Why You Feel Tired Even When You’ve Slept – and What To Do About It

For one of life’s most basic functions, sleep can feel annoyingly tricky. Falling asleep, getting enough sleep (around seven to nine hours per night), and feeling rested the next day are challenges many of us face regularly. These sorts of sleep troubles are something that general practitioner Dr Cerys Jones sees regularly, and she says the flow-on effects to health and mental wellbeing are real.

“It’s enormous, and it goes in both directions,” Dr Jones says. “Poor mental health problems make sleep worse, and then sleep deprivation has a very detrimental effect on both anxiety and mood symptoms, as well as more complex mental health problems.”

If you’re struggling to sleep or feeling tired and unfocused during the day, Dr Jones says everyday pressures and stress could be impacting your mental health.

“I would say there are three main groups related to stress: financial pressures, cost-of-living pressures and job insecurity – those things are very common,” Dr Jones says. “Most of my patient cohort are women, so [for them] parenting worries are possibly even more frequent than that.”

How to sleep better, according to a GP

If you’re sleeping poorly or struggling to feel rested, Dr Jones has a few tips to start with. The first is to reduce your caffeine intake, especially late in the day. She also suggests being more aware of screen time before bed.

“Handheld screens late in the day will impact sleep quality through the effect they have on your hormonal cycle,” Dr Jones says. “The act of falling asleep is driven and regulated by a series of sequential hormone releases, and you interrupt those with exposure to blue light. So the use of handheld screens in the evening is well documented to disrupt sleep quality and duration.” 

As for those sleep-disturbing stresses and anxieties, she says that journalling – writing down thoughts and feelings that might keep you up at night – can be a good technique.

“It’s the act of writing out the things you’re worried about, so that you can park them somewhere and come back to them when you’ve got the time and the headspace.”

For worries that are harder to pinpoint but still keep you awake at night, Dr Jones says it can be worth talking to a professional.

“It’s normal to worry in your life, especially when you work full time, you have children and ageing parents, and there’s all sorts of pushes and pulls on your energy levels. The difference between normal worry and an anxiety disorder can sometimes be hard for people to pinpoint. That’s when it becomes really helpful to have a GP that knows you and can talk you through what’s going on.” 

Another option is to take advantage of digital tools like Medicare Mental Health Check In, which offers high-quality, low-intensity mental health support and guidance either solo or with the help of a qualified mental health practitioner. It’s free and confidential, with no referral or diagnosis needed.

“Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia is a proven evidence-based intervention for poor sleep, and it’s what I recommend to my patients to help with their sleeping difficulties,” Dr Jones says. “If you’ve got anxiety about your sleep, if you’re worried about having insomnia, it’s sort of a perpetuating worry that disrupts sleep, and CBT helps you break that cognitive load. So that is something I recommend for everybody who’s experiencing sleep troubles.” 

Regardless which methods you try, or the underlying causes of your sleeplessness, it’s worth reaffirming that sleep troubles are a valid reason to seek support – whether that’s from a digital platform like Medicare Mental Health Check In or, your local doctor.

“There are lots of medical conditions that will disrupt your sleep, as well as all of the life stressors that you may not appreciate, that your regular GP can help you work through and understand better.”

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with the Australian Government. If you’re experiencing mild mental health challenges, you can visit mentalhealthcheckin.gov.au or call Medicare Mental Health (1800 595 212).