If you’re one of those people who struggles to get out of bed in the morning, I’ve got some great news: There’s a simple (and free!) set of actions you can take that will help you feel more energized and alert after you wake up in the morning.
sleep inertia and the snooze-button cycle
Many folks experience what’s technically known as sleep inertia: that morning grogginess that keeps you smacking the snooze button. The experience, most prevalent in teens (42 percent experience this), is absolutely real. It’s not “just laziness” about getting out of bed, it’s actually reduced capacity to be awake and do awake things. People with sleep inertia don’t function as well as when they’re fully awake, and may feel disoriented. And sleep inertia can actually be risky, for instance if you try driving when too drowsy to be safe behind the wheel.
So the temptation is to stay in bed. And hit that snooze button. One. More. Time.
But sometimes you have to be awake and do awake things. And being groggy every morning is just no fun.
And that’s where the RISE-UP Protocol comes in.
the RISE-UP protocol
In 2018, a group of sleep specialists tried an experiment, specifically geared toward folks with both bipolar disorder and insomnia. They were looking at a group of actions that can significantly help people be awake and alert in the morning, especially if done together. The acronym is RISE UP, which stands for:
R = Resist the snooze button. Keeping your sleep times consistent can help you feel better on both ends of the night.
I = Increase activity, especially in the first hour after waking. Walk your dog (or yourself), put on some music and dance.
S = Shower or splash your face and hands with cold water. It’s a tried and true wake up call!
E = Expose yourself to sunlight: Touch grass, say hi to your flowers, sip tea on the porch, snuggle up to a bright window, or use a light box.
U = Upbeat music: Much like cold water, a good song can get your blood pumping and improve your wakefulness. Podcasts can also help.
P = Phone a friend: The point here is to have a social reason to get out of bed. This can be a phone call, or an outdoor coffee date, a walk with friends, or even hanging out with the folks you live with or near.
Participants in the experiment found the protocol was easy to implement, and that it helped them start the day more energized and alert.
naturopathic foundations
And here I need to point out that this is yet another place where naturopathic medicine has long been ahead of the curve. In our medical schools, one of the foundational ideas we learned is to get your feet on grass first thing in the morning. This practice is profound for reseting wakefulness, mood, stress and sleep.
It works by exposing your eyes to light, which tells your brain that sleep time is over and it’s time to shut down melatonin production for the day. “Touching grass” is a meme now, based on the correct concept that interacting with nature helps help reset your nervous system. And getting yourself fully awake in the morning helps you start building the sleep drive you need to rest well at night. So touching grass is truly a win.
The great news is that modern medical science is catching up, and starting to recommend a tradition humans have practice since forever. If you can’t touch actual grass, that’s okay. It’s just one tool among many.
Try the RISE-UP Protocol and see how well it can work for you.
Learn more:
- Cleveland Clinic article about sleep inertia and the RISE-UP Protocol.
- Hilditch CJ, McHill AW. Sleep inertia: current insights. Nat Sci Sleep. 2019 Aug 22;11:155-165. doi: 10.2147/NSS.S188911. PMID: 31692489.
- Kaplan KA, Talavera DC, Harvey AG. Rise and shine: A treatment experiment testing a morning routine to decrease subjective sleep inertia in insomnia and bipolar disorder. Behav Res Ther. 2018 Dec;111:106-112. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2018.10.009. Epub 2018 Oct 27. PMID: 30399503.
- Trotti LM. Waking up is the hardest thing I do all day: Sleep inertia and sleep drunkenness. Sleep Med Rev. 2017 Oct;35:76-84. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2016.08.005. Epub 2016 Sep 4. PMID: 27692973/
Header photo by zenad nabil on Unsplash.
Footer (ha ha) photo by Naira Babayan on Unsplash.
