I have discovered recently that while I am generally tired and groggy in the morning, I am well rested and happy after a nap. I am unsure if this matches other people's experiences, and haven't explored much research. Still, I think this is interesting to think about fully.
What is the best way to apply this knowledge? I am considering purposely sabotaging my sleep so that I am tired enough to take a nap by noon, which would refresh me for the entire day. But this plan may have some significant drawbacks, including being excessively tired for a few hours in the morning.
I'm assuming from context you're universally groggy in the morning no matter how much sleep you get? (i.e. you've tried the obvious thing of just 'sleep more'?)
1Matthew Barnett
Pretty much, yes. Even with 10+ hours of sleep I am not as refreshed as a nap. It's weird, but I think it's a real effect.
Two easy things you can try to feel less groggy in the morning are:
Drinking a full glass of water as soon as you wake up.
Listening to music or a podcast (bluetooth earphones work great here!). Music does the trick for me, although I'm usually not in the mood and I prefer a podcast.
About taking naps, while it seems to work for some people, I'm generally against it since it usually impairs my circadian clock greatly (I cannot keep consistent times and meddles with my schedule too much).
At nights, I take melatonin and it seems to have been of great ... (read more)