Five ways to salvage your day after a TERRIBLE night’s sleep, according to experts

Whether you were at an event or couldn’t settle your racing thoughts in bed — sometimes a bad night’s sleep is unavoidable.

And when it happens, the following day can be a nightmare. You’re foggy-headed, irritable, and all you can think about is getting to bed the next night.

But simple tweaks to your daytime routine can ease the pain of exhaustion – some of which you wouldn’t ever have thought to do.

Here, a sleep expert reveals exactly what to do the day after your sleepless night.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO NAP – JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES 

Naps are inevitable after a night of no sleep. And experts say napping during the day could help you feel more functional.

However, dozing off for too long could leave you prone to sleep inertia, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines as a ‘temporary disorientation and decline in performance and/or mood after awakening from sleep.’

Dr Chris Winter, neurologist, sleep expert, and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcase, told DailyMail.com: ‘As you start to sleep for longer periods, you start to run into the problem of potentially going into deep sleep, which, when you wake up, often makes people feel groggy.

This can lead to slower reaction time, poor short-term memory, and difficulty remembering and learning. 

To avoid sleep inertia, Dr Winter suggests limiting naptime to 15 minutes. ‘It’s okay to nap. Just keep it super short.’ 

And don’t fret if you don’t actually sleep during that time. ‘Closing your eyes, resting, meditating, can be impactful,’ he said.

‘I think that’s a big mistake that people make is, “I went to nap, and after 10 minutes, I hadn’t fallen asleep, so I just gave up.” 

‘The idea that you have to be unconscious to restore you is not true at all. 

‘No matter what happens, as long as you make the decision to get some rest, you’re going to feel better later on.’

FIT IN A WORKOUT 

It’s long been established that regular exercise improves sleep by stimulating the production of the melatonin hormone.

But it can also alleviate the effects of not getting enough rest.

A small study published last year in Frontiers in Psychology found college students who worked out after a completely sleepless night performed better on cognitive tests than those who didn’t exercise. 

Additionally, a 2022 study of twins in the journal Nature Communications found that exercising and eating a high-carbohydrate meal both increased alertness.

Exercising releases catecholamines- hormones released by the adrenal glands in response to stress and cause the body’s ‘fight-or-flight’ response. 

Notable examples include dopamine and adrenaline. 

Working out also releases serotonin, a mood-boosting hormone. Together, these compounds act like a natural stimulant, which helps keep the body awake and alert. 

COLD SHOWERS WILL WAKE YOU UP 

You’ve probably splashed cold water on your face to keep yourself awake. It turns out there are scientific benefits to it. 

Similar to working out, that rush of cold stimulates the energizing hormones dopamine and adrenaline. 

When these hormones hit, they increase your heart rate, which makes you feel more alert, similar to drinking a cup of coffee.  

‘It floods your brain with those chemicals and engages your sympathetic nervous system and tends to wake people up very quick,’ Dr Winter said. 

Dr Winter said you don’t need to jump into a freezing ocean to reap the benefits – splashing cool water on your face or taking a cold shower will do the trick.

As for additional benefits, some research suggests that cold water boosts your immune system.

 A study in the journal PLOS One, for example, found that the participants who added a blast of cold water to their showers had 29 percent fewer sick days than those who just took hot showers. 

NATURAL LIGHT COULD INCREASE ALERTNESS 

Try and get outside in the natural light as soon as you start the day, Dr Winter advises. 

‘Light is extremely wake-promoting,’ he said. 

This is because light suppresses melatonin, the hormone that influences our body clock and tells us it’s time to sleep. 

Halting melatonin production is why it’s harder to sleep when the sun starts peaking through your window or if your partner turns the bedside lamp on. 

‘That bright light shuts off chemicals that make you want to seek sleep,’ Dr Winter said. 

To get the benefits of both a workout and light, try going for a walk during the day.  

PACK IN THE PROTEIN 

If you wake up groggy from a bad night’s sleep, Dr Winter recommends adding some protein to your breakfast.

A study from the University of Cambridge in lab rats found that high-protein foods increase the production of orexin, a cell that increases metabolism and energy. 

Low levels have been linked to sleeplessness and conditions like narcolepsy, a sleep disorder that makes it difficult to stay awake for long periods of time and can lead to spontaneously falling asleep. 

On the other end of the spectrum, studies have shown that sugary foods decrease orexin, making you feel more tired. 

This means that starting your day with eggs or lean meat rather than a bowl of Frosted Flakes could help you stay awake after a rough night.