There is nothing worse than waking up feeling like all you want to do is put your head back on the pillow and fall asleep. But for many of us, feeling groggy in the morning is a daily struggle. Even if you make the effort to get enough hours of sleep, it’s no guarantee that you’re going to wake up feeling fresh.

There are a number of reasons why you might still feel out of it come morning, but being aware of these potential threats to your sleep quality is the first step to successfully avoiding them.

That’s why we’re here with 5 reasons why you might be feeling groggy in morning.

Your sleep environment is too light

If your bedroom is too light, it could be affecting how well-rested you feel when you wake up in the morning. We sleep best in cool, dark environments, and the lightness of a room – even with your eyes closed – can have an affect on your body’s internal clock. If there is too much light, you might find it more difficult to get to sleep and experience less deep sleep during the night.

You had a tipple before bed

A lot of us enjoy a glass of wine or a swift nightcap before bed. You might think it helps you relax, but although alcohol might help people get to sleep, it can also disrupt your sleep cycles.

Drinking causes you to spend less time in REM sleep, meaning that you lose many of the benefits of a full, restorative night’s rest, even if you’ve been in bed for eight hours.

You tuned in before you turned in

For many of us, our night-time routine consists of a couple of hours spent unwinding in front of the television. But it’s a good idea to avoid the television screen for around an hour before bed, and the same goes for laptops, tablets and smartphones.

The light from most LCD screens can disrupt our production of melatonin – the body’s natural sleep hormone. The impact this has can last into the next morning, causing you to feel less well-rested as a result.

You’re exercising at the wrong time

Of course, exercising at any time of day is something to be proud of, but completing a rigorous workout too close to bedtime can often make it harder to have a good night’s sleep.

Many people believe exercise at night tires you out, but in reality it tends to energise you just as you should be winding down for bed. Try switching up your routine so that you’re exercising first thing in the morning instead, giving you the burst of energy you need to get through your day.

You have sleep apnoea

Sleep conditions like sleep apnoea could be behind your morning grogginess. Sleep apnoea is a medical condition in which your airway becomes partially obstructed by your tongue, preventing air getting into your lungs.

This can lead to snoring and breathing difficulties throughout the night. The issue here is that, when this occurs, it pulls you out on deep sleep into a lighter state of rest. This can mean that, night after night, your sleep is being disturbed.

The right mattress can make a big difference to your sleep quality, and help you wake up feeling comfortable and refreshed. Seek out your local retailer today and test drive a Mammoth mattress for yourself.

The post Why do you feel groggy in the morning? appeared first on Mammoth Perks.

Carly

It’s a busy time for personal trainers in April. Everyone is looking to make those gains in muscle and definition, stripping that winter fat away. But while it’s great to see people enthusiastic and making the most of the lighter mornings and nights, it’s not always ideal to see people wobbling into the gym at 6am in the morning or 9.30pm at night.

Luke

Whether you prefer morning training or evening training is down to you. There’s been plenty of research on the best time to workout – some say it’s great to get the metabolism going in the morning, others that a post-work session is the way to make gains. But we always recommend that you exercise when you feel at your best and are at your most motivated. They key, though, is not to exercise when it compromises on rest and recovery.

Missing sleep is a real problem when trying to add mass, for example. Around 80% of the human growth hormone (HGH) produced naturally by the body is generated during sleep. HGH plays a key role in the repair and growth of muscles so losing an hour of sleep at the crack of dawn to hit the weights will both prevent the body from recovering from the last workout and quite possibly prevent a lifter from completing all their sets.

Carly

Many of our clients come to train after hours sat at a desk doing their day job. This in itself can cause for the body to become imbalanced, misaligned and weak in some areas. After a workout has got the blood pumping and the body moving again, going to bed is a chance for their body to settle into its natural position. Miss sleep and the cycle of deterioration simply gets worse.

One other side effect of lost sleep is increased appetite. We work hard with our clients on tailoring the right diet for their needs – if they are trying to add muscle mass, increase power or get lean, etc.

That all goes out the window, though, if their bodies are hit with cravings for calorific foods. Sleep deprivation actually releases hormones in the brain that tell us to seek out high energy foods, so the simple solution is to make a little bit more time for recovering in bed.

Luke

My advice for anyone trying to get in shape for the summer would be to consider all the options when setting out on a new training plan. That includes exercise, nutrition and, just as importantly, rest.

Carly Thornton is a Figure/Bodyfitness athlete. Luke Sandoe is a super-heavyweight bodybuilder. Together they also run Elite Body and Fitness personal training and have been billed as Britain’s ‘Best Built Couple’.

Carly and Luke choose to sleep on a ‘Mammoth’ Mammoth mattress.

To contact Carly and Luke regarding all packages they offer please go to www.elitebodyandfitness.com

Elite Body & Fitness

The post Carly Thornton and Luke Sandoe Guest Blog: The massive benefits of sleep appeared first on Mammoth Perks.