Daytime Sleep: Feel Refreshed With These Simple Tips

Getting a good night's sleep is one thing, but waking up during the day feeling refreshed is another battle entirely. There are several factors that influence the quality of sleep and how you can wake up feeling more refreshed. Firstly, your diet and what you drink can have a significant impact on your sleep. Protein-rich meals tend to make you feel more energised, while carbohydrate-rich meals induce sleepiness. Caffeine and alcohol are known to disrupt sleep, so it's best to avoid them close to bedtime. Instead, a warm bath or shower can help you relax and prepare for sleep by raising and then lowering your body temperature. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, a dark and cool sleeping environment, and regular exercise can also contribute to better sleep quality. Additionally, paying attention to your breakfast choices and blood glucose response can make a difference in how refreshed you feel during the day.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol

Caffeine and alcohol are stimulants that can significantly impact your sleep quality. Caffeine is a well-known stimulant that increases alertness and can help you stay awake. However, consuming caffeinated beverages in the afternoon or evening can cause difficulty in falling and staying asleep. It can lead to restless and fragmented sleep, leaving you feeling tired when you wake up. If you are a true coffee lover, try restricting your coffee intake to the morning. If that sounds challenging, gradually reduce your caffeine consumption each day, especially in the afternoon or evening. Consider replacing your afternoon or evening coffee with decaf to maintain the comfort of your favourite drink.

On the other hand, alcohol might make you fall asleep faster, but it will disrupt your REM sleep. REM sleep is essential for proper rest, and alcohol consumption before sleep will result in poor sleep quality. While a glass of wine might help you fall asleep when your nerves are frayed, it is not advisable to rely on it every night.

Besides coffee, caffeine is also found in tea, some soft drinks, and chocolate. Alcohol is also present in some over-the-counter cough medicines, chocolates with liqueur centres, and many varieties of vanilla essence for cooking. Avoiding caffeine and alcohol in the evening is essential for getting a good night's sleep.

Eat a high-protein breakfast

Eating a high-protein breakfast is a great way to set yourself up for a refreshed and energised day, especially after a night of sleep.

Firstly, it is important to understand the relationship between protein and energy levels. Protein-rich meals tend to make you feel more energised and awake, whereas carbohydrates will make you feel sleepy. Therefore, a breakfast with a good amount of protein is a great way to boost your energy levels in the morning and set you up for the day.

There are many high-protein breakfast options to choose from. For example, you could opt for scrambled eggs on whole-grain toast, a hard-boiled egg, or a protein shake. If you prefer something sweeter, you could try plain low-fat Greek yogurt with fruit and nuts, or even a protein-rich muffin. Preparing your breakfast the night before can also help to ensure you make healthy choices and reduce morning stress.

It is also beneficial to understand how blood sugar levels impact your energy. While protein is important, it is also key not to overload on sugar in the morning. A spike in blood sugar can blunt your brain's alertness and make it harder to transition to a waking state. Therefore, a high-protein breakfast with complex carbohydrates and a moderate amount of sugar is ideal.

In addition to a high-protein breakfast, there are other ways to ensure you wake up feeling refreshed. Firstly, make sure you are getting enough sleep. Most people need between seven and nine hours of sleep to rid the body of "sleep inertia", the inability to transition effectively to a state of alertness upon awakening. You can also try exercising in the morning, as this improves your mood and promotes alertness and focus. Finally, getting some natural sunlight will help your body to understand it is time to be awake, so try to get outside or sit by a window in the morning.

By following these tips, you can ensure you are setting yourself up for a refreshed and energised day.

Exercise in the morning

Morning exercise is a great way to set yourself up for a day of improved mood and focus. It can also help you sleep better at night.

Exercising in the morning is a powerful way to prime your body for energy throughout the day. As your brain gets used to a routine, it will start to anticipate the activity and prepare itself for the energy expenditure, making it easier to get out of bed. Morning exercise also helps to improve your mood, alertness and focus, and promotes the release of mood-boosting hormones.

The type of exercise you do is also important. High-intensity exercise in the morning can be beneficial, but it's important to give your body time to cool down before bed. Morning workouts should be followed by a period of lower-intensity activity, such as walking or light stretching, to help your body transition to sleep.

Moderate aerobic exercise is a great option for improving sleep quality. It increases the amount of slow-wave sleep you get, which is the deep sleep that allows the brain and body to rejuvenate. Morning exercise also helps to stabilise your mood and decompress the mind, which is important for naturally transitioning to sleep.

If you're exercising outdoors, morning workouts have the added benefit of exposure to sunlight, which helps to stabilise your body's circadian rhythm and makes it easier to fall asleep early.

Get natural sunlight

Getting some natural sunlight is an important part of waking up refreshed during the day. Natural light helps reset your body's internal clock, which is why you're more likely to burrow under the covers on a dark, rainy day.

The body uses cues from light levels to give biological signals for sleep. When it starts getting dark, the body makes melatonin, which makes you feel sleepy. In the morning, even a small amount of light will cause a big drop in melatonin, making you feel alert and awake. So, getting some natural sunlight in the morning is a great way to signal to your body that it's time to be awake.

If you're indoors all day or not getting any natural sunlight, your body's circadian rhythm can get confused. This is especially true if you leave home before the sun is out and come back after it has set. To avoid this, it's important to get at least some exposure to natural light each day. Try going for a quick walk, or sitting outside for a few minutes. If you can't get outside, try sitting by a window or, if possible, opening a window to let in some natural light.

Keep your room dark at night

Keeping your room dark during the day is crucial if you want to sleep refreshed. The body uses cues from light levels to signal when it's time to sleep. When it gets dark, the body produces melatonin, a hormone that makes you feel sleepy. Even a small amount of light in the morning will cause a big drop in melatonin, making you feel alert and awake.

To ensure your body maintains its natural melatonin levels at night, your room should be completely dark. Even the faintest glow from electronic devices charging can be enough to disrupt your melatonin levels, so it's best to charge them in a different room. Regular curtains are usually insufficient at blocking out external light, so consider using heavy-lined curtains that block out as much light as possible.

Keeping your room dark during the day will help you maintain your body's natural melatonin levels and promote a restful sleep, leaving you feeling refreshed and energised when you wake up.

Frequently asked questions