Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph.D., MSN, R.N., CNE, COI — By Sarah Garone — Updated on August 25, 2020
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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.
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.
0003 Both those who love long trips and those who are not happy with them strive to cover more distance in one day. The first - to prolong your pleasure, the second - so that everything ends as soon as possible.
So the majority of motorists drive "from dawn to stop." Sooner or later everyone gets tired. But its arrival can be delayed - by preparing in advance.
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The schedule of the trip must be made taking into account the characteristics of the body. There are "larks", there are "owls", and they are comfortable at different times of the day.
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Before a long journey the first piece of advice is to get a good night's sleep no matter what category you classify yourself in. "Owls", which feel a surge of vivacity closer to the night, can sleep until lunch and start at the height of the day: fatigue will cover only by the next dawn.
The "lark" should shift the departure to the earliest possible hour, but also set off for the night earlier than the others.
Both are more comfortable to ride in summer. When daylight is long, we all feel more cheerful. But in winter it is worth guessing the maximum part of the route for daylight hours.
Extreme extremes - polar day and night. Here any organism will go crazy out of habit.
All sorts of troubles and manifestations of discomfort distract, irritate and, ultimately, prematurely deplete the body's resources. This is true both on the scale of a person’s entire life, and within a single trip.
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Is any of the important components in the car malfunctioning? You will constantly listen to him, stop more often to check the condition, worry about whether you will reach it. Air conditioner not working? In summer, you will get tired faster from the heat and wind noise through the open window.
Tires worn out? At the slightest deterioration in the weather, you will begin to slow down and lose confidence in traction.
Check that all lights are working. This will not only save time by eliminating at least one reason to communicate with traffic police officers, but also make driving safe at night.
A comfortable fit is essential - the first aid to staying alert. But here, alas! - it is unlikely that many motorists have a choice on what to go on a journey. It is clear that in the VAZ "classic" you will get tired many times faster than sitting on a cool ventilated multi-contour chair with massage in a good foreign car.
Tip: If your car seat is “tired”, you can improve it a little before a long journey with pillows, a lumbar roll, wraps or covers.
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There are a great many tips for dealing with sleep.
And the best of them is to succumb to the body. To get a boost of energy for several hours, it is enough to take a nap for 15–30 minutes. You can directly in a reclined seat on the side of the road (not forgetting, of course, about traffic rules and safety measures).
During stops along the way to tone up, you can wash your face or do a short exercise.
Large gas tank and low fuel consumption are harmful . There are many hours between mandatory stops for refueling, and some drivers do not like to stop just like that on these hauls. In vain: you will lose a minuscule amount of time, but a little movement will refresh you.
Be careful with your food. A hearty breakfast does not hurt, but a hearty lunch or dinner on the road will quickly make you sleepy. It is better to exercise moderation or snack a little while driving. Although, of course, such advice cannot be called healthy. But if you decide to stay in catering, do not forget about the quality of the food.
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— Stories about the fact that where there are a lot of truckers, you can eat there, 80–90 percent are true. It all depends on the route and geography. But you need to look at other criteria as well. I always avoided eating in large roadside catering establishments, and if I had to, I tried to take the simplest first courses, such as chicken soup, and tea and pastries (if any) with it. Knowledge of the principle of the microwave oven led to the conclusion that where food is heated in a microwave, you can eat everything. Tasteless, but mostly safe, because the food is neutral.
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This complex concept includes everything that surrounds you in the car.
The air conditioner or stove must maintain the temperature that is comfortable for the driver. If the passenger gets tired ahead of time and falls asleep, it's okay.
We refrain from advice on musical accompaniment. It annoys someone at all, and he rides in silence. Someone prefers light melodies, but from rock or "metal" he is covered with irritation and premature fatigue. And the other is the opposite.
The same with the rhythm of movement. One driver feels perfect at 80 km/h and does not overtake anyone. Driving at the speed of a truck is tiring for another, and the non-penalized +20 km/h is not enough for him.
Modern driver assistants take on a lot of work in a car. Adaptive cruise control maintains not only speed, but also a safe distance. Other systems will help you not to fall out of your lane and not change lanes when there is another car in the dead zone. Up to a certain stage, they help a lot, and the driver saves energy with them.
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However, there is a nuance. As soon as there is a desire to rely on them completely, this is a huge danger. Modern functions are not designed to work completely independently, they must be constantly monitored by a person . And if the latter relaxes too much, an accident cannot be avoided.
***
Following all the tips and proper route planning will allow you to drive more kilometers. Just don't make yourself a superman and set goals of 1500-2000 or more kilometers in one sitting. No one will appreciate it, and the chances of a sad ending are very high. Take care of yourself and those around you!
Photo: depositphotos
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Do you feel like you have zero energy? Welcome to the club! Fatigue is one of the most common reasons women go to the doctor in developed countries. If you do not pay attention to the body's cries for help and do nothing to change your condition, you can become seriously ill. Fortunately, energy is not a constant, its amount is individual and depends on daily, monthly, seasonal rhythms, experts explain. And if you constantly feel tired, you can start with small changes that will give you a quick “recharge”.
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Fighting Fatigue
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Problem: Too much work, too little rest Being a reasonable and responsible adult is not easy. All these obligations, affairs, household and family issues sometimes get bored, and the body takes this boredom for fatigue. The desire to be an efficient and productive person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week may be commendable, but often it leads to physical and emotional burnout.
Solution: Plan a vacation
At first, you may not be able to relax just like that, so make a list of fun little things: write a joking letter, call an old friend, play twister with your children, listen to your favorite music in silence. .. Such small breaks will make the daily routine less boring.
If there is not enough natural light outside, the body tries to go to sleep. As a result of a study involving more than 600 adults, scientists from the University of Massachusetts found that depression, feelings of loneliness, anger, and disorder often appear in winter.
Solution: more light!
Take a walk for at least 10 minutes outside during the day or when you feel most tired. Sunlight will help you wake up and perk up. Even if the weather is cloudy, there is still more light outside than in the office. If you can't get out of the room, a short stay in a room with natural light will help.
When you breathe irregularly, your lungs don't get enough oxygen, and there is a lot of carbon dioxide in your blood. This also leads to a feeling of fatigue, as well as an increase in pressure and pulse.
Solution: diaphragmatic breathing
A few short sessions a day and you will feel much better. Put your hand on the navel, while inhaling, focus on making the stomach “breathe” too, then you will get more oxygen.
Sitting in the same position for several hours consumes a lot of energy, the body begins to think that soon it will be possible to go to bed.
And if you also look at the screen, you start blinking more slowly, and your eyes dry up (and tend to close completely).
Solution: move more
Stretch. Take a walk. Take a shower or wash your hands. Frequent breaks will help the body not to relax too much. Take your eyes off the screen every half hour and focus on a distant object or object.
The body has its own biological clock. And if you get up early on weekdays and sleep until noon on weekends, then you arrange a hard jetlag for yourself without leaving your home. And in the end, you don’t feel too good, even if you seem to have slept enough in time.
Solution: normal schedule
Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. If you really want to sleep, it is better to go to bed earlier than to get up later.
Problem: dehydration Many people put themselves under unnecessary stress without realizing it. Thirst symbolizes the loss of 2-3 percent of the fluid, and even such a slight dehydration can create a feeling of fatigue and drowsiness: the blood pressure level decreases, as a result, the blood supply to the brain deteriorates and the heart has to work at increased speeds.
Solution: drink more
Keep a bottle of water nearby, drink your food. If you don't like water, add orange slices or herbal infusion to it. Soups, fresh fruits and vegetables also help increase the water level in the body.
They confuse the body, it does not understand when it is really necessary to sleep. Bright lights interfere with the production of melatonin.
Solution: low light
Install dimmable switches and lower the light level in the evening.
