PORTLAND, Maine — That groggy feeling in the morning can come from a number of things. Not enough sleep, not a deep enough sleep or it could be something you did wrong the day before.
It's hard to change what you don't fully understand, so Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, author of Sacred Rest and creator of the Rest Quiz, walks us through three-morning energy stealers...
Toxins build-up
If you have had a very productive and busy day, your body will be filled with toxins. These are essentially waste products that our muscles create. If these are allowed to build up, our muscles become blocked or overloaded. This can then result in not having enough oxygen in the muscles because there’s simply too much lactic acid blocking the receptors. What occurs is very simple. Your muscles struggle with ATP, which is needed to produce localized energy at the muscle, using glycogen and sugars. You can avoid this by doing a few simple things.
-Stretch before you go to sleep as this will open up the muscles and allow the toxins to be removed more efficiently.
-Drink a lot of water before you go to bed. This will aid in the removal of the toxins. However, try not to drink anything after 7 PM, to avoid waking up in the middle of the night.
-Open up a window so you’re breathing fresh air as you sleep. This aids the muscles in resetting and rejuvenating.
-Don’t go to bed too stressed or angry. This will make your body tense and your mind restless, taking you longer to fall asleep and begin recovering.
Handling your drink
The obvious reason why you might be feeling groggy when you wake up is your consumption of alcohol the night before. Alcohol affects us all differently and it’s important to understand key alcohol facts before you drink. The factors that decide how much you will feel the negative effects of alcohol are:
-Your age. If you’re younger, you will have a more vivid reaction to alcohol.
-Your weight. If you’re heavier, you will feel less of an effect but the alcohol could stay in your system for longer.
-Your metabolic rate. A faster metabolism means a quicker feeling of drunkenness.
-Medication. If you have taken any medication with the alcohol, you could have a volatile, even dangerous reaction.
With this in mind, limit your alcohol intake if you know you physically cannot handle a certain level of alcohol in your system. The bad effects will last longer and your mornings will be ruined.
Bad dieting
If you have to eat complex carbs as the main source of energy in your diet, you can feel a mixture of being energetic and groggy in the mornings. Carbs take a lot of work from your digestive system to be broken down and absorbed. This can result in an overworked system and waste products. To limit this feeling, consume more protein and fats in your diet and lower your carb intake.
The feeling of grogginess in the mornings can ruin what could have been a productive day. We feel more tired and sleepy than when we went to bed. Do these things to stop this from occurring to you.
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is the creator of Rest Quiz. To determine whether you're giving your body and mind the recharge they need, click here.