Scientists reveal why we feel so tired in the morning

Some of us regularly struggle to wake up in the morning. [Photo: Getty]
Some of us regularly struggle to wake up in the morning. [Photo: Getty]

If you’re the type of person who snoozes your alarm every morning or can’t function before (or even after) your morning coffee, there might be a genetic reason for that.

New research by DNA testing company, 23andMe, has discovered that genetic programming plays a part in our wake up time.

The research studied over 1,500 British people to determine that 7.55am was the UK’s average genetic wake up time.

This means that the average Brit will wake up naturally just before 8am each day.

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Many people set their alarms for much earlier than that, hence our feelings of tiredness and lack of productivity.

Interrupting your body’s circadian rhythm (which is the official term for our body clock) can leave us feeling out of sorts at the beginning of the day.

If you don’t feel tired first thing, it doesn’t mean you’re immune to these feelings. Many people have tiredness slumps at different points in the day.

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The NHS has found that one in five of us get “unusually tired” and have suggested some good ways to wake yourself up when the slump sets in.

Exercise is cited as one of the key ways to bolster your energy reserve. Aside from the psychological benefits of exercise, it also lowers your risk of early death by 30%.

Cutting down on caffeine is another recommended way to beat the tiredness. As a nation of tea drinkers, we are all at risk of being over-stimulated by the affects of caffeine. Switching to decaffeinated tea and coffee could make all the difference.

Getting into a routine of having daytime naps may also interrupt your body’s circadian rhythm. If you go to sleep every time you feel a bout of tiredness, you may struggle to get to sleep at night, so says the NHS.

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