Why do we sometimes feel worse after waking up from a nap? Maryland doctor explains

A nap can leave us feeling more tired and dazed afterwards, and sleep inertia is to be blamed for it, explains Dr Kunal Sood.

A quick nap is the go-to of many when they find themselves in need of a quick refreshment, especially at home. However, they often wake up from the nap groggy and discombobulated, and occasionally more tired than they were before.

Taking to Instagram on June 25, Dr Kunal Sood, a Maryland-based physician in Anesthesiology and Interventional Pain Medicine, explained why this happens, and what can be done about it.

Why does one feel more tired after a nap?

According to Dr Sood, the reason a person feels more tired immediately after a nap than before is due to a phenomenon known as sleep inertia. Sleep takes place in cycles of light and deep sleep. When one is awoken in the middle of deep sleep, the body finds it difficult to adjust to the sudden shift and therefore, reacts in a number of ways.

In his words, “If naps are supposed to be restful, why do some people wake up from a nap feeling worse than when they fell asleep? The answer is often something called sleep inertia.”

“When you sleep at night, your brain usually moves through multiple sleep cycles and has time to gradually prepare for waking up. But during a nap, you can accidentally wake up in the middle of deep sleep before that process is complete.”

“When that happens, the brain is essentially caught off guard,” noted Dr Sood. At that time, a person can wake up feeling groggy, confused, dizzy, or like they have no idea what day it is.

“Some people even wake up sweaty because the body is rapidly shifting from sleep mode back to wakefulness while heart rate, blood flow, and temperature regulation are still adjusting,” he added.

How to avoid feeling groggy after a nap?

The best way to avoid being dazed and tired after a nap is to follow a 90-minute sleep cycle, rather than wake up after a random 45-minute nap, noted Dr Sood. The other option is to keep the nap short enough not to enter deep sleep.

As Dr Sood explained, “One trick that may help is keeping naps shorter, around 10 to 20 minutes, because you're less likely to enter deep sleep in the first place. For most people, this isn't a sign that anything is wrong; it's usually just your brain reminding you that it doesn't like being pulled out of deep sleep before it's ready.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

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