‘Sleep inertia’ could be the reason why you wake up feeling tired... here's how to avoid it
It's 6:15am and your alarm has just gone off. You roll over and hit the snooze button... once... twice... and then again. It's 7am now and you have to get out of bed, but your eyes are heavy and you can't seem to pull yourself out from beneath the covers. You've just had seven hours sleep, so why are you waking up tired?
It's a question many of us will have found ourselves asking, some more often than others. In fact, the NHS recently revealed that one in three of us suffer with poor sleep, blaming stress, computers and bringing our work home from the office. But, what's really causing our daytime tiredness could be something else entirely: sleep inertia.
To learn more about sleep inertia, including what it is and what you can do about it, we spoke to Natalie Pennicotte-Collier, Premier Inn’s resident sleep expert.
What is sleep inertia?
You'd be forgiven for thinking that not much happens once our head hits the pillow, but there's a lot going on behind the scenes when we sleep. In fact, we go through four different stages of sleep, with all four making up one sleep cycle: awake, light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep (aka dreaming).
"It's really helpful to evolve your thinking around sleep from hours into what it really is – a stunning ballet of sleep cycles. Sleep cycles average 90 minutes and no two cycles are the same with each of them playing a different role," explains Natalie.
"In the first part of the night, we experience slow wave sleep and a little less REM sleep. Then, as the night progresses, we experience creative processing, otherwise known as REM sleep."
With each sleep stage having a different effect on our brain activity, it makes sense that if we wake up during the wrong sleep stage, our brain can lag behind our body, making us feel disoriented and tired.
This is called sleep inertia, which The Sleep Charity describes as "the feeling of grogginess after waking up, because you’re still in a sleep state. It usually lasts from around five to 30 minutes but it can last for as long as two to four hours."
Can we use our sleep cycles to prevent sleep inertia?
In short, yes, you can! By working out when you need to wake up, you can work out how many sleep cycles you'll fit in, and aim to wake up at the end of a full cycle – this will leave you feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. As for how to do that, you can use a sleep calculator (like this one) to help you get to know your cycles, as well as how to harness them to combat daytime tiredness.
"The best way to avoid sleep inertia is to keep consistency and focus on five, full sleep cycles of 90 minutes," advises Natalie. "So, start to count back from the moment you need to wake up and map your new bedtime."
To avoid sleep inertia, Natalie points out that it's best to wake up at the end of a sleep cycle, ensuring that you've had at least five full cycles (around 7.5 hours). But, sticking to a sleeping routine is equally as important. That means going to bed and waking up at the same time, regardless of whether it's a weekday or the weekend.
The expert adds: "Be patient with your brilliant body clock and circadian rhythm. Most people tend to expect an instant change overnight, but you need to give your sleep cycles time to strengthen in a new consistent routine over five nights."
BRB, off for a big ole sleep...
This article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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