Woke up feeling tired after a long sleep. Here’s why

Brain scans reveal why you feel tired after a full night of sleep.

Have you ever felt that morning tiredness kick in even after a full night of sleep? Phew.. that destroys your mood for the day. Right? Scientists might be able to explain it. And guess what.. it has nothing to do with your bedtime rituals. Read till the end to know the science behind this mystery.

Now that you know that not being well rested has nothing to do with the tiredness, let’s see what your brain is doing while you sleep (or at least think you are asleep).

Quality over Quantity

Sleep is important, and there is no doubt in that. But the quality of sleep matters more than the number of hours of sleep you get. Check out a blog post that talks about the stages of sleep and why it is important to have a deep sleep. Considering their importance, what do you think? Could disruptions in any of these stages be the villain? Scientists had the same question.

Here’s what they did

Over a thousand awakenings in total, Neuroscientists studied 20 people’s brain activity as they awoke from sleep, either by waking up on their own or by setting alarms. What they found was two interesting patterns of neural activity. It was different in people who had woken up from deep sleep vs REM sleep. And.. as we guessed it, people who woke up from a REM sleep experienced tiredness in the morning.

But how exactly did they study the brain?

Scientists attached 256 sensors to the scalp of the subjects and monitored their brain activity every single second. This data was used to reconstruct into a visual map and compare it to what the patient said when they woke up.

In people who woke up during the REM stage,

Their brain activity showed a wave of activation from the front to the back of the brain- from the prefrontal cortex involved in decision making, to the region associated with vision. This can make them feel groggy and sluggish.

In people who woke up during deep sleep,

Their brain activity started in a central hot spot, followed by the same front-to-back activity (as seen in the previous group). This is more natural, and you end up feeling energized and well rested.

Why it matters

A disrupted deep sleep can result in fatigue, poor memory, and reduced focus. In the long term, these could result in mental health issues and cardiovascular problems.

Scientists have barely scratched the surface when it comes to understanding how your brain works when you are asleep. Furthermore, knowing how brain activity is characterized during a normal awakening can help us better understand abnormal awakenings like these.

While Science catches up on brain research, here’s what you can do to feel truly refreshed

1. Go to bed at the same time
2. Avoid blue light an hour before bed
3. Avoid heavy meals like caffeine and alcohol late at night
4. Manage stress
   

So if you wake up tired after a full night’s sleep, it’s not ‘all in your head’ — it’s literally in your brain. And now, science is helping us understand why.

Until the next post, stay refreshed, stay happy.

Happy reading!