I Can't Wake Up: What It Means for Mental Health

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat It MeansUnderlying Mental Health CausesImpactTips for Coping

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What It Means

Underlying Mental Health Causes

Impact

Tips for Coping

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Do you ever think, “No matter how much sleep I get, I can’t wake up?” While occasional sleepiness in the morning is normal, especially if you’ve had a busy week or stayed up a little too late, constantly being unable to get up in the morning can sometimes be a sign of a mental health problem.

In addition, disturbed sleeping patterns can worsen your mental health and exacerbate existing mental illnesses.

Because disturbed sleep can be a sign of or contributor to a mental health problem, you should never ignore a chronic inability to get up in the morning. Whether you sleep right through your alarm or lie in bed too exhausted to get up, there are solutions you can implement once you understand the underlying cause of your sleepiness.

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What It Means When You Can’t Wake Up

Are you wondering why you can’t get up in the morning or what the underlying cause of your drowsiness could be? There can be a variety of reasons why can’t wake up in the morning and some may require more immediate medical attention than others.

Possible Medical Conditions

If you are struggling to wake up in the morning, it’s important to rule out medical conditions such as sleep apnea,narcolepsy, and chronic fatigue syndrome. If you have been diagnosed with one of these conditions, your inability to get out of bed may be related to your diagnosis.

In this case, a medical professional may prescribe medication or another treatment plan to help with this specific problem.

Sleep paralysisis another condition that can wreak havoc with your ability to wake up. This is a temporary paralysis that typically occurs when you wake up or fall asleep, but it can also happen at other times. Terrifying hallucinations and feelings of dread sometimes accompany it.

If you haven’t been diagnosed with any sort of medical disorder and still can’t seem to wake up in the morning, it’s possible that you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health problem.

Mental Health Reasons You Can’t Wake Up

If it seems like you can’t wake up no matter how much sleep you get, it might also be related to a mental disorder. Below are some mental health conditions that may affect your ability to wake up in the morning.

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Depression

If you are struggling to wake up in the morning, there is a chance that you may be living withdepression. Other symptoms of depression include:

If you think your inability to wake up might be related to this condition, reaching out to a professional is important. Effective treatments can help, including psychotherapy, medication, and lifestyle changes.

The Best Online Therapy Services for Depression We Tried and Tested

Anxiety

Mental health conditions such asanxietymay also affect your ability to wake up. Research indicates that around 50% of people with anxiety experience sleep disturbances.

People who struggle with this condition often feel stressed and overwhelmed during the day, which can cause sleep problems at night. This means that you might not be able to fall asleep or stay asleep for an extended period of time each night, making it difficult to wake up the next morning.

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Bipolar Disorder

The highs and lows that come with it can cause sleep problems at night.This is because your sleep schedule may shift dramatically over a short period, either due to depressive ormanic episodes.

Research indicates that around 70% of people with bipolar disorder experience insomnia, and 25% experience hypersomnia (excessive daytime sleepiness) between mood episodes. Between 40% and 80% experience hypersomnia during depressive mood episodes.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal affective disorderis another mental health condition that can make it difficult to wake up in the morning. People with this condition often have a harder time falling asleep at night and experience greater sleepiness during the day.

While this condition impacts people throughout the year, people who are more susceptible will notice their symptoms become worse during the winter months when there is less sunlight available. This means you might sleep for longer periods of time at night and have difficulty waking up when it is morning.

12 Tips for Better Sleep With Anxiety

ADHD

People who haveattention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)may also find it difficult to wake up in the morning. This is because they may tend to sleep for shorter periods and feel as if they haven’t gotten enough sleep when waking up.

ADHD is also associated with a lack of energy upon waking up, which causes people to want to return to bed instead of getting ready for work or school.

The Best Online Resources for ADHD We Tried and Tested

PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)can also cause you to sleep for more extended periods at night and have more difficulty waking up. This is because people with PTSD often experience nightmares or flashbacks that disrupt their ability to get a good night’s rest, causing them to feel tired the following day.

Sleep disturbances are a symptom of PTSD, affecting between 70% and 90% of people with the condition. Research also suggests that sleep disorders are connected to the onset and maintenance of the condition.

The Best Online Trauma Therapy, Tried and Tested

Impact on Mental Health

The relationship between sleep and mental health is bidirectional. People with psychological disorders often experience sleep problems, but evidence also indicates that sleep disturbances can also play a part in causing mental conditions.

While mental health conditions can make it hard to wake up, being unable to wake up can also affect your mental health. Below is a list of some possible impacts that struggling to wake up may have on you:

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Tips for When You Can’t Wake Up

If a mental health condition is making it hard for you to wake up, even if it feels like you are getting plenty of sleep each night, below are some tips to help you cope:

Get Support

If you are struggling to wake up each morning, it can be helpful to enlist the help of friends, family, and health professionals.

Practice Healthy Habits

Sleep issues often benefit from adopting some healthy habits. Your overall physical health can play a role in the quality and duration of your sleep.

Adjust Your Sleep Hygiene

Practicing good sleep hygiene is essential for falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up well-rested. If you often feel as if you can’t wake up in the morning, consider trying some of the following tips:

Other Strategies That Can Help

Adjusting your expectations and trying different tools and techniques to manage your morning wake-up routine can also be helpful.

If you struggle with not waking up, it may be time to get help. There can be many reasons for this, and there is no shame in getting the support you need. Whether your struggle stems from a mental health condition or life stressors, find someone who will listen without judgment.

If you or a loved one are finding it challenging to wake up due to a mental health condition, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are finding it challenging to wake up due to a mental health condition, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

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16 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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