Ah, sweet, sweet sleep. But then the ear piercing alarm rings and you drag yourself out of bed. You sit on your bed, still half-asleep, feeling frustrated, groggy and exhausted. That’s not how waking up from sleep is supposed to feel like, right? So how to wake up refreshed and well rested?
We all want a good night’s sleep after a long stressful day of work, responsibilities and socializing. Sadly, the stressors of the day keep churning inside our heads as we try to drift off to dreamland. So instead of getting restful sleep, we keep tossing and turning all night and eventually when it’s time to wake up, we feel tired, annoyed and grumpy. This affects our mindset, emotions and mood early in the morning which we carry into the day.
So how to wake up well rested and refreshed so that you can take on your day with full energy, enthusiasm and passion? Read on.
5 Ways to wake up rested and refreshed
Do you keep dragging yourself out of your bed every morning? Wondering how to wake up refreshed and not tired? Here are a few tips to sleep better and wake up refreshed and energized –
1. Practice better sleeping habits
If you want to wake up rested then it is important that you adopt certain habits to improve your sleep health. Start by being serious about your sleeping habits and making commitments for better sleep hygiene. You can share your commitment for healthier sleeping behavior with your loved ones to be more accountable.
Decide on a bedtime routine and practice it regularly. Having a consistent bedtime routine will help you relax and calm down before sleep every night. It is also important that you have a consistent sleep and wake up time that you can follow on weekdays and weekends. While you can sleep a little longer on weekends, an average of 7-8 hours of sleep on a daily basis is required daily. This is very important to remember when trying to find out how to wake up refreshed.
Related: Warning Night Owls: Is Staying Up Late At Night Bad For Your Mental Health?
2. Keep your bedroom relaxing and sleep-friendly
Do you keep staring at that phone even when you are all tucked in under your warm blanket? And then you wonder why you can’t wake up rested and refreshed? We all know what that blue light from our smartphone screen does to our eyes and sleep, still for some reason we (including me) keep scrolling through our phone even at bedtime. So if you want a good night’s sleep, you have to put that phone down, my friend.
Having a healthy sleep environment is crucial for REM sleep. Here are a few tips to get started –
- Keep you room dark when going to bed by using heavy curtains
- Place your bed away from the window
- Make sure to use an eye mask if light pollution keeps you up or sunlight wakes you up early
- Keep your bedroom quiet and using ambient sounds or white noises to counter outside noises
- Turn off your phone or put it on flight mode or do not disturb setting before going to bed
- Avoid using any gadgets or devices in bed, like watching TV or working on your laptop
- Make sure your room has a comfortable temperature that make you feel relaxed
Having a sleep friendly environment in your bedroom will promote better sleep and help you in waking up refreshed and energized.
Related: How Screen Time Affects Quality Of Sleep And Overall Health of Young Adults
3. Keep the alarm out of reach and DO NOT hit the snooze button
Still wondering how to wake up refreshed? Then let’s talk about the main problem here. If you are like me, the moment the alarm sounds it is likely that you hit the snooze button and fall back to sleep. “Just 5 more minutes,” – you tell yourself. And that is perhaps the main reason why you wake up grumpy and groggy.
Known as drockling, hitting the snooze button in the morning after your alarm goes off can disrupt your REM sleep (a restorative state) and make it difficult for you to wake up. When the alarm typically rings, we are at the end of our REM sleep and it becomes easier for us to wake up. But drockling makes us go back to sleep and re-enter the REM cycle. This makes us feel disoriented, confused and groggy.
While you may think 5-10 minutes of extra sleep can make you feel better, it is simply not enough to get back to a restorative sleep state. However, the disruption boosts your heartbeat and blood pressure. So if you want to wake up well rested avoid hitting that snooze button. Drockling is harmful as it can confuse your internal body clock and completely screw up your morning routine.
One of the best ways to stop hitting the snooze button is to keep your alarm away from your bed. Why? Because you have to get out of the bed to turn off the alarm or hit the snooze button (if you want to). However, the moment you are out of your bed and up on your feet, it will be a lot easier for you to avoid drockling and simply wake up feeling refreshed.
Related: What Is Body Clock? 12 Ways It Affects Our Health
4. Get some sunlight
While you should keep your room dark when sleeping, make sure to pull back your blinds and curtains and let some sunlight in the moment you wake up. This is how to wake up refreshed.
Exposure to natural light helps to reset our body’s biological clock (circadian rhythm) which can make you feel more alert and awake. Sunlight exposure in the morning can also help to increase the levels of serotonin in your body and suppress melatonin, increasing your wakefulness.
Studies have found that light has a strong impact on sleep and wakefulness. So if you are unable to access natural light in the morning, being in front of a light box for a brief period of time can also do the trick and make you feel refreshed immediately after you wake up. Light sends messages to your brain that it’s time to wake up and be stimulated which makes you feel energetic and alert.
Related: 13 Terrifying Health Effects of Sleep Deprivation
5. Seek medical help
Sleep inertia is a physiological state that causes cognitive impairment, drowsiness, disorientation, grogginess and reduced sensory-motor performance & vigilance, immediately after waking up. One 2019 study explains “Sleep inertia, or the grogginess felt upon awakening, is associated with significant cognitive performance decrements that dissipate as time awake increases.”
While most of us feel a bit frustrated after waking up, sleep inertia can be a serious problem in the long run if not treated properly. It makes us want to go back to sleep right after we wake up and the effects can last for hours. It can adversely affect our decision-making, reaction times and daily functioning like driving.
While sleep inertia usually lasts only for one hour, if your symptoms last longer than that and causes extreme daytime sleepiness, along with confusion, trouble communicating clearly, difficulty in understanding others and a loss of coordination, then it might be a good idea to consult a medical professional.
When wondering how to wake up refreshed, seeing a healthcare professional can be really beneficial. A doctor can also help you identify if there are any underlying sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea, delayed sleep-wake phase sleep disorder or insomnia that are affecting your sleep wake cycle.
Seeking proper medical diagnosis and treatment for any underlying sleep disorder or sleep inertia can make it easier for you to wake up early in the morning feeling refreshed and well rested.
Related: Health Benefits Of Darkness: 4 Reasons Why You Should Sleep In The Dark, Not With The Lights On
Tips to sleep better
Apart from the strategies mentioned above, there are some other self-help tips that can help to promote sleep and feel well-rested in the mornings. Here are some more quick sleep hacks to wake up refreshed when you keep asking yourself how to wake up refreshed and well rested –
- Try meditating for 10 minutes before going to sleep or after waking up
- Avoid late night snacks or heavy meals before going to bed
- Limit your caffeine and nicotine consumption before bedtime
- Avoid alcohol before sleep even if it may help you feel sleepy
- Use a comfortable pillow and mattress
- Get a blanket that covers your entire body and makes you feel comfortable
- Don’t lie or toss around your bed if you can’t sleep. Lie down only when you feel sleepy
- Drink water immediately after you wake up in the morning to rehydrate your body
- Be physically active, stretch and exercise in the morning
- Drink a caffeinated beverage such as a cup of coffee or tea
- Eat a healthy protein rich breakfast
- Make your bed promptly after waking up to have a sense of accomplishment
- Take a cold shower or wash your face with some cold water
- Play some upbeat music that can help you get into a positive mood
- Try aromatherapy or essential oils to stimulate and awaken your brain & senses
- Gently pull your hair to promote blood flow in your scalp and wake up easier
- Maintain a daily sleep diary to better assess your sleeping habits and behavior
Follow these tips to get better sleep and wake up well rested every morning. However, if your issues still persist, consulting a medical professional can be helpful as certain underlying conditions can impair your sleep quality and daily functioning.
So turn off your devices, turn off the lights, calm your mind and head off to dreamland.
Good night!
Related: 5 Helpful Tips For A Good Night’s Sleep
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