Sleep inertia is defined as the temporary time of sleepiness, disorientation and impaired cognitive performance upon waking. It’s a state of mind that I believe everyone can relate to, to some extent; here is how to avoid sleep inertia and how it affects your cognitive functioning:
- Get the Right Amount of Sleep: Firstly, to avoid sleep inertia, your most reliable preventive measure is getting an adequate amount of sleep. I used to believe that everyone needs the same amount of sleep to properly function physically, mentally and emotionally, but I’ve since learned that some people can actually operate on much less than others. Must be nice. So if you fall into this category, work with what is good for you. Once this has been made a priority, you’ll wake up more restored, energized and focused for the day ahead.
- Don’t Hit Snooze: In my experience, waking up when my alarm goes off – and not hitting snooze – makes all the difference when trying to avoid sleep inertia. That is, as long as I slept for 7-9 hours. This habit signals to your brain that your circadian rhythm is properly balanced by waking up at the same time every day, which enables a healthy state of mind in the morning. I also recommend investing in an actual alarm clock to avoid the temptation of looking at your phone first thing in the morning; and to keep it on the other side of your room so that you have to physically get out of bed to cancel it (which makes it easier for you to wake up right away). See below for a simple, modern one to add to your bedroom:
- Prioritize Your Sleep Quality: Ensuring you have sufficient sleep quality is another way to avoid sleep inertia. This means not having to wake up periodically at night. To prevent that from happening, try making sure you have a proper wind-down period prior to getting into bed (with minimal light during the last hour), and/or take natural supplements to increase the production of melatonin in your body, like chamomile tea.
- Ingest Caffeine in the Morning: If you find yourself in a situation where you’ve gone against all the points mentioned above, caffeine can help you avoid sleep inertia as a last resort. Whether taken through coffee, caffeine pills or energy drinks – and depending on your tolerance – this stimulant increases the number of dopamine receptors in your brain, benefiting your motivation and drive in the morning. It also is known to increase your alertness through the adenosine system; and increase epinephrin, which affects your adrenaline release. When all of these systems are activated, you’ll be sure to feel a reduction in the side effects of sleep inertia.
- Expose Yourself to Natural Sunlight: Within the first hour of waking, exposing yourself to natural sunlight outside is a great way to avoid sleep inertia. Doing so promotes wakefulness throughout the entirety of your day, which increases attention, focus and energy levels. This is not a measure to be taken lightly – it is deeply ingrained into our physiology as our bodies and minds are primed to respond positively to sunlight.
How Does Sleep Inertia Affect Cognition?
Sleep inertia alters the ways in which you process information, which could affect your performance at work or ability to retain and understand information at school. Some studies have confirmed that not only a reduction in speed was found when performing cognitive tasks, but also accuracy. More studies arrived at the same conclusions, also citing cognitive functioning to take at least 10-30 minutes to kick in. Furthermore, it was established that those whose chronotypes (the natural inclination for your body to sleep at a certain time) were later took 10-20 minutes longer to perform well on cognitive tasks than those whose chronotypes were earlier. And the longer your duration of sleep inertia (sometimes reaching up to 4 hours), the more sleep deprived you are; although the data suggests that rarely will it exceed this timeframe if your sleep was of a healthy duration – subjective to you.
An adequate amount of sleep (7-9 hours) is imperative for proper cognitive functioning, but additionally I find that if I hit snooze even once, for 5 minutes or more, it affects how quickly I process information, how quickly I adapt to my morning routine, and how energized I feel at the beginning of my day – sometimes lasting for hours. And all because of something as simple as hitting snooze. Conversely, if I focus on my discipline upon waking and get up as soon as my alarm clock goes off, I feel more driven, focused, emotionally balanced and energized.