What exactly is the reason for being “grumpy when waking up”?

There is a kind of "anger" called "morning mood". Some friends are always "dull-eyed and out of shape" or even "furious" when they wake up. There are always many small things in life that can affect our mood, but for people who have difficulty waking up: if they get angry even for getting out of bed, the day will be too difficult.

Today we will study:

What is "morning grumpiness"?

Where does “morning grumpiness” come from?

How to get rid of morning grumpiness?

"Waking up in a bad mood"

"Being grouchy when waking up" is called "sleep inertia" in psychology . Kenneth Wright, a professor at Colorado State University Boulder, said: Sleep inertia will weaken judgment, memory, reaction speed, and alertness. People's attention will be reduced, and they will even be unable to do small things like turning on the lights.

Research from Harvard Medical School shows that it usually takes 2 to 4 hours for sleep inertia to completely disappear and cognitive ability to return to normal levels. Therefore, to avoid the effects of morning grumpiness, you need to adjust your sleep and wake-up cycles to make them as close to waking up naturally as possible.

The root cause of "getting grouchy"

There is no consensus in the scientific community about the cause of "grumpiness when waking up". The following hypotheses may lead to grumpiness when waking up.

From a physiological point of view, when we get up, our body temperature and blood pressure are in an elevated state, and our heart rate will obviously increase, and even arrhythmia may occur.

At the same time, the body's breathing rate and gastrointestinal motility also speed up, and the body is in a state of hunger and dehydration due to not eating for a long time. These mean that the peripheral nervous system begins to wake up and become active, and the emotions at this time are very similar to the physiological signals of anxiety and anger.

When we feel external stimuli in a daze, the cerebral cortex will make us mistakenly believe that these stimuli are emotional signals and that the body is threatened. The body will then react quickly, releasing a large amount of adrenaline to respond to the impending "danger" in a combat state, and will "attack" the person who wakes you up at the moment.

The other type is confusional awakening , which usually occurs after the regular sleep cycle is disrupted , such as being suddenly awakened by a ringing phone. This situation will cause a person's perception of time and place to be in a state of confusion, and may be accompanied by hostility or violent behavior.

This is not uncommon, with one in ten people experiencing at least one chaotic awakening .

There are many reasons for being grumpy when waking up. The sleep process is suddenly disrupted; an overly exciting nightlife keeps the brain in an excited state for a long time; a sudden change in the sleeping environment or falling asleep with stress and anxiety can make people feel bad. These factors may be the "culprits" causing being grumpy when waking up.

Get rid of "morning grumpiness"

1. Get rid of the "compulsive disorder of staying up late"

Sleeping less than 7 hours can easily put the body in a state of stress and make people irritable. Force yourself to turn off your phone and computer before going to bed to let your mind go blank . If it is difficult to do so, you can replace the compulsive behavior of staying up late with specific behaviors. Suggested behaviors include washing, applying a facial mask, soaking your feet, taking a hot bath , etc.

2. Make a small plan

Before going to bed, you can recall a few beautiful things when lying in bed, such as the sun shining on the leaves and the waves on the river. You can also make a small plan for what to eat for breakfast and what exercise to do after dinner before going to bed, so that you will have something to look forward to when you wake up the next day, which will help you feel better.

3. Create a good sleeping environment

Avoid drinking alcohol or coffee before going to bed. Don't put the alarm clock next to your pillow, the alarm clock should not be too harsh, and don't set a "serial alarm clock" and get out of bed after the alarm clock rings once.

4. Eliminate negative thoughts

The bad temper when you wake up can usually be traced back to the negative emotions that make you frustrated, such as blaming yourself for irrelevant mistakes, attributing ordinary mistakes to failures as a person, and magnifying very small problems infinitely. Think about it from another perspective, such as thinking that it is troublesome to repair the computer, but this process can learn new skills or make new discoveries about computers.

5. Open the curtains after getting up

If you want to wake up completely from sleep, it is best to open the curtains to let the sunlight in and give the biological clock a signal. You can also open the window , stand by the window for a while, take a few breaths of fresh air, provide the brain with sufficient oxygen, and speed up waking up.

6. Seek external assistance

If you often feel overwhelmed by negative emotions after getting up and the depression persists, you need to seek help from a professional psychologist.