How to Stop Feeling Tired? 7 Sleep Expert Endorsed Tips

Tired of feeling tired? You’re not alone. Many of us go through life feeling fatigued. And whether that’s a chronic problem or just sleepiness that hits you every now and again, feeling tired never feels great. When you’re lacking in energy, everything in life — from work to family life to exercise — feels hard. 

But, there are science-backed ways you can fight fatigue and boost your energy levels.

Instead of quick-fix hacks and questionable amounts of caffeine, we’ll share how to keep your sleep debt low and live in sync with your circadian rhythm — the two things that make the biggest difference to your energy levels. We’ll also provide actionable steps to improve your sleep hygiene, diet, how you manage your daily energy dips, and more. Plus, we’ll show you how the RISE app can guide through all of this so you can finally stop feeling tired all the time. 

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There are many causes of fatigue, but sleep debt (sleep deprivation) is a likely culprit. 

Sleep debt is the running total of how much sleep you owe your body. In the RISE app we measure it over your last 14 nights and compare it against your sleep need, which is the genetically determined amount of sleep you need (more on this soon). 

If you haven’t been meeting your sleep need, you’ll have been building up sleep debt, which not only makes you feel tired, it impacts your mood, productivity, and overall well-being.

If you’ve got a high sleep debt, this lack of sleep is most likely the reason you’re feeling tired. 

Researchers still aren’t sure if you can pay back chronic sleep debt — the kind that’s been building up for years — but studies show you can pay back acute sleep debt, the kind you’ve built up over the last 14 nights. 

You can pay back sleep debt by: 

• Taking naps: Check RISE for the best time to do this so you don’t struggle to fall asleep later that day. You can learn about the best nap length for you here. 
• Going to sleep a little earlier.
• Sleeping in a little later: Keep this to an hour or two to avoid disrupting your circadian rhythm too much. 
• Improving your sleep hygiene: If you don’t have time to sleep for longer at night or to squeeze in a nap, focus on your sleep hygiene. More on this soon. 

Aim to get your sleep debt below five hours. Depending on how much sleep debt you have, this may take a few nights to pay down (80% of RISE users feel the benefits in five days). 

RISE users on iOS 1.202 and above can click here to view their sleep debt.

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To pay back your sleep debt and keep it below five hours, you need to find out what your sleep need is. It may be much higher than you think — our brains can trick us into feeling like we’ve had enough sleep when really our mental and physical performance is much lower than it could be. 

One study pegs the average sleep need at 8 hours 40 minutes or so, plus or minus 10 minutes, but 13.5% of us may actually need 9 hours or more sleep a night.

There are two ways you can work out your own sleep need. First, you can try the analog method of waking up without an alarm clock for at least a week and keeping a sleep log. It is tricky to accurately work out your sleep need this way, however, and most of us don’t have the luxury of being able to not set an alarm. 

A more accurate way to find out your sleep need is by using a tool like the RISE app. RISE uses your phone use behavior and proprietary sleep-science-backed models to calculate your sleep need down to the minute. 

You can learn more about how much sleep you need and how to use the RISE app as a sleep calculator here. 

RISE users on iOS 1.202 and above can click here to view their sleep need. 

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Your circadian rhythm is your body’s internal biological clock. It runs on a roughly 24-hour cycle and dictates things like when you feel awake and sleepy. 

If your lifestyle doesn’t match your internal clock — perhaps you sleep at odd times — this itself will drain you of energy, even if you meet your sleep need. 

You might be out of sync with your circadian rhythm if: 

• You have social jet lag: This is when you wake up at drastically different times at the weekend compared to during the week. You’re not alone if this is you, about 87% of us have social jet lag. 
• Your work night shifts or rotating shifts 
• You don’t honor your chronotype: Perhaps you’re a night owl trying to be a morning person. 

As well as your sleep times not matching your circadian rhythm, if your meal times don’t match — perhaps you eat meals at very different times each day or eat during the night — this too will disrupt your circadian rhythm and cause fatigue. 

And beyond tiredness, living out of sync with your circadian rhythm decreases your attention and mental performance, and increases your risk of health issues like weight gain, heart disease, and cancer. 

How exactly do you know if you’re not aligned with your circadian rhythm? The RISE app can help. The app predicts your circadian rhythm each day based on things like your sleep times and inferred light exposure. You can then see a visual representation of it — including how your energy levels will fluctuate throughout the day and when the best time to go to sleep and wake up is. 

RISE users on iOS 1.202 and above can click here to see their upcoming energy peaks and dips on the Energy screen.

Now you know your body clock is ticking away no matter what you do, it’s time to sync your daily life up with it to boost energy levels.  

You can do this by: 

• Keeping a consistent sleep schedule: Aim to go to sleep and wake up at the same times each day, even on weekends. One study found a consistent sleep schedule can give you more energy, even if you get the same amount of sleep on an inconsistent schedule. 
• Eating meals at roughly the same times each day: And eat during the day (resist that midnight snack!). Food, just like sleep, can change the timing of your circadian rhythm, so the more consistent meal times are, the better. 
• Go to sleep in your Melatonin Window: This is the roughly one-hour window of time when your body’s rate of melatonin production will be at its highest. And as melatonin is a hormone that prepares your body for sleep, you’ll have a much easier time falling and staying asleep if you go to bed during this time. Check RISE for the timing of this each day. With a consistent sleep schedule, it shouldn’t move too much. RISE users on iOS 1.202 and above can click here to set up a daily Melatonin Window reminder.

The good news is syncing up with your circadian rhythm will help to keep your sleep debt low. You’ll start feeling tired at your desired bedtime and be able to fall asleep easier, so you’ll be much more likely to meet your sleep need each night. 

Trying to live in sync with your circadian rhythm, but finding it doesn’t match your lifestyle? Perhaps your body would prefer to sleep in later, but you’ve got to be up early for work or to take care of the kids. If so, you can learn how to reset your circadian rhythm here. 

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As much as having boundless energy all day long would be amazing, that’s simply not how our bodies work. Your circadian rhythm has natural peaks and dips in energy. It looks something like this: 

• You wake up and take 60 to 90 minutes to shake off sleep inertia, or grogginess. 
• You go into your first energy peak of the day in the mid or late morning. 
• You have a natural dip in energy in the afternoon. 
• You go into a second energy peak in the late afternoon or early evening.
• You wind down until bedtime. 

Keeping your sleep debt low can make these energy peaks higher and energy dips shallower, but the dips will still be there — it’s your natural biology. You can, however, learn how to make the most of these dips in energy. Here’s how. 

Sleep Inertia 

Recognize that you’re not going to jump out of bed feeling wide awake the moment you wake up. Natural light, exercise, and a cup of coffee can reduce how much sleep inertia you feel, though. 

You can also check RISE each morning for a prediction of when this grogginess will lift, so you know when you can expect your energy levels to start picking up. 

Use this time in the morning to plan your to-dos for the day, take a walk (combining light exposure and exercise), or do easy tasks like household chores or a morning routine. 

You can learn more about how to have more energy in the morning here. 

Afternoon Dip 

When your afternoon dip in energy rolls around, you’ll be hit with tiredness and your performance will take a hit. Instead of fighting this, work with it. Use this time to work on easier tasks, like emails and admin, or simply take a break. 

Now’s the best time to take a nap. This will help you pay down sleep debt if you have it, and even if you don’t, a nap can boost your mood, alertness, and mental performance. 

Your afternoon dip may also be the best time to work on a task that requires creative thinking. 

Check RISE to see when this afternoon dip in energy will be. This will help you plan your day so you can get the most important tasks done while you’re high in energy, and save easier tasks for the dip. 

You can learn more about how to beat the afternoon slump here. 

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Wind-Down Period 

Once your second energy peak of the day is over, your body will start winding down for bed. 

Avoid exercise, large meals, alcohol, and caffeine at this time. And start lowering the lights and slowing down mentally and physically. Use this time for relaxing activities, like reading, doing yoga, or watching TV.

You can learn more about the best ways to spend your wind-down time and our guide to using screens before bed here. 

RISE users on iOS 1.202 and above can click here to schedule their ideal evening routine.

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Sleep hygiene is the set of behaviors you can do to help you sleep at night. They’ll help you fall asleep faster and reduce how often you wake up during the night, making it much easier to keep your sleep debt low and stay in sync with your circadian rhythm (as you’ll feel sleepy at the right times). 

Here’s what to do: 

• Get natural light first thing: Get at least 10 minutes of natural light as soon as possible after waking up. Make that 15-20 minutes if you’re getting light through a window or if it’s an overcast day. This light exposure will reset your circadian rhythm for the day. 
• Get light throughout the day: Add a walk and outdoor workout to your daily routine and work by a window if possible. Getting light throughout the day may make you less sensitive to it come evening.  
• Avoid light in the evenings: Light suppresses melatonin, meaning you may find it harder to fall asleep come bedtime. About 90 minutes before bed, dim the lights and put on blue-light blocking glasses (we recommend these). 
• Avoid sleep disruptors: Caffeine, intense physical activity, alcohol, and large meals too close to bedtime can keep you up or wake you up during the night. Check RISE for the best time to stop each of these things to help you sleep soundly. Regular exercise can help improve your sleep, just be sure not to work out too late in the day.

It sounds like a lot to keep on top of, but RISE can remind you when to do 20+ sleep hygiene habits at the ideal time of day for your body. Doing these sleep hygiene behaviors at the right time will make them more effective (so you’ll be more likely to meet your sleep need) and keep you aligned with circadian rhythm — a win-win!

RISE users on iOS 1.202 and above can click here to set up their 20+ in-app habit notifications. 

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As well as keeping your meal times consistent, healthy eating can help fight fatigue. 

That doesn’t mean adding an energy drink to your lunch, though. Despite the name, energy drinks can actually make you feel more tired.

Here’s what to eat and drink to stop you feeling tired: 

• Eat a balanced diet: Aim for a mixture of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, complex carbs, and fiber-rich foods. 
• Avoid sugary and processed foods: As much as a sugary snack feels like a great energy booster, it will only spike your blood sugar levels, leading to a sugar crash. Opt for a snack that contains fiber, protein, and healthy fats instead.
• Don’t over eat: Eating too much food can cause blood to be diverted to the gut to aid with digestion, which means less blood flow to your brain and therefore fatigue. Stanford professor of neurobiology Andrew Huberman suggests eating until you’re 85% full and stopping there. 
• Drink enough water: Even mild dehydration can make you feel tired and the very act of drinking a glass of water can make you feel more alert. 
• Consume caffeinated drinks responsibly: Caffeine can perk you up as it binds to adenosine receptors in your brain. Adenosine is a natural chemical that builds up all the time you’re awake, making you feel sleepy. And caffeine temporarily stops adenosine from doing its job. But beware, when caffeine wears off, you’ll not only be hit with the adenosine that was in your system before, you’ll also feel all the additional tiredness that’s been building up throughout the day.
• Consider dietary supplements: Talk to a health professional if you think a nutritional deficiency could be behind your tiredness.

The right diet could even help to improve your sleep. A 2022 study found diets higher in complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats were associated with better quality sleep. And drinking enough water could help, too. Research found dehydration was linked to short sleep duration. 

You can enjoy a cup of coffee or two, but be sure to avoid caffeine too close to bedtime. Check RISE for the exact time you should cut yourself off, depending on your circadian rhythm. RISE users on iOS 1.202 and above can click here to set up their limit caffeine reminder.

You can learn more about the foods that give you and drain you of energy and the best foods for sleep here. 

Bonus tip: Aim to be finished with your final meal of the day about two to three hours before bed. Digestive issues can easily disrupt your sleep. 

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Sleep debt and circadian misalignment are the common reasons people feel tired. But fatigue can also be caused by a few other things. 

Common causes of low energy include: 

• Sleep disorders like sleep apnea and insomnia. 
• An unhealthy lifestyle including poor diet, lack of exercise, stress, and consuming too much alcohol. 
• Medical conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, anemia, thyroid problems like hypothyroidism, and mental health issues.
• Nutritional deficiencies like an iron deficiency.
• Medications like antidepressants and blood pressure meds. 
• Illnesses (including COVID).
• Pregnancy. 

If you think a sleep disorder or an underlying health condition could be causing your tiredness, speak to a healthcare professional to get it checked out. 

We’ve covered why you’re always tired and have no energy in more detail here.

Stop Feeling Tired Once and for All 

If you’re feeling tired all the time, sleep debt and not living in sync with your circadian rhythm are most likely to blame. The RISE app can help you get on top of both of these things. 

Find out your individual sleep need and pay down any extra sleep debt you have, then keep track of it to keep it low. Plus, use the app to sync up your sleep and meal times with your circadian rhythm to boost your energy levels even further. 

RISE can guide you through 20+ sleep hygiene behaviors to help you both keep sleep debt low and stay in sync with your circadian rhythm, so you can start enjoying more energy day after day.