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Theres nothing worse than waking up to a blaring alarm, confused and bleary-eyed.

This is called sleep inertia, and its the state between being awake and being asleep.

A woman waking up groggy in the morning experiencing sleep inertia

But why does sleep inertia happen?

While everyone is likely to experience sleep inertia, some may feel it worse than others.

What is sleep inertia?

man waking up and rubbing his eyes

Dr Lu describes sleep inertia as the transitional state between sleep and awake.

Symptoms can include grogginess and disorientation that occurs after waking up from sleep, says Dr Lu.

What causes sleep inertia?

A woman in bed reading a book with a cup of tea in hand and a lamp on the bedside table, as she completes her nighttime routine

So, what is actually happening in the brain during this foggy period?

The truth is that no one has a clear answer yet.

Your brain is figuratively being pulled to go back to sleep versus waking up.

A woman sitting in bed reading next to a Lumie sunrise alarm clock on top of stack of books on bedside table and pampus grass.

How to prevent sleep inertia

Because everyone experiences sleep inertia, you cant prevent it completely.

Here are some ways it’s possible for you to ensure you get enough sleep.

Dr. Lu says, I recommend going to bed and waking up at a consistent time every day.

A woman sitting outside drinking her morning coffee in the sun

The body loves a sleep routine and varying too much from it can confuse it.

This includes avoiding alcohol and quitting smoking.

Even just onealcoholic drink can reduce the quality of sleepyou get, leading to lighter, more interrupted rest.

A woman practising yoga in the evenings for better sleep

Similarly,smoking is associated with increased insomniaand shorter sleep durations, which can result in worse sleep inertia.

However, your lifestyle and habits might be contributing to poor sleep hygiene.

Have you got thebest mattressfor your sleep needs?

A woman with dark hair lies in bed yawning because she is so tired and ready to sleep

Do you use thebest pillowto support your neck and sleep position?

Sometimes, this means setting your alarm earlier than you need.

The sensation of cold water hitting your face can be enough for us to reset ready for the day.

A woman sleeping on her front looking towards the camera in bed looking tired from not sleeping

This is responsible for when you feel naturally energized or naturally sleepy.

It does this by impacting our hormone levels.

When it is dark, our bodies release melatonin which helps us sleep.

A woman with long brown hair sits up in bed covered in a pink comforter and yawns because she is so sleep deprived

However, when it is light, our levels of melatonin should decrease.

A woman sleeping on her side wearing an eye mask

A woman with curly black hair stretches and smiles as she wakes up early on a sunny summer�s morning

The image shows a sleep deprived woman lying in bed and holding her hands over her eyes

A chocolate Easter egg in pink tin foil next to image of blonde woman in purple star patterned pyjamas struggling to sleep in bed with white sheets

Woman lying down on the bed and smiling feeling comfortable

A woman lying on her side sleeping with a handdrawn thought bubble over her head to show she�s thinking

A woman with dark brown hair lies on her side staring at the back of a white alarm clock that shows the time as 2.30am

A woman with short brown hair sitting on bed with white sheets with a glass of green Spirulina smoothie in hand

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