Sleep Inertia is that hangover-like and groggy feeling you get when you get woken up, a feeling of incomplete awakening that reduces your ability to perform, and as a result of part of your brain remaining asleep.
Most people who feel groggy in the morning may not be getting enough sleep. It’s therefore necessary to go to bed early at evening.
When you wake up in the morning, all parts of your brain are supposed to immediately spring into action, but if you are woken up suddenly during REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement, having the abundant presence of melatonin which causes sleepiness), the effects of sleep inertia appear, and you are likely to make mistakes in some of your routines.
You can accomplish this for instance by using supplements (like sleep inertia caffeine) and by ensuring that you get regular exercise.
Sleep inertia is dangerous, its effects can last more than an hour when you are woken up during the wrong stage of sleep. Studies say sleep inertia can affect one’s cognitive performance, forcing the decision-making performance to 20 percent below optimum performance.
How to Overcome Sleep Inertia
Using Daylight alarm lamp
Just similar to the natural light of the sun, the daylight alarm lamp produces a light wave with a gradual lightening effect prior to the sound of the alarm; this makes your brain think it’s already day time.
This is ideal, because it gradually rouses you out of your deeper sleep and into the lighter stages.
Using Water
Dehydration may sometimes be the cause of sleep inertia, as it makes one tired. Drinking of water on-wake-up is also recommended for sleep inertia.
Prepare two glasses (250 ml each) of water near your bed. As soon as you wake up, sit up and drink some water to get rid of that immediate groggy feeling.
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I’m narcoleptic and this works for me, so it might help a regular person who is prone to morning grogginess,
Drink half of the water and splash the remaining on your face, as you immediately get up and tidy up your bed so you won’t be tempted to go back to sleep.
Temperature
Body temperature can also be used in controlling your sleep, being an important factor for feeling sleepy.
On getting up, use a hot water bottle and roll it around your body. Your body will interpret it as wake up signal.
Physical stimulant
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This could be in form of exercise or mere stretching. A ten minute workout is okay to strengthen your body and mind. You can opt for yoga if you don’t have time for a complete exercise.
