5 common reasons you might be struggling to get out of bed in the morning

You're not alone if you're struggling to get out of bed in the morning. Temperatures reached a low of -2 degrees Celsius in London this week, so it's fair to say the cosy embrace of our bed never felt more appealing. 

One recent YouGov poll showed that one in eight Brits report feeling tired all the time. Even if you're using one of the best sleep tracking apps to monitor your zzz's or boosting your skin with one of the best night creams, you might still find getting up particularly hard.

There are lots of reasons why this might be happening, some of which might be worth checking in with your doctor about. Keep scrolling - and don't miss our guides to insomnia treatment, sleep meditation, and our expert-led guide to how to get to sleep, while you're here.

5 reasons you're struggling to get out of bed in the morning

1. Clinomania

Ever heard of clinomania? It's a term that describes someone who's struggling to get out of bed, but not only do you feel unable to get up, but you'll also have "an obsessive desire to lie down." 

It's important to point out that the condition isn't yet medically recognised and is thought of as a personality disorder by some, rather than a medical condition. That said, those who've experienced it often highlight that it's a common indicator of other medical conditions, like hormonal imbalances. 

2. Dysania

Similarly to clinomania, dysania is a psychological condition usually linked to mental health-related issues like depression and anxiety.

Again, it describes a person's inability to get out of bed. 

We're not just talking about the common, "can I be bothered to get up?" question we often ask ourselves every time Monday swings back around, but a condition that leaves some people unable to get up, sometimes for days on end. It's also thought to leave some sufferers constantly craving their bed.

If you're wondering if you have either of the above, online resources suggest writing out the words that you associate with getting up in the morning. If those words are things like difficult, tiresome, frustrating, or challenging, you probably don't have one of the above conditions.

However, if words like stressful, anxious, overwhelming and debilitating come to mind, then it might be worth checking in with your GP about what you're experiencing.

3. Burnout or exhaustion

It's been a long year, with things back to a hundred miles an hour post-Covid. Conditions like burnout and exhaustion can feel common at this time of year, as Doctor Audrey Tang, a positive psychologist, mental health and wellness expert and author of The Leaders Guide to Resilience, explains.

Exhaustion happens after a period of chronic stress. Our bodies have a level of stress that we can tolerate, and once past that, we can reach physical and mental exhaustion.

"Think of it like an elastic band – continue to stretch it and at some point it may snap or go flaccid and cease to function as an elastic band. This is known as exhaustion," they explain.

If you feel irritable, have brain fog, and are struggling to sleep and then consequentially get up in the morning, you may have exhaustion or burnout.

4. Mental heath issues

One of the most common symptoms of depression or symptoms of anxiety is an inability to get out of bed in the morning.

If you think you may need mental health help, there are plenty of resources out there, including some great resources from Mind mental health charity. Just know this: you are not alone, and you will get through it. 

5. Medical conditions, such as seasonal affective disorder

There are a handful of medical conditions that might be making waking up harder than normal, including sleep apnea, seasonal affective disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome.

SAD - otherwise known as seasonal depression- affects around two million people in the UK, according to the NHS website.

It's a type of low-grade depression which stereotypically occurs as the season's change (think shorter days and longer nights). 

If you're worried about any of these conditions, again, a medical professional is best positioned to help advise on the best course of action.