What is the best way to overcome sleep inertia (feeling ‘groggy’ in the morning)?
Answers
You may need treatment if your doctor diagnoses you with significant morning sleep inertia that is giving you discomfort or interrupting your life. Your doctor’s advice may differ depending on whether you have another type of sleep disruption, like sleep apnea. Your general health and lifestyle may play an essential role in deciding on therapy suggestions. For example, you may need to cut back or stop drinking. However, if you wake up feeling groggy, you may need to consider some anti-fogging techniques.
• Caffeine
You’ve probably already considered it. If you’ve ever woken up and grabbed a cup of coffee, you’re probably on the right path. Taking a cup of coffee can help you get rid of some of the effects of sleep inertia.
However, you should be careful. Caffeine use is more beneficial at some times of the day than others, but it can interfere with your sleeping pattern. According to 2018 research, caffeinated gum helped night shift employees combat the effects of sleep inertia following a nap. However, just five people took part in the trial, and the gum took about 25 minutes to work.
• Strategic napping
A nap might be what you need to avoid sleep inertia. However, according to a 2017 study, nap duration is crucial. Taking a short nap in the afternoon, between 10 and 20 minutes, can help you feel less tired. Researchers warn that this type of brief napping is only helpful if you aren’t sleep deprived. If you work shifts, you may also need to think about the time of day and how well you slept before.
• Exposure to light.
According to research, catching a view of the dawn can help you feel fully aware. Even if it comes from a lightbox, Dawnlight can make you more alert and ready to do certain activities. It could be worth a shot, but further study is needed to ensure it works.
Caffeine does magic to me! You can use it to shake off some of the effects of sleep inertia. However, you must be careful because it can interfere with your regular sleep schedule. You could try other ways, like washing your face when you wake up or blasting cold air to perk you up.
• Water
Keep two glasses or a half-litre water bottle near your bed. As soon as you wake up, sit up and drink some water. A few glasses will get rid of that immediate groggy feeling. Sometimes dehydration can make a person even more tired, so the water will take care of that.
• Temperature
For getting out of the bed, use a hot water bottle and roll it around your body, taking in the warmth. You could also use a room heater. Your body will interpret it as a wake-up signal.
• Shower
Take a hot or cold shower. Technically, a hot shower will warm your body and wake you up. However, you may also feel that the air is cooler and so snuggle again in bed. A cold shower may cause you to shiver. But the sudden cold will be perceived as a danger by the body, and you will have your blood racing.
• Lighting
Go and see sunlight as soon as you get up. If you can’t do that, use artificial lighting. Computer screens are also helpful, but considering the uses of the computer, this is not the best approach.
• Exercise
Do some light stretching or jumping to get your heart pumping. This will also wake you up.
Have a cup of coffee
The easiest way to reduce the effects of inertia is to consume coffee and caffeinated beverages in the morning. It really can shake off some tiredness of you.
Take a nap nap
the best way to minimize the grogginess caused by inertia is to take a short nap (about 10 to 20 minutes) in the afternoon helps you to overcome the tiredness of inertia and be able to concentrate on your routines for the rest of the day
Sunlight
It may seem irrelevant, but exposure to sunlight makes your brain release more serotonin. Serotonin boosts your mood and helps you to be more focused.
Tips to “prevent” sleep inertia:
• Avoid consuming caffeine at least 6 hours before going to the bed
• Make sure your bedroom is cool and dark
• Stay far from alcohol as much as possible (alcohol disrupts the sleep order)
• Turn off all electronic devices
