5 Activities That Seem Relaxing but Actually Make You More Tired
People often think that checking their phones, sleeping, or playing games are ways to relax and unwind, but in reality, these activities can drain your energy and harm your body and emotions.
1. Oversleeping
Sleep is essential for recharging the body, restoring physical energy, and reinforcing memory and emotions. Lack of sleep can lead to fatigue, weakness, and difficulty concentrating. However, not many people realize that sleeping too much can also cause problems. After a week of hard work, some people tend to oversleep during the weekend. Yet, instead of feeling energized, they wake up feeling groggy, dizzy, and physically tired. This happens because an unhealthy sleep pattern disrupts the brain’s internal clock, which regulates the body’s daily cycles.
Both sleep deprivation and oversleeping are significant signs of depression. A large survey in the UK found that excessive sleep is associated with lower intelligence, higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and depression.
2. Constantly Checking Your Phone
Many people consider scrolling through their phones as a form of entertainment during their free time, especially with short videos that are easy to understand and paired with catchy music. Therefore, the first thing many people do when they wake up and before they go to sleep is to pick up their phones and refresh their social media feeds so they don’t miss any updates. Even during work, meetings, or bathroom breaks, they tend to check their phones.
However, this continuous, high-intensity brain stimulation gradually raises the brain’s tolerance to information stimuli. The initial “dose” that made you happy all day will soon lose its effect, leading to the need for an increased “dose,” which results in restlessness when the urge isn’t met.
Additionally, constantly checking social media has led to the development of the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) syndrome. Studies have shown that social media users with higher levels of FOMO also tend to compare themselves to others, which increases stress levels.
3. Taking Excessive Rest
When feeling tired, most people opt to rest more. While rest can quickly restore physical strength, too much of it can leave you feeling even more exhausted. This happens because, without movement or exercise, your body struggles to adapt when you return to your regular routine. Those who rely heavily on mental work might find it especially hard to re-adjust after prolonged rest.
To recover quickly and maintain a balanced lifestyle, it’s advised to get enough sleep, engage in moderate, gentle exercise, and eat adequately.
4. Playing Video Games
For young people, playing video games after a long day at work might seem like a great way to unwind. While playing games with the intention of de-stressing can be effective, many modern games are designed to be more than just entertaining—they can be stressful. For example, the ranking systems in many games push players to “grind” for higher ranks, leading them to invest more time, energy, and emotions, which can result in anxiety and restlessness.
Studies have shown that spending too much time playing video games increases the likelihood of developing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in adolescents.
5. Eating Comfort Food
Many people believe that food is the source of happiness and a quick, effective way to relieve stress. It’s well-known that sugar stimulates the release of dopamine, which gives a feeling of pleasure. However, consuming too much sugar for short-term happiness not only leads to obesity but can also contribute to depression.
Fried foods are also notorious as “mood killers.” A six-year-long study on the relationship between depression and obesity, involving over 12,000 university students in Spain, found that the more trans fats in daily food intake, the more likely one is to feel depressed and face a higher risk of depression.
It’s clear that avoiding sugar and fried foods not only helps you stay healthy but also keeps you genuinely happy for the long term.
