If You're Constantly Tired Despite "Good" Sleep—You Might Be Getting The Wrong Type of Rest

Would you describe yourself as tired all the time? If so, you're not alone: according to research, one in eight UK adults identify as being TATT (tired all the time), with further research (from NASA, no less!) revealing that women show higher levels of fatigue than men - but are more likely to be dismissed when they express it.

The fact is that it feels tougher than ever to get a solid night's kip these days. Between hormone fluctuations (IYKYK), work stress and family commitments, slumber can be hard to come by - and it makes getting through the day feel like an uphill struggle, to say the least. After all, sleep not only helps our bodies feel rested and recharged, but it also keeps us cognitively sharp, too.

We know that, far from being the luxury we often perceive it to be, rest is a biological necessity, contributing to mental and physical recovery, immune function, cognitive wellbeing and more.

But the good news is that getting more sleep isn't the only answer to feeling less fatigued: our bodies need rest as well as sleep, and this can take many different forms.

If you've tried everything from mouth taping to magnesium and a decent eight hours remains elusive, this one's for you. Because there are seven (count them!) specific types of rest our bodies can benefit from, according to experts. Keep scrolling for all the details on which ones we need - and which ones can perk us up after a long night, too.

And if you love sleep as much as we do (trust us when we say that's a lot), you might want to check out our guides to how to achieve your best sleep ever this summer, dive into sleepmaxxing, and find out why you feel tired all the time here.

Your body needs seven different types of rest - so, what are they, and how can we get them? The experts weigh in

What is rest?

Let's start by saying this: sleep and rest are different beasts. While sleep is a form of rest, it's far from the whole picture. But rest is notoriously tricky to define, and means different things to different people.

"We often talk about rest like it’s just one thing, but it probably isn’t," explains psychotherapist and sleep expert Heather Darwall-Smith. "Even the dictionary struggles to define it. It starts with absence: sleep, stillness, freedom from work, and even 'the repose of death'. Only later does it refer to something more comforting, like peace of mind or spirit. In music, a rest isn’t just emptiness. It’s a silence the composer includes on purpose, making it part of the music instead of a gap. This tension gets to the heart of what rest really means.

If you're struggling to get to grips with what rest truly means, instead of focusing on simply sleep and deep rest, it can be helpful to consider what relaxes and restores you.

"Rest isn’t just about stopping activity; it’s really about feeling restored," continues Darwall-Smith. "Sometimes that happens through passive things, like watching Netflix, though for some people that’s physical rest, not mental. Other times, it comes from being active. Because what feels restful is so personal, it’s harder to define and measure than we might think."

This is both good and bad news: it allows us the grace to not pin all our hopes on a good night's sleep (as rest can be achieved in different ways), but it also means it's not an easy fix - however tempting it may sound, the latest pill/potion/powder isn't realistically likely to be the cure-all for your fatigue.

"When we still feel exhausted after a full night, we assume something is wrong with us: that we need more sleep, better sleep, or some supplement to fix what feels broken," notes restorative sleep coach, Holly Hannigan-Mills. "But rest and sleep, while deeply connected, are not the same thing. Sleep is one form of rest. An essential one, certainly. But the human system needs restoration across multiple dimensions, and sleep alone cannot reach all of them."

What are the seven different types of rest?

So, what are the seven forms of rest?

"The idea of seven types of rest comes from Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith, an internal medicine doctor and author," shares Darwall-Smith. "In her book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, she describes physical, mental, emotional, social, sensory, creative, and spiritual rest. This idea speaks to people because it matches real-life experiences."

It's important to note, here, that these definitions aren't scientific terms - they're more of a guide than a definitive structure.

"Researchers usually talk about physical recovery, cognitive recovery, emotional recovery, psychological detachment, social connection, and similar ideas," continues Darwall-Smith. "Even if they aren’t rooted in strict science, thinking in terms of these categories can help you notice where you might be missing certain kinds of rest."

Let's take a deeper look at the categories.

1. Physical rest

"Physical rest can be both passive (sleep, napping) and active (gentle movement, stretching, restorative yoga, massage)," explains Hannigan-Mills. "This is the one most people know about. It's essential for cellular repair and physical recovery. Without it, everything degrades, physically and cognitively."

2. Mental rest

Mental rest is all about stepping away from cognitively draining tasks - and this can look different from person to person.

"Mental rest is about taking a break from the relentless stream of thoughts, decisions, and cognitive effort," shares Hannigan-Mills. "If your brain doesn't fully switch off even when your body is still, you're running a mental rest deficit."

3. Sensory rest

Modern life has made sensory rest more important than ever before. We're constantly overwhelmed with stimuli, from relentless notifications to noisy environments, physical overwhelm and more. If you're feeling touched out and crabby at the end of a long day, this is likely the rest you're craving.

"The nervous system was never designed for the volume of input modern life demands," agrees Hannigan-Mills. "Constant stimulation keeps it in a low-level stress response. Without relief, it becomes dysregulated, leaving us irritable, overwhelmed, and depleted in ways that feel hard to name. Make sure you allow relief from screens, artificial light, background noise, and constant stimulation."

4. Creative rest

This one is truly special. Even if you don't identify as a creative type, there are restorative benefits to be gained in seeking out calm creativity.

"Creative rest is allowing yourself to receive beauty, inspiration, and wonder without having to produce anything," shares Hannigan-Mills. "Time in nature, art, music, or anything that replenishes is what restores curiosity, motivation, and the capacity for original thought."

5. Emotional rest

If you spend your days caring for others, this is a big one, and cuts to the heart of the old adage: you can't pour from an empty cup.

"Emotional rest is giving yourself permission to stop performing," advises Hannigan-Mills. "It involves trying to stop managing how you come across, to say how you actually feel, and to be somewhere you don't have to hold it all together. Without space to be genuine, we become emotionally hollowed out."

6. Social rest

Introverts, listen up: we all need social rest, no matter how outgoing we are, so it's time to stop berating yourself for finding that gathering/work event/hen do so draining.

"Not all social time is equal," cautions Hannigan-Mills. "Time away from relationships that drain you, and more time in connections that genuinely restore you, is critical."

7. Spiritual rest

"Humans need meaning, not just function," muses Hannigan-Mills. "Without a sense of purpose, belonging, or connection to something beyond the daily grind, life begins to feel hollow. This type of rest answers the question underneath all the others: what is this all for? This doesn't have to be religious; it's more about feeling that your life matters and that you're part of something larger than your to-do list."

How do we know which type of rest we need?

While our need for rest is universal, the ways in which we seek it are entirely subjective, and certainly the effects of each type will vary between individuals: what revives and restores you might challenge and stress the next person, and vice versa.

This being said, when it comes to identifying which rest area we are not getting enough of, Hannigan-Mills shares some of the signs to look out for:

• A mental rest deficit: racing thoughts at bedtime, difficulty making decisions, feeling like your brain won't switch off even when you're exhausted.
• A sensory rest deficit: feeling irritable or overwhelmed in busy or noisy environments, needing to decompress after normal social situations, flinching at sounds or lights that wouldn't usually bother you.
• An emotional rest deficit: feeling tearful without knowing why, dreading social obligations, wearing an 'I'm fine' mask on a daily basis, or feeling a strange kind of loneliness even when you're surrounded by people.
• A social rest deficit: exhaustion after spending time with certain people, craving solitude, feeling like you're always giving but not receiving.
• A creative rest deficit: flatness, a lack of inspiration or joy, the sense that life has become purely functional.
• A spiritual rest deficit: emptiness, disconnection, or the persistent feeling that something is missing even when everything on paper looks fine.
• A physical rest deficit: usually the most obvious: fatigue, muscle tension, frequent illness, a body that feels heavy and slow.

Which type of rest is the most important?

Here's the million-dollar question: which one is the most important?

"There is no hierarchy of importance between these types of rest; their value is entirely situational and individual," shares Hannigan-Mills. "Learning to listen to our bodies and minds to help identify what area of rest we need each day is an important skill to develop.

"That said, physical rest and mental rest tend to have the most immediate impact on how we function day to day and are easily recognisable. Emotional and social rest deficits often accumulate quietly and only become visible when we're really struggling. Creative and spiritual rest tend to be the ones we sacrifice first when we're busy, which is often exactly when we need them most."

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