We spend a lot of time talking about sleep — why we need it, why we don’t get enough of it, and how to get more of it. Yet we give little thought to how we wake up in the morning, which plays a significant role in our overall health.
The Importance of Sleep Inertia
There are powerful neurochemical concentrations in our bodies during the sleep state, and these don’t reverse spontaneously just because we wake up. There is an ideal period of sleep inertia which helps us make the transition. This is the first luxurious 5-10 minutes when we wake up and gradually start to open our eyes and take in the day. Unfortunately, many of us skip the sleep inertia period to bolt out of bed, often at the sound of an alarm.
The Worst Way to Wake Up
In his book, Why We Sleep, Dr. Matthew Walker points out how counter-productive the alarm clock is to waking up well.
“No other species demonstrates this unnatural act of prematurely and artifically terminating sleep.”
Hearing an alarm while being asleep causes physioligcal changes including a spike in blood pressure and an accelerated heart rate (Kaida, 2005). Worse than a single alarm is the snooze alarm in which we wake up, go back to sleep, and wake up again (and again, depending on how many times we hit the snooze button!) If we drift back to sleep during this period, each sound of the alarm assaults our cardiovascular system in the same way.
The Best Way to Wake Up
Nature has designed us to wake up with sunlight, after 7-8 hours of sleep. The best way to awaken naturally is to create a habit around going to bed at the same time every night. If you are concerned about oversleeping, try a sunrise alarm clock. I don’t have a favorite brand, but here are options on Amazon. You can add an automatic timer to a bedroom lamp.
By all means avoid alarm clocks that punish you for not jumping out of bed! For example, there is one called The Shredder. You put a paper bill in it — let’s say a $20 — and if you don’t turn it off quickly enough, it begins to shred your money.
Take a Lesson from Your Pets
Watch the way your cat or dog wakes up from a nap or in the morning. My puppy, Bella, luxuriates in waking up and takes a little time doing it. (Unless, of course, the Fed Ex guy is at the door, and then all bets are off.) Our pets never feel lazy about lying there for a few minutes, and neither should we. Instead, honor the period of sleep inertia, knowing it creates a better transition to your day.