Submitted by Alucard624 t3_10i0fyp in LifeProTips
Sleep inertia is the feeling of grogginess or fatigue when you wake up in the morning regardless of how long you slept. It's what makes you want to hit the snooze button, call in a sick day, and go back to sleep. I suffered from this for the longest time and it multiplied 10 fold when I started working from home as I couldn't get going (feeling awake and alert) for hours and caffeine only had a minor impact. For the longest I just thought I was not a morning person or there was something wrong with me as I generally get 6-8 hours on average but still wake up tired. Then I learned about sleep inertia and how to counter it and I haven't looked back since.
Do these things to combat sleep inertia:
- Use a Sun Lamp Alarm. The gradual feel of sunlight on your skin triggers a waking mechanism and gives you a positive general sense of well being. This was a true game changer for me (this is the one I use as third party products are hit or miss on amazon).
- Drink a glass of water! I know it sounds simple, but many people find that starting their day by drinking cold water helps wake them up. After all, dehydration (which, again, naturally occurs when you sleep) can make you tired and dizzy, according to the National Library of Medicine.
- Take a cold shower to increase blood flow, neurotransmitters and respiration. All of these can give you a burst of energy and even improve your mood. You don't have to take a full cold shower as you can just stick your arm in the cold water, up to the shoulder.
- Immediately go outside and get fresh air. If the sun isn't out yet then if possible go for a quick walk (take your dog if you have one). You don't need to walk long, 5-10 minutes will be enough to kick you out of that state.
There are other things you can do that I won't list as they are very common (play music, go for a workout, etc.).
Anyway, I hope you find this helpful.
Edit: I wanted to provide some follow-up information regarding the sunrise alarm clock based on the comments and messages I've received:
- Regarding the Sunrise alarm clock: I know some people are skeptical, but I truly feel passionate about the quality of life improvements you get from it. In the past if I wanted to get up at 5am to either go into work early or go to the gym I would need my girlfriend to pour cold water on me (which did not happen often as she also struggled with getting up early) and my inability to wake up also impacted her as the sound of my alarm going off (because I kept snoozing it) messed with her sleep cycle. Since adding this therapy tool things have changed and now I'm generally awake and alert within a few minutes of the alarm going off (5:05am the latest). One benefit from the version I have is that you can set 2 alarms at once (I use the first one she uses the second) and remember you don't have to get the most expensive one as there are others that range from $20 - $150 (the higher end models have things like Bluetooth and syncs with alexa). I just went with my model because of brand recognition (Phillips), but there's even a cheaper one one by the same company as mine that seems just as good.
- How the alarm works is pretty simple. When there's 2 minutes to go the alarm goes into it's first state* (red sun). When there's 1 minute to go you get the yellow sun and at alarm time it goes into it's full state. You can also add relaxing sounds to the alarm (like birds chirping) if you'd like. Here's an example of the alarm with sound added.
- You don't have to take my word for it, here are a few folks who also believe in it: NYTimes, inverse, Self, Influencer Recommendation, General Reviewer.
- Also, I initially put that the sunrise alarm tricked your body into producing vitamin d as I took that information directly from a product listing. However after doing additional research I cannot find any consistent evidence backing that statement. So I removed that information from my initial post and I strongly recommend getting a therapy lamp/light (also called a Seasonal Affective Disorder Lamp [SAD Lamp for short]) if you need help getting your daily dose of vitamin D (let's be honest, we could all use a little help every once and awhile). I keep one on my office desk and another near my couch in the living room. Normally I would get the daily vitamin D needed by going for a run or walking my dog, but the last two years I've been staying inside more since we have been living through the walking dead. For your daily use all you need is to have the light on for 45 minutes, but I personally just leave it on when I'm that area of my house.
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*Warning: don't judge me for the scuff marks on mine as the movers did that when I had to relocate across the state [and I'm afraid to clean it as I don't wany to damage the material])
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