Six signs your sleep pattern is off-kilter and how to reset your routine

Waking up feeling tired, known as sleep inertia, is common, but if it persists, it may be a sign of underlying health issues.  Picture: iStock 

We all experience the occasional late night or restless sleep, but when these nights become frequent, it can begin to take a toll on our health and overall wellbeing.

Dr Katharina Lederle, a sleep and circadian rhythm specialist, outlines six key signs that indicate that your sleep pattern may be off-balance. She also shares some helpful tips on how to reset your routine to help you wake up feeling refreshed.

1. Waking up in the night

Frequently waking up too early or having regular interruptions during the night is a clear sign that your sleep has been disrupted.

“Waking up and going to the toilet once and then falling back asleep within a couple of minutes is fine, but if you are having a lot of toilet trips or just think, ‘Why have I been awake for such a long period of time’, and then struggle to get back to sleep, that suggests there might be a problem,” says Lederle.

2. Restlessness

“If it takes you longer than 30 minutes to get to sleep on a regular basis, there could be an issue. One sign of poor sleep is restlessness, tossing and turning at night,” says Lederle. 

“You might not necessarily wake up fully and think I have been tossing and turning a lot, but the next day, there may be an awareness of restlessness.

“Or if you have a sleeping partner, they might comment on your restlessness during the night.”

3. Busy mind

A busy mind can be a symptom of a poor sleep schedule, and vice versa.

“Stress can psychologically lead to busy thoughts, worrying about the future, and replaying scenes from your day, which can make it harder to get to sleep,” says Lederle. 

“Stress can also physiologically lead to raised cortisol levels and a raised heart rate. However, what we actually need for sleep is the exact opposite. We need relaxation to allow ourselves to let go of everything.”

4. Low mood

Feeling low or down during the day can be another indication that your sleep pattern has been disrupted.

“The resources in the brain are all finite and need to be rebuilt. So, if your prefrontal cortex [which plays a crucial role in executive functions and higher-order cognitive processes] is sleep deprived, it can’t fulfil its regulatory role,” explains Lederle.

“This often results in low mood, anxiety, and irritability, which can then quite quickly lead to conflict or disagreements.”

5. Struggling to focus

“A lack of motivation and struggling to concentrate are some other signs of disrupted sleep that you can notice during the day,” says Lederle. 

“When the prefrontal cortex hasn’t had the chance to rebuild all its resources, concentration can become hard. Seeing the bigger picture, attention to detail, and switching attention intentionally can also become harder.”

6. Excessive tiredness

Feeling excessively tired throughout the day is likely to be a sign of disrupted sleep or accumulated sleep debt.

“Waking up and still feeling tired and groggy is sleep inertia, which we all experience to some extent. But if you repeatedly feel excessively tired without an explanation, that could indicate a bigger problem,” says Lederle.

Here are some strategies to help your sleeping pattern get back on track:

Go to bed and wake up at regular times: “It’s OK to have some late nights when we go to the theatre or to a party, but on the whole it’s important to keep your sleep and wake times as regular as possible,” says Lederle.

Expose yourself to light in the mornings: “When you wake up in the morning, let the light in and go outside,” recommends Lederle. “In the summer this is relatively easy, but this can become harder to do in winter. Consider getting a light box to substitute the morning light in the darker months.”

Make your bedroom dark and cool in the evening: “Try to keep your sleeping environment quiet, dark, and cool,” advises Lederle.

Think about what might be causing your stress: “Identify where your stress is coming from and think about what you can control,” suggests Lederle. “Think about — how can I recover? How can I let go of my work? How can I relax? How can I get a sense of autonomy or control?”

Engaging in an activity you enjoy before bed can provide a sense of autonomy and control, which may help lower your stress levels and help you drift off to sleep. “It could be that your goal is to meditate and you start with doing five minutes every evening.”

Adjust eating times: “The general rule of thumb is to try and eat dinner at least three or four hours before you go to sleep,” says Lederle. “Having caffeine in the evening, or drinking too much during the day, can also make it harder to fall asleep.”

Stay active: “Make sure you are moving throughout the day and try to avoid sitting on a chair for hours on end,” says Lederle. “Try to do some exercise to help release tension and stress from the body.”

Seek help: “If we have a stressful event, it’s quite normal to have poor sleep. But if you are struggling to sleep for more than two weeks, start to think about what might be impacting your sleep,” says Lederle. “Then if your sleep hasn’t resolved after that, I would suggest speaking to a specialist.”