Rise and Shine

Hey y’all.

Have you ever had a hard time waking up? I do all the time. I love sleeping and generally just enjoy being in bed.

If I can, I will actually stay there for around an hour. This allows my morning hormones to level out and helps me feel less prone to an overwhelming episode.

Don’t even talk to me about something important in the first hour, because my brain is just not working 100%.

“Sleep inertia” is the technical term for morning grogginess. It’s responsible for that foggy feeling and can last for up to 4 hours.

A new study in the journal PLoS One found that a melodic tune helps to wake up feeling more alert and less groggy than harsh beeping noises. Researchers believe the beeping may disrupt or confuse the brain as it transitions toward awakening, whereas music helps it to ease into the day more smoothly.

Another tip for waking up more easily is to be sure that you have a solid set of 90 minute sleep cycles. How do we do that? MATH!

When the body is sleep deprived, it falls almost immediately into REM sleep. So it’s actually pretty easy to calculate how much sleep is best for you. A minimum of 6 hours gives you 4 cycles. Although it’s not ideal, you can at least function on this small amount of rest. Add another 90 minutes and you get the ideal amount of sleep — 7.5 hours.