.

“Oh really!… I’m sure he’s very concerned about your opinion”, I chide softly.

“Shut up”, she admonishes. “Wouldn’t he know how to stand up to his credo? After all he’s no comedian actor turned President like Zelenski”.

True; the world we live in, it’s the jesters and jerks making big, who hit the headlines more often trying to make the most sense these days.

I sigh and decide not to snap back. I feel tired and worn out.

Yesterday, it was a holiday and I’ve had a late afternoon slump; went to bed early. Yet, this morning I don’t feel rested; the surge of well being is simply not there.

I grumble and whimper… Guess, I am yet to give in to the frustrating truth about R&R.

Why else would you want a proper break if you’re not feeling tired, gutted and need it?

Uh-Oh!! Who am I kidding?

You already know it! Take regular breaks throughout the work day; sitting long hours at desk is worse than jabbing yourself with an Ebola-infected syringe; eating lunch at your work station is a sin…blah blah. You are aware and so you should get up frequently, yoga poses would help, nip of fresh air in the park- perhaps even a power nap…

All this aims to make you happier, more productive. Who knows. some day you may even decide to leave for Office earlier with enough gusto to spare.

But actually you don’t do any of these…do you?

Instead you surf face book; read blogs, watch extensively crazy youtube video and all the while munch peanuts for no reason; all the while miles away!

In the meantime all this atrocity builds up a frustrating irony about sleep and rest that very few acknowledge!

When we are drearily tired and burnt out, we miss the basic connection between fatigue and poor decision making. Our willpower gets besieged and we pick up random threads to believe that some ‘cognitive’ break like stretching, chatting, or drifting through social media, is enough to deliver.

If you are the one who has set his heart on this belief…well you couldn’t be more wrong!!

These aren’t really the breaks that I’d look forward to. Given the kinda load they put on our brain, I might as well have continued working with no rest.

For most of us this hoodwinking is similar to ‘bedtime hesitation’ or failing to go to bed at the intended time even when nothing stops us from hitting the sack.

You know the drill;

You are worn out drained and ought to sleep, yet the walk from the sofa to bed via bathroom seems too much of an effort. Surfing absentmindedly through Netflix menus though feels relaxing. Not surprisingly, frustrated sleep means you’re less likely to have the energy to haul yourself to bed the following night!

So, is there any way out of it?

Yup!…

Begin by taking breaks early in the day, before you even feel you need to. This keeps replenishing your energy levels. Move outside frequently, not because of fresh air or some audacious attraction, but because there will be fewer screens to rivet your attention.

Wrong turns right tricks

Whenever I feel extremely tired and have an intense urge to lie down, I know something is not working for me. Each one of us has days when we feel exhausted and run down. It’s Ok, but constantly being tired and spent isn’t.

And who else but you is there to sense the alarm when something goes off the hook.

Web Quickreads and biohackers usually prank different sleep and rest techniques –from physical and mental to emotional and social, all bragging to kick start you.

But do they really work? Are they any better than some cooked up web story to refresh your senses and fill you with some fresh excitement fast?And are you clever enough to know what is pushing you into sleep dysfunction snare?

In most cases, weariness is weeded out by reworking your lifestyle but correcting or improving your fatigue index is taxing. You need to get to the bottom of it to know what’s causing it before you rid yourself of sleep syndrome.

Here are six possible reasons why you’re always tired and how to get sleep impairment back on rails.

Your caffeine fix needs trim

Feeling tired and morning all screwed up!!…

You have gulp down enough of black coffee and in the bargain you’ve earned yourself some spoofed up sleep cycle. You’ll be tired and confused day long and will be tempted for more of caffeine to stay perked up.

But the cycle of poor sleep won’t let you.

And it’s not swell, alright!

Caffeinated beverages are infamous for a temporary energy burst but over-indulgence is criminal. It might roughen up your next day.

If you are a caffeine buff and are currently experiencing sleep issues, try snipping it back. How many cups? That’s difficult…but a cup half-filled each time will do the trick. Your consumption would halve and might improve your sleep and energy levels.

Stimulants like caffeine uncannily exaggerate the effect of adrenaline rush, make your heart pump faster, you respiration fires up… all so much for a kick! The spark however doesn’t last even two hours.

The slump returns afterwards.

Eat and beat the woe

The food that you eat and how much you eat, makes one helluva difference to your sleep pattern. It steps up or diminishes your energy levels. If you are eating healthy and are still tired, try changing how many times you eat. Some people get the rush with several small meals throughout the day while others could do with three square ones.

There is no wrong or right; your energy needs may be different from others.

But watch out!  What and how much you consume, does matter. Allowing yourself a free run on the table is spooky!

See…it works like a snow ball rolling downhill. The more you gain in weight, the less inclined you’d be towards work. And then you won’t exercise, burn the kals or feel swell!

Poor hydration devastates

Eight, 8-ounce (240-mL) glasses of water daily; this is what we all hear about proper hydration but it all depends your weight, age, sex, and activity levels.

Are you drinking enough of it?  Thirst, fatigue, dizziness, and headaches don’t hurt, if you do. But if you feel bulldozed then maybe you’ve strayed  off the course!

Staying well hydrated is unique since many biochemical reactions take place in our body every day and need water loss to be replaced. Lower hydration levels means waning energy and ebbing ability to concentrate. In fact, it could affect your entire body, including your sleep cycles.

So, you don’t have much of a choice; you just couldn’t do without it. If you’re not well hydrated, your body will put itself off to maintain water balance instead of giving you energy. All you need to do is to adjust your intake with how much water you’re losing daily.

A simple thing like stopping at a water faucet or a bubbler when you walk by one could just be one good idea.

Some extra won’t burn or spoil anything!

Bad wrap comes with bad rap

Not entirely undeserved, fat issue are plucky and a bad deal when it comes to overall health. Not only obesity is significantly linked to many chronic illnesses, it could just be the reason for your chronic fatigue. Your risk of obstructive sleep apnea might spin-off out of control, cause daytime fatigue and directly affect your sleep cycle. Needless to say you also run higher risk of depression and type-2 diabetes.

Poor sleep quality and sleep dysfunctions spawn weight gain too as you are less inclined to work. Lethargy, drowsiness and exhaustion are your helpmates now and won’t let you free!

Maintaining a healthy body weight preps you for some good sleep and tweaked energy levels. Experiencing some high quality sleep also prevents weight gain and reduces fatigue.

To begin with, settle for polyunsaturated fats for oils and seafood and monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, nuts, and seeds for the right balance. The unsaturated variety may help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol.

If this helps you any bit; quality sleep would rid you of that creepy hung over feeling caused by the same biological function that gives you a jet lag.

You need a break from SoNet !

Yup! we all want to be emotionally charged all the time. But the glam and splash trashes our physical health at whatever cost. Chatting with close friends or family does the trick for most part. Bright lights, computer screens, background noise and multiple conversations — whether in an office or on Zoom calls — overwhelms our senses.

Worse…if you’re an introvert and your work demands you to be in company of lot many people every day, you definitely would run short on some ‘me time’ to rest and recharge. You can’t spend 40 hrs a week staring blankly at screens or jumbled messy surroundings at work and end up the day surfing social media; yet remain passionate about everything. Innovations?…Not a chance. This mindless disarray will have you mired in sleepless tossing nights in a hurry.

So, simply lay off and lie low. Take a break from your cellphone, screen and other gadgets. Do something as simple as closing eyes for a minute in the middle of the day, unplug everything (mobile and laptop and every other thing) at the end of the day, go for a solo walk, read a book or enjoy a nice tea!

Intentional moments of sensory deprivations will begin to undo the damage inflicted by an over-stimulating world around you.

And the trap will spring open anytime sooner!

Don’t be shocked if it feels thick and naked at first; you’re all keyed up and coming to a grinding halt is more painful than continuing.

Yes, you do need a break but don’t expect yourself to want one.