About this episode

Matt discusses the concept of sleep inertia and offers tips for a smoother waking process.

Matt explains sleep inertia - the groggy transition to wakefulness - noting that waking is a process, not a switch, and that brain regions activate at different speeds. While the core wakes fast, the prefrontal cortex, which handles judgment, remains foggy for 15 minutes. This window can leave you more impaired than after an all-nighter. He suggests a toolkit: use bright light, time caffeine for waking, and keep naps under 20 minutes. Matt also recommends melodic alarms and warns that the s...

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