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Journalism of Courage
It goes without saying that a good night’s sleep is crucial to rejuvenating the mind and body after a hectic and tiring day. While some wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the new day, others find it hard to ward off drowsiness, laziness, and grogginess despite sleeping enough. If you belong to the latter category, chances are you are experiencing, what experts call, sleep inertia. “Sleep inertia is used to refer to the temporary time of sleepiness, disorientation, and impaired cognitive performance experienced upon awakening. It is generally referred to as ‘waking up tired’ by patients and persists during the transition of sleep to wakefulness, and may take several hours to dissipate,” Dr Viswesvaran Balasubramanian, Consultant, Interventional Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad said, adding that morning sleep inertia is generally experienced for 15 to 30 minutes after waking up.
The expert explained that due to sleep inertia, patients usually complain of grogginess, desire to fall back asleep, impaired cognitive ability, visual attention, and spatial memory. Agreeing, Dr RR Dutta, HOD, Internal Medicine, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram said that people suffering from sleep inertia may wake up in the middle of the night with drowsiness, grogginess, disorientation, and cognitive impairment.
“It usually lasts 15-60 minutes, but the effect may be seen for a long time after waking up. Oversleeping, or a nap of 30 minutes may also lead to people experiencing sleep inertia,” he said.
What causes it?
According to sleep experts, there’s no specific cause behind sleep inertia as one may experience it due to a variety of reasons. “Amidst our hectic schedules, everyone is concerned about what they do during the day. The thing is, sleep is the time when our body and mind recover from our daily routine. If the quality of sleep is compromised, sleep hygiene is not maintained and sleep cycle is disturbed, or if you have sleep apnea, you may experience this,” Dr Sharad Joshi, Associate Director-Pulmonology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali said.
Agreeing, Dr Balasubramanian said that abrupt awakening from slow-wave sleep (SWS) and prior sleep deprivation may result in an increased chance of developing sleep inertia.
Additionally, high levels of adenosine (a chemical found in the cells) may also play a role in sleep inertia. “Adenosine plays an important role in the sleep-wake cycle. The component is found in the brain and is said to be responsible for sleep inertia. Reduced blood flow or low BP is also stated to be one of the reasons behind the condition,” Dr Dutta explained.
Why do some experience it more frequently and intensely than others?
Experts note that while feeling a little lazy, drowsy, and disoriented after waking up happens to everyone, some may experience these symptoms of sleep inertia more frequently and intensely than others. “People with low blood circulation might face it more often as low BP is said to be one of the leading causes triggering sleep inertia,” Dr Dutta said.
Dr Balasubramanian added that alcohol intake and conditions that decrease blood circulation to the brain may also increase the chances of sleep inertia.
Can sleep inertia be harmful?
While sleep inertia may seem like a harmless condition, it can have some serious consequences if not paid attention to. “Sleep inertia can be harmful, especially amongst people in high-risk professions like military personnel, pilots, doctors and drivers where quick decision-making is required. In addition, it can also impair education in children due to adverse effects on cognitive capabilities,” Dr Balasubramanian said.
Dr Joshi further explained that whenever your sleep pattern is affected, the recovery of your body and mind is affected. “As a result, excessive stress hormones will release in your body, leading to an increase in blood pressure and sugar levels. It will affect various chemical hormones in your body and can also lead to excessive weight gain,” he said.
Prevention
Experts listed the following methods to prevent sleep inertia upon waking up.
*Reduce caffeine intake. “Grabbing a cup of tea or coffee in the morning is good to kickstart the day. The same can create trouble sleeping if taken right before bed,” Dr Dutta said.
*Practice gentle waking rather than loud alarms.
*Light restriction and temperature adjustments in your sleeping space also would make a big difference.
*Short naps lasting for not more than 30 minutes during the day can be helpful.
*Adequate physical activity is encouraged.
*Adopt healthy sleeping hygiene measures.
(Next in the series: Why do some people need more sleep than others?)
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