Why are we so tired? South Florida sleep doctors explain the cause behind our fatigue
MIAMI — The daily grind of work, sitting in traffic, and raising children can all add up -- and don't forget to try to exercise and eat healthily.
It seems like these days we are more tired than ever before.
We went to the experts to find out what was causing us to be so exhausted and what we could do to make it better.
"We are sleepy because we're not sleeping enough or we're not sleeping well and I think that's the underlying issue," said Dr. Christian Agudelo, a neurologist and sleep specialist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
"We need to create space for good sleep and also what we are putting into our bodies. If we put garbage into our bodies we are going to feel like garbage," added Dr. Elsa Orlandini, a licensed psychologist.
"Stress plays a huge role in not only the amount of sleep that you're getting but also just feeling chronically fatigued," said Dr. Joshua Moore, a surgeon at HCA Florida University Hospital in Davie.
Moore starts his evening watching the sunset. He dims the lights at home and lights candles. He showers and then ends his night journaling before bed to calm his mind and get good rest.
"By the time 10 [p.m.] rolls around, I'm in bed — I've got my journal, I'm going to jot down those last thoughts that are kind of rolling around in my head," he added.
Having a good sleep routine is a big piece of the puzzle to feeling our best, Agudelo said.
"A long time ago, we'll say Benjamin Franklin times, the saying was 'Early to bed, early to rise makes a person healthy wealthy, and wise,'," Agudelo said. "A few hundred years passed, we invented the lightbulb and computers and now it's 'The early bird catches the worm,' but we've totally forgotten about the part where it says 'early to bed' and I think we prioritize being awake, waking up early, working hard and the idea of going to sleep early has been lost."
Not getting enough sleep can be bad for our health.
"We see sleep as something that allows the brain to clean itself. The brain develops toxins and metabolites and garbage as it functions while you're awake and then while you're asleep it sort of cleans itself. And one thing that can happen with short sleep or low-quality sleep is it doesn't fully clean itself and then over time, it just accumulates more junk," Agudelo said.
Stress levels can also play a key role, according to Orlandini.
"We're not able to turn our brains off which is turning into chronic stress which can then turn into burnout," Orlandini said. "I think we also have developed a culture of saying yes, where if you feel that you're not able to tell employers no, friends no, neighbors no, and you keep adding more things to your plate, what you're doing is depleting yourself more and more."
Other habits that can interfere with sleep and keep us from feeling rested: looking at our phones before bed and too much caffeine.
"I think anything that's interactive generates this sort of dopamine rush where you get something interesting, that's great I want that feeling again and again," Agudelo said. "When we're at bedtime, when it's later in the evening, we're even more dopamine hungry we can't even control ourselves."
So, the best thing these experts say we can do is set healthy boundaries, reduce our stress, and make sure we prioritize getting quality sleep.
"You need to filter what's coming in and make sure that what is coming in does give you a state of relaxation and or joy," Orlandini said.
And always: listen to your body.
"If you're watching Netflix until two in the morning and you have to be up at six, okay. But if you're not if you're going to bed at 10 and waking up at six and you're exhausted during the day," Agudelo said. "It's not your fault, you're not lazy there is something up and you should see a doctor."
