3 Reasons You Think You’re Tired…But You’re Not
You might be fooling yourself into getting less done
I may be able to help you get that elusive second wind — that extra hour of grind before turning in for bed. Why? Because many of us think we need rest when we actually don’t.
A few nights ago, around 9 pm, I felt the exhaustion wave cover my body like a heavy (and temptingly snuggly) blanket. My husband had just taken my kid to put him to bed and I was alone on the sofa. I sighed and opened up Wordle. I’m so tired. My body needs rest. But I have so much to do. Nah. I should rest. I played a few rounds and then went to bed.
Conversely, last night, I was in the exact same situation. My husband took my kid to bed, I felt the same exhaustion blanket, and I decided to just work for five minutes to see how I felt. One hour later, I had gotten so much done. And bonus — I felt pretty dang proud of myself.
So, what was the difference between the two evenings? I did three things differently. And they made a world of difference. Why do you think you’re tired when you’re not?
You’re busy digesting
The night I couldn’t manage to rustle up a second wind, I had eaten…wait for it…cheese tortellini with red peppers, spinach, and extra parmesan. Two servings of it. I mean, it was pretty good, I must say.
But, as good as the tortellini was, it zapped my energy for the rest of the evening. Dr. Tomonori Kishino, a professor of health science at Japan’s Kyorin University, says, “Blood flow to the small intestine “dramatically increases” after a person eats. And as blood is pumped into the gut to fuel digestion, a corresponding drop in blood flow to the brain could trigger feelings of sleepiness.”
Too much food makes us pooped. Enter the post-Thanksgiving dinner snoozefest. We all instinctively know this, I think, but I personally forget it until after my decadent meal.
You’re putting something off
The night I went to bed, I was putting off doing something I knew I needed to do…but I didn’t want to do it. I’m a master at ignoring that little quiet voice in my head that reminds me what I need to do. I clean my closet, wash my car, reorganize my desktop. Anything to put off doing what I know I need to do. Including? Telling myself I’m tired.
Procrastination can make you tired and being tired can make you want to procrastinate. It’s a vicious cycle. The way I can usually overcome the ugly procrastination monster is to, well, put him off. I tell myself I will try doing whatever I need to be doing for five minutes. If I still think I’m tired after five minutes, I might actually be tired.
If, instead, after five minutes, I feel a sense of relief, I was just telling myself I was tired in order to put off doing an unsavory task.
You’ve got a loop in your head
Some people say that 80% of the thoughts we think are not original. Whether that stat is accurate or not, we definitely have a few loops of the same thoughts that repeat in our heads over and over. One of mine is that I’m lazy. Another one? That I’m tired. (Obviously, you see how these go hand in hand).
My husband and I even lay in bed and theorize why we’re so tired all the time. Stress over world events? Raising a preschooler? Work overwhelm? Aging? Or…perhaps we’re jus telling ourselves a false story that we repeat over and over in our heads until we think it’s true.
I like to look to the facts when I find myself thinking I’m tired. Did I get enough sleep the night before? Have I been hydrating and eating healthily? then, I might just be caught in an unproductive loop in my head. So? I counteract that loop. Instead of telling myself I’m not tired (my brain won’t quite believe that one), I tell myself that I’m really good at powering through. And then, I get to getting things done.
Final thoughts
Listen, only you know what’s going on in your brain and in your body. If you’re truly tired, get yourself some rest. But, I suggest that first, you take a moment and see if you might be tricking yourself into getting less done. Are you busy digesting? Are you procrastinating? Or maybe you have a false thought loop floating in your mind.
Either way, it’s worth taking a few moments of introspection to see if you think you’re tired…but you’re not.
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