“It is normal for some people to not feel good when they first wake up,” MacFarlane says. “They’re going to be zombies for 20 minutes whether they’ve slept 12 hours or 2 hours.” Waking up in the middle of deeper sleep stages like REM sleep or slow-wave sleep also seems to make sleep inertia worse. While sleep inertia only lasts for a few minutes for some people, others feel it for longer. It’s worth tuning into how long it tends to last for you so you can give yourself grace and start your day with tasks that are less mentally demanding. If you regularly wake up during a time that falls outside your chronotype—say, if you naturally want to wake up at 11 a.m. but you need to be at your job by 8 a.m.—you’ll naturally feel a little sleepy in the morning. Inconsistent sleep-wake times confuse your body’s circadian rhythm and can lead to drowsiness upon waking—even if you spent enough time asleep the night before. Most of our rest and recovery occurs in deeper sleep stages like REM sleep or slow-wave sleep, which we enter about 60 to 90 minutes after we doze off. If distractions like a snoring partner, an uncomfortable bed, or bright lights continually snap us out of these restorative stages, we may feel more tired in the mornings. “Sleep quality can vary quite a bit, so it’s not necessarily a problem if someone occasionally wakes up tired after a full night of sleep,” says Janet Kennedy, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and founder of NYC Sleep Doctor. However, if you continually wake up sleepy after what should have been a full night of rest—or feel like your morning fatigue is interfering with your life—it might be time to visit a sleep specialist to see if there’s an underlying issue to address. Kennedy recommends reducing alcohol intake and ditching nicotine entirely if quality sleep is something you’re working on. She adds that certain medications can also affect how tired you feel upon waking, so it’s important to take those into account too. Once you find your ideal wake-up time, MacFarlane recommends sticking as close to it as possible (even on weekends) to reduce the likelihood of social jet lag. “If you want to sleep in, try to wake up only an hour later than when you normally would,” she says. “Any more than that and you’re not doing great things for yourself in the long run.” Crafting an energizing morning routine that you look forward to can make it easier to get up day after day. Doing a few rounds of breathwork, exercising outside, and taking a cold shower are all ways to wake the body up without firing up the coffee pot. In the hours leading up to bedtime, try not to use stimulating electronics like phones and laptops (or wear a pair of blue-light-blocking glasses if you do). Swap scrolling with a relaxing nightly habit like taking a warm bath, doing a mindful meditation, or getting lost in a good book. Steering clear of heavy foods, caffeine, and alcohol before bed will also work wonders to improve the quality of your sleep and your mornings. If waking up more energized is your goal, nonhormonal supplements like mbg’s sleep support+ will be your best bet.* Taking a hormonal supplement like melatonin nightly—especially in high doses—can cause grogginess and fatigue upon waking. Hormonal supplements also won’t do much to improve overall sleep quality, whereas sleep support+ has been shown to promote longer, deeper sleep without the side effects.* Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,000 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes. She’s spoken about the intersection of self-care and sustainability on podcasts and live events alongside environmental thought leaders like Marci Zaroff, Gay Browne, and Summer Rayne Oakes.
