B-SYNC – Wie man die Müdigkeit am Morgen besiegt

How to beat tiredness in the morning

Sometimes waking up can be a real struggle. We might feel low on energy levels, moody, unable to shake off sleepiness and desperately needing a caffeinated drink to function. And for some people, morning tiredness can eventually persist throughout the entire day.

So what can you do to beat tiredness in the morning? We take a look at its causes, as well as some simple tips to follow to fight fatigue.

Why am I so tired in the morning?

We cover this in some detail in our post on why do I wake up feeling tired? The grogginess we experience when we wake up is called sleep inertia,1 and it can last for minutes or hours.

While sleep inertia is perfectly normal, there are factors which can significantly exacerbate it.2 This could include stress, a poor diet, or not getting enough sleep.3 Of course, a key contributing factor to morning fatigue could also be an underlying medical condition such as insomnia,4 sleep apnoea5 or any other type of sleep disorder.

How to not feel tired in the morning

Fortunately, there are plenty of things we can do to beat morning tiredness. Here are 5 simple and easy to follow tips:

  1. Don’t hit the snooze button. It might make sense to try and sleep an extra 10 to 15 minutes to feel more rested. However, evidence points to the opposite happening. Interrupted sleep or sleep fragmentations caused by the snooze button actually negatively impact your mood and cognition.6 It’s recommended you consider setting and sticking to one alarm.7
  2. Drink a glass of water first thing after waking up. Dehydration, or a lack of water, can impact cognition and your mood,8 and can also result in fatigue.9 The US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine recommends roughly between 2.7 to 3.7 litres of water intake per day.10
  3. Practise yoga or exercise daily. Yoga is considered to be a mindful form of physical activity, and studies have found it’s effective at addressing stress, increasing melatonin levels, and reducing fatigue levels – all of which can lead to better sleep quality.11 Studies also suggest that a short burst of exercise in the morning may help minimise the effects of sleep inertia.12
  4. Don’t skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast can adversely impact your blood sugar levels,13 and studies have shown it can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.14 Evidence suggests that breakfast foods high in whole grains and cereal fibre and low in rapid carbohydrates (such as energy drinks, cakes and pastries, potatoes or pasta) can help with metabolic health promotion and give you a much needed energy boost.15
  5. Lastly, remember to go outside during the day. It’s easy to take this for granted, particularly if you have a shift job or a desk job, but daylight exposure can play a major role in aligning your circadian rhythm or internal clock. Our circadian rhythm is most sensitive to light 2 hours before bedtime, throughout the night, and 1 hour after we wake up.16 Catching a bit of sunlight in that 1 hour can impact when we naturally fall asleep and naturally wake up – which in turn impacts how refreshed we feel when we wake up.17
  6. A bonus suggestion: If you find you’re persistently feeling tired in the morning, despite trying all of the above (or if you are a shift worker unable to put the above into effect habitually), then try B・SYNC ON. It’s a clinically tested supplement designed to help you wake up with ease. It contains caffeine, Zinc, Vitamin B5 and Vitamin B12, which are all natural ingredients, and can be used to also adjust or reset your body clock. Simply take it before bed, and its delayed-release technology is proven to help you wake up refreshed and ready to tackle the day.

Good sleep hygiene

All of the tips we’ve suggested contribute to good sleep hygiene. If you’ve read our post on how to sleep well, you know that good sleep hygiene can be the difference between getting enough sleep or not, between waking up feeling refreshed or sluggish.

That being said, if you have tried all of our suggestions and continue to face a recurring problem that is impacting your day-to-day activities, physical wellbeing or mental health, then consider making an appointment with your general physician for a medical checkup. It might be you have a sleeping disorder or medical condition which requires attention or medication.

If your tiredness comes from jet lag rather than general sleep inertia, take a look at our post on how to beat jet lag for tips and tricks on tackling travel fatigue.

Sources

  1. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/work-hour-training-for-nurses/longhours/mod7/03.html
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5337178/
  3. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/self-help-tips-to-fight-fatigue/
  4. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/insomnia/
  5. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sleep-apnoea/
  6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6689426/
  7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6689426/
  8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908954/
  9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555956/
  10. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256
  11. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12888-020-02566-4
  12. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.00254/full
  13. https://www.tryhabitual.com/journal/how-does-when-you-eat-impact-blood-sugar
  14. https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3425/6/3/30
  15. https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/7/3/613S/4558073
  16. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/longhourstraining/light.html
  17. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/longhourstraining/light.html
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