From Yawns to “Yes”: Tackling Daytime Sleepiness and Fatigue
Daytime sleepiness is a common experience—we’ve all felt our eyelids droop during a long meeting or found ourselves fantasizing about a nap after lunch. But for millions of Americans, this isn’t just an occasional annoyance. It’s a chronic issue that disrupts productivity, sours moods, and impacts overall quality of life. What might be causing this problem, and more importantly, how can we overcome it?
Why Are We So Sleepy or Tired During the Day?
Daytime sleepiness can stem from a variety of factors, ranging from lifestyle habits to medical conditions. Here are some common culprits:
Insufficient Nighttime Sleep: One of the most obvious reasons is simply not getting enough sleep. If heading to bed half an hour earlier (or simplifying your morning routine so you can get up later) solves the issue—great! You can also add in a brief nap midday.
Sleep Disorders: Conditions like obstructive sleep apnea or the rare but impactful central disorder of hypersomnolence (e.g., narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia) cause persistent daytime sleepiness, sometimes to the point of leading to car accidents.
Medications: Some medications—including many for insomnia, pain, and mood problems—have drowsiness as a side effect, which can make staying alert during the day a challenge.
Chronotype misalignment. This is a surprisingly common cause of daytime sleepiness, but it tends to fly under the radar. If you have a late-leaning chronotype (i.e., your natural circadian clock likes to fall asleep and wake up later than most people) but you have to live as a morning person due to work/family obligations, you may feel chronically sleepy even if you technically get enough sleep. A similar principle applies to people who work night shifts or rotating shifts.
Excessive Caffeine. Yes, you read that right! Too much coffee can make you more sleepy. That’s because caffeine tricks your brain into thinking you’ve got more energy than you really do, making it run on fumes while sleepiness is secretly still accumulating behind the scenes. Eventually, when you start withdrawing from caffeine, all of that sleepiness comes crashing through, even as lingering effects of caffeine may be keeping you too wired to fall asleep at bedtime.
Underlying Health Conditions: Neurological disorders or early stages of neurodegenerative diseases can cause excessive daytime sleepiness. However, don’t jump to this conclusion prematurely, as there are usually more common explanations to consider first.
How To Figure Out The Cause Of Your Sleepiness and Fatigue
Instead of searching WebMD for the worst-case reason for your daytime fatigue, I recommend going through this decision process:
Try giving yourself a bit more sleep opportunity. I don’t mean tacking on a long nap on Saturday. I mean adding 30 min (or a bit more, if you can swing it) to your sleep window each night. If this works—fabulous! If not, you can consider…
Adjusting your sleep timing, environment, and daytime habits. If you’re able, listen to your body for when it prefers to sleep and try to work with that timing. Remove clutter and distractions from your bedroom including even dim lights from electronics. Cut down your caffeine intake. Most importantly, get outdoors and get active during the day! If these changes don’t make a real difference…
Ask a sleep specialist to screen for sleep disorders. You may need a sleep study or at least a medication review to see what else might be going on. I wouldn’t skip this step if you continue to be sleepy during the day, because this can be a serious sign for a health problem.
Bottom Line
If your sleepiness affects your ability to function during the day, talk to a healthcare professional. They can help identify potential causes and recommend effective treatments. For those who follow siesta or napping cultures, some daytime sleepiness during the afternoon dip may be normal, but you should feel alert for the rest of the day. If you can figure out the root causes of your daytime sleepiness, you can reclaim your full lease on life.
