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Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we:
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Read more about our vetting process.When waking up is hard to do, consider the following strategies.
We’ve all had those mornings when we just can’t shake a feeling of sluggishness, even when we’ve technically gotten enough sleep. In an effort to perk up on tired days, many of us load up on cup after cup of coffee.
But over-caffeinating can leave us jittery and anxious (not to mention perpetually running to the bathroom).
Perhaps there’s a better way to banish morning fatigue and get on with your day with the energy you need.
That beloved button on top of your alarm clock may not be so helpful after all.
Spending the last half hour or so of nighttime rest in what researchers call “fragmented sleep” has consequences for your ability to function throughout the day.
Pro-tip: Try the 90-minute sleep cycle hack by setting two alarms — one for 90 minutes before you want to wake up and one for when you actually want to wake up.
The theory is that the 90 minutes of sleep you get between snoozes will be a full sleep cycle, allowing you to wake up after your REM state, instead of during.
Fatigue is a classic symptom of dehydration, and even a mild case can trigger feelings of sleepiness, changes in cognitive ability, and mood disruptions. Let a glass of water freshen up your entire body before you get moving.
Pro-tip: If you find you still can’t shake morning lethargy, try upping your intake of water and other noncaffeinated beverages throughout the day.
There’s a reason it feels so good to stretch when you wake up. Overnight, during REM sleep, your muscles are literally paralyzed (atonia), and reactivating them releases energy-stimulating endorphins.
Pro-tip: If you have a bit of time for morning yoga, take it; just 25 minutes has been shown to boost energy levels and brain function.
Cold showers are reported to reduce sick-day absences from work. If you don’t want to take a full shower, a splash of cold water to the face, to signal a temperature change to your body, may also do the trick.
Is getting out of bed the main problem? Keep a spray bottle or water mist by your bedside table so you can lean over and mist yourself without even opening your eyes!
Pro-tip: One cult-favorite product is Saborino’s Morning Face Mask from Japan, which has essential oils to activate your senses.
In one minute, this sheet mask cleanses, invigorates, and moisturizes your skin.
Note: People with sensitive skin may want to avoid this product.
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The jury is still out on whether breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But research does say that skipping this first meal can negatively affect your energy and ability to pay attention throughout the day.
Food is fuel. Give your body some calories to put it into action at the start of the day.
But if you’re working out in the morning, remember to eat after, not before. This will (a) burn more calories, (b) boost your metabolism, and (c) help you avoid an unsettled stomach.
Pro tip: Build a fatigue-fighting breakfast instead. Since what you eat at breakfast can affect how you feel for hours, making the right choice is critical for your morning.
Reach for a combination of fatigue-fighting foods like lean proteins, whole grains, nuts, and lower-sugar fruits.
All breakfasts are not created equal, so take stock of your morning food choices. Sugary items like sweetened coffee drinks, pastries, and breakfast cereals can lead to the classic blood sugar spike-and-drop that leaves you feeling drained.
Pro-tip: Pay attention to nutrition labels to see how much sugar you’re getting at breakfast — and cut back wherever possible. Keep whole foods like apples, carrots, and oranges on hand for easy access.
That’s right, we said less coffee — but not none! Though coffee has plenty of health benefits, chugging a lot in the morning may indirectly contribute to increased fatigue later in the day.
Participants in one study reported feeling more tired the day after they had consumed caffeinated drinks. Experimenting with a reduced amount of caffeine in the morning actually may make you less tired.
Pro-tip: Avoid the big mugs. Purchase a smaller cup, if you have to, to help reduce the amount you drink.
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Sunlight bumps up your body’s serotonin levels, leading to improved sleep — and, therefore, increased daytime energy. And, according to a series of studies at the University of Rochester, spending time in nature “makes people feel more alive.”
Sounds like a very good reason to carve out a portion of your morning in the great outdoors.
Pro-tip: If going outside is a chore in the early morning, adjust your curtain so that the sunlight seeps in when you’re getting ready to wake up.
Sure, when you want to crawl back into bed, exercise may sound pretty unappealing — but it may be exactly what your body needs to get help booting up. Research consistently correlates aerobic exercise with reduced fatigue.
See if you can squeeze in a quick walk or bike ride, or try a longer workout for even more benefit.
Pro-tip: When pressed for time, get your body up with a few rounds of high-knees and jumping jacks.
Even 30 seconds of torso twists could do the trick, or plan a short cardio commute on your way to work.
Is it possible that negative feelings about your job or stressors at home are draining you of morning oomph?
You may not be able to fix certain situations overnight, but once you’ve identified them as a source of mental and physical exhaustion, you can often take some action to alleviate them.
Pro-tip: Streamline harried mornings at home by making school lunches the night before, or make time for morning meditations and create calm before your day begins.
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Sometimes all we need for an energy boost is a little excitement on the horizon.
To beat morning fatigue, consider scheduling a phone call with a friend during your commute, penciling in an outdoor walk on your midmorning break, or pre-making an appealing breakfast that calls you out of bed.
Pro-tip: Let another schedule determine yours. Make an earlier morning podcast or radio show part of your wake-up routine.
If morning fatigue becomes a chronic problem, it could be caused by depression or anxiety. People with depression can feel worse in the morning or only feel depressed in the morning.
The only way to know, however, is to track your mood or see a professional.
Pro-tip: Dig a little deeper. Asking some key questions about your mental health state may reveal an underlying condition that needs professional attention.
If your bedtime habits can have so profound an effect on your rest, so too could your waking routine. You’ve probably heard of sleep hygiene — the handful of best practices that help you fall asleep at night. These include:
Getting up at the same time each morning helps maintain circadian rhythm, the internal biological clock that’s responsible for feelings of sleepiness.
Make an effort to rise at the same time every day — even on weekends — to see if you can banish the midmorning slump.
Sarah Garone, NDTR, is a nutritionist, freelance health writer, and food blogger. She lives with her husband and three children in Mesa, Arizona. Find her sharing down-to-earth health and nutrition info and (mostly) healthy recipes at A Love Letter to Food.
We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process.
Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind.
Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we:
We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.
It’s not unusual to wake up feeling a bit groggy. For many people, it’s nothing a cup of coffee or shower can’t fix.
But if you regularly wake up tired, especially if you continue to feel fatigued throughout the day, there may be something else going on.
Here’s a look at some common causes of waking up tired.
Chances are, your morning grogginess is just sleep inertia, which is a normal part of the waking process. Your brain typically doesn’t instantly wake up after sleeping. It transitions gradually to a wakeful state.
During this transition period, you may feel groggy or disoriented. If you aren’t careful, you can easily fall back asleep.
Sleep inertia slows down your motor and cognitive skills, which is why it sometimes feels impossible to do anything right after you wake up.
Sleep inertia can last anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour, though it typically improves within 15 to 60 minutes.
If within the first few hours of falling asleep, you suddenly wake up from a deep sleep and are in a confused state, you may have sleep drunkenness.
Also called confusional arousals, sleep drunkenness is a sleep disorder that bypasses the inertia phase. An episode may last for up to 30 to 40 minutes. You may not even remember it occurred when you wake up to start the day.
You’re more likely to experience symptoms of sleep inertia or sleep drunkenness when you:
Sleep inertia can also be worsened by shift work sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, and certain types of circadian rhythm sleep disorder.
what you can doSleep inertia is a natural part of waking up, but you can limit its effects by:
- regularly getting a full night’s sleep
- limiting naps to less than 30 minutes
- drinking coffee or another caffeinated beverage when you get up
If your symptoms persist, visit your primary healthcare provider. They can rule out an underlying sleep disorder.
Blue light is any artificial lighting that emits blue wavelengths, which aren’t necessarily a bad thing. During daylight hours, they can boost alertness and mood. But this isn’t the vibe you’re going for when you’re heading off to bed.
Energy-efficient lighting and electronic screens have increased our exposure to blue light, especially after sundown.
Blue light, more than other types of light, suppresses the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate your body’s circadian rhythm, which is your sleep-wake cycle. This makes it harder for you to get good-quality sleep, which can leave you feeling tired the next morning.
what you can doTo reduce the impact of blue light on your sleep:
- Avoid screen time for two or three hours before you go to bed.
- Use dim red lights at night, which don’t have as powerful of a melatonin-suppressing effect on your circadian rhythm.
- Expose yourself to a lot of bright light during the day.
- Use blue-blocking glasses at night or an app that filters blue light if you have to use electronics at night.
A poor sleep environment can have a big impact on the quality of your sleep.
If your morning fatigue is accompanied by stiffness or aching body parts, your mattress could be to blame.
Research shows that a medium-firm mattress is best. The age of your mattress also matters. A small 2009 study found that participants reported better sleep quality and fewer aches and pains in the morning after sleeping on a new mattress.
Mattresses are also home to common allergens — such as dust mites, which can cause nighttime sneezing and coughing, especially in people with allergies and asthma.
Shop all expert-verified mattresses in our sleep shop to work toward your best snooze possible.
What you can doMake sure your mattress isn’t hurting your sleep quality by:
- replacing your mattress every 9 or 10 years, ideally with a medium-firm mattress
- using a hypoallergenic mattress cover if you have allergies
Being too hot or too cold can cause restlessness and make it hard for you to fall or stay asleep.
Personal preference should play a role in your bedroom’s temperature, but a cooler room is better when it comes to a comfortable sleep, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
If you still have trouble sleeping, warming your feet by wearing socks may help dilate blood vessels and adjust your internal thermostat.
A 2007 study shows that adults who wore unheated or heated socks to bed were able to fall asleep faster.
Shop all Healthline-approved products for hot sleepers in our sleep shop.
what you can doCreate the optimal temperature for quality sleep by:
- keeping your bedroom between 60°F and 67°F (16°C and 19°C)
- wearing socks to bed or placing a hot water bottle at your feet
- choosing appropriate sleepwear and bedding for your local climate
Even if you’re the type of person who can fall asleep with the TV on, noise can still have a big impact on your sleep quality.
Reducing background noise can help to increase the amount of deep sleep you get each night and decrease the number of times you wake up during the night.
What you can doEven if you can’t get rid of the source of noise, you can try:
- sleeping with earplugs
- using a sound machine, which you can find on Amazon
- keeping your windows and bedroom door closed
What you consume before bed can keep you up at night and make you feel tired in the morning.
Caffeine is a natural stimulant that promotes alertness.
Having too much caffeine during the day or having it too close to bedtime can:
Coffee, chocolate, and certain teas and soft drinks all contain caffeine. Caffeine can also be found in certain medications, including some prescription and over-the-counter pain-relieving medications.
WHAT YOU CAN DOTo keep caffeine from interfering with your sleep:
- Avoid having caffeine three to seven hours before bed.
- Limit your intake of coffee or other caffeinated beverages to one or two servings a day.
- Check medications for caffeine content.
Alcohol has been shown to have a sedative effect and make you sleepy, but it doesn’t lead to a good sleep. According to the Cleveland Clinic, alcohol increases the number of times you wake up once the relaxing effect wears off and prevents you from getting deep sleep.
The more alcohol you consume before bed, the more it disrupts your sleep, increasing your likelihood of waking up tired.
what you can doYou can prevent alcohol from affecting your sleep by:
- avoiding drinking alcohol in the evening
- limiting your alcohol consumption to no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks for men
Drinking too much of anything too close to bedtime can make you frequently get up to urinate throughout the night.
This can also happen in certain situations if you’re retaining a lot of fluid.
Excessive urination at night, also called nocturia, may also be a sign of an underlying medical condition. If you continue to wake up two or more times per night to urinate after limiting how much you drink before bed, speak to your doctor.
what you can doYou can reduce how often you get up to urinate by:
- avoiding drinking liquids for at least two hours before bedtime
- cutting back on caffeine and alcohol-containing beverages
- wearing compression socks during the day if you have swollen ankles and legs or certain states of water retention
If nothing seems to be helping your morning grogginess, you may have an undiagnosed sleep disorder.
Sleep disorders require diagnosis and treatment by a healthcare professional, who’ll likely have you come in for a sleep study.
Sleep movement disorders are conditions that cause movement before or during sleep, making it hard to fall or stay asleep.
Some common sleep movement disorders are:
Sleep apnea, usually obstructive sleep apnea, is a serious sleep disorder that causes your breathing to stop periodically in your sleep. You may not even realize you have the condition.
Other signs and symptoms of sleep apnea include:
Shop all Healthline-approved products for snoring & sleep apnea in our sleep shop.
Insomnia involves having a hard time falling asleep or waking up too early and not being able to go back to sleep. Short-term insomnia is very common and often caused by stress, a traumatic event, or sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings, such as a hotel room.
Insomnia that lasts a month or more is considered chronic insomnia. This can be a condition itself or a symptom of an underlying issue.
Along with waking up tired, insomnia can also cause:
Waking up tired can often be remedied with a few changes to your sleeping habits and cutting back on caffeine or alcohol. If nothing seems to be helping, it’s best to follow up with your doctor to check for underlying conditions.
Woke up, but as if you had not slept? If you wake up tired and even broken in the morning, you need to fix it urgently.
We have collected 9 working tips that will help you become alert again and wake up full of energy.
Sports are the last thing you want to do when you feel tired. But research shows that the more physical activity you have, the more energy you have. nine0003
Even short workouts will make you more alert and self-confident. And they will improve the work of the heart, lungs and muscles - and improve well-being.
Devices from the pharmacy will help track the state of the body before and after training:
Any exercise is useful in the fight against fatigue, but yoga is especially useful.
There are also several studies on this subject - for example, scientists in the UK conducted an experiment: they gathered a group of volunteers, forced them to do yoga once a week (only once!). Six weeks later, they were interviewed: everyone noted that their thoughts became clearer, and their energy and self-confidence increased.
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Dehydration robs you of energy and reduces physical performance - if you don't have enough water in your body, you will get tired even with the simplest housework. Dehydration also reduces alertness and concentration.
You can tell if you are drinking enough water by the color of your urine: if it is dark, you need to drink more.
Important: you need to drink exactly water, not juices, compotes or dairy products - everything except water is perceived by the body as food, and this does not save you from dehydration. nine0003
You can also buy water in pharmacies:
The logic is simple: you get more sleep, you get less tired. Try to go to bed before midnight and put your gadgets away at least an hour before bedtime - so their bright light does not interfere with the production of melatonin, and you can fall asleep quickly.
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Fluctuations in blood sugar affect how awake you are throughout the day - the more fluctuations, the more tired you are. To stabilize your sugar levels, you need to increase the number of meals and reduce the amount of servings.
How it works. Sugar is found in almost every product. If we eat a hearty lunch, a lot of sugar enters the body at a time, its concentration rises sharply, and the body absorbs it for a long time. Dividing a heavy meal into at least two small meals will reduce your blood sugar spike and keep you awake for longer. nine0003
Supplement your diet with vitamins for energy:
Fish contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids. They improve metabolism and increase alertness - and this helps to stay alert and alert throughout the day.
If there is not enough fish in your diet, supplement your diet with supplements:
Of course, you need to reduce not the weight itself, but the percentage of fat in the body - just more often one is inseparable from the other.
Scientists from Johns Hopkins University have proven that even a small reduction in body fat improves mood and makes a person more alert.
To start losing weight, experts advise reducing portion sizes, eating a balanced diet, and exercising (or at least walking more often). If you work remotely and are afraid that you won’t be able to lose weight due to sedentary work at home, read this material - in it we told you how to start losing weight even remotely. nine0003
Help in losing weight can be found in pharmacies:
Are you an owl or a lark? The answer to this question will help you not to suffer from fatigue during the day. If you are a morning person and feel energized in the morning, plan all the important things for the first half of the day. If an owl - at the end of the day.
This biological clock, or circadian rhythm, is determined by genetics and brain structure, so changing it can be very difficult.
It's much easier to just adapt to them
And if you have problems with activity and fatigue even when you expect a daily energy peak, help:
Important: constant fatigue is a common symptom of many diseases. These include, for example, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and anemia. If you have been feeling uncharacteristically tired for a long time, talk to your doctor.
Certain medications can also cause fatigue, such as blood pressure medications, antihistamines, diuretics, and other medications. If you start taking something and feel that you are getting tired faster or more often, tell your doctor about it. nine0003
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How it works: B vitamins are like a soft pillow for the nervous system.
If you live in a mode of lack of sleep and stress, vitamin B (especially B6) neutralizes hysterical states, relieves anxiety and stress, and improves thought processes. It will also have a beneficial effect on blood pressure, the fluctuations of which often accompany stress. nine0003
Tension of the nervous system leads to malfunction of many body functions. Including problems with the skin, nails, hair. B vitamins are also called “beauty vitamins”: they are able to “remove” irritation and itching, a feeling of tight skin, and have a general rejuvenating effect.
How to take: in courses, as directed by a physician. It is better to start the course in advance if you know that work, emergency work and stress are coming soon.
How it works: no need to wince! First, fish oil has long been made in capsules, which neutralizes its taste (for those who hate it since childhood). Secondly, fish oil is a unique, affordable, over-the-counter remedy that will turn you back from a “bunch of nerves” into a person.
Fish oil is obtained from cod, mackerel, herring. The “magic ingredient” in it is Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The body is not able to produce them on its own, but they are vital to it: for normal metabolic processes, the work of the heart and blood vessels, immunity and calmness of the nervous system. In addition, fish oil is rich in zinc, iron, phosphorus, vitamins A and D. They are our protection against stress and disorders. nine0003
How to take: daily as a prophylactic (if there are no contraindications).
How it works: ask the applicants who crowd around the building of the university on the days of the entrance exams - every second will say that his mother gives him "glycine" for the brain and nerves.
Glycine increases mental performance, eliminates depressive disorders and irritability. The tablets also contain vitamins B1, B2, and B6.
How to take: during periods of stress, work deadlines as a supportive remedy.
How it works: in the indications for the use of "Novo-Passit" it is said that he is struggling with the "manager's syndrome" - constant mental stress, the inability to distract and relax. As part of these funds - extracts of valerian, St. John's wort, lemon balm, hawthorn. Before pills were invented, people were forced to collect and dry these herbs themselves, and then brew them and drink them as a sedative. Modern medicine has simplified this process. nine0003
How it works: The active ingredient in this drug is the hormone melatonin, which regulates sleep and wake cycles.
Stress loosens the nervous system and often leads to problems with falling asleep: you lie in bed for hours, going over tomorrow's affairs in your head. Melatonin solves this problem. At the same time, it does not inhibit the production of the natural sleep hormone. nine0003
How to take: for sleep problems - long falling asleep, restless sleep with frequent awakenings.
Doctor , general surgeon, specialist in sports and medical medicine, Alexander Mudretsov answers:
“Means from this list can only correct the state of the nervous system, but they are not a panacea. The best medicine that will bring back love for people - unless we are talking about a specific mental illness - will be a regime, 8 hours of sleep, walks in the fresh air and sports. In addition, planning will help in the fight against stress. Often stress happens due to the fact that a person put off solving things for later: once they fell down at one moment and caused an overstrain.
