Residents around the United Kingdom have had to adapt quickly to engage more with indoor activities at home since the lockdown started on Monday, March 23.

This current situation changes our lives in such a short period of time but causes wide-ranging inconvenience in our everyday habits, as many people no longer need to wake up at a certain time to be timely for school or work.

So, what is groggy then?
Feeling groggy is the term to describe “sleep inertia” according to Dr. Natasha Bijlani, a psychiatrist consultant at Priory Hospital Roehampton. “Grogginess refers to a period between sleep and wakefulness when a person does not feel completely awake”, she added. People experiencing these may feel drowsy, have difficulty concentrating and may become disoriented and clumsy for a while after waking up.

University of California’s professor of neuroscience and psychology, Matthew Walker, describes the human brain as an old car engine when it wakes up. He says, “Sleepiness is still hanging around in the brain, you can’t just switch it on and then drive very fast. It needs time to warm up.” As per Walker, the possible reasons why a person experiences grogginess includes sleeping habits, sleeping time duration, or it could be a sleep apnea, a condition wherein it leads to snoring.

While Professor Colin Espie of Sleep Medicine at the University of Oxford stated that one cause of feeling groggy is having less exposure to sunlight. It also brings down a person’s alertness all day. He added “the main biological signal to alertness” as he explained daylight. Moreover, Professor Espie also considers a never-ending stream of COVID-19 news could drain people’s energy because it gives the feeling of helplessness and alarm.

Things you need to do if you are experiencing grogginess:
First, you need to stick to your daily routine both evening and in the morning. Then, try to retain a proper sleep-wake routine. When we stick to a normal schedule, we perform better and get enough sleep time.

Or, if you are in bed and are unable to sleep, then getting out of bed and doing an exercise will help you have peace of mind.

In addition, you can build a relaxing environment by doing things like removing clutter from your bedroom and making sure your bed looks cosy and welcoming.