How the brain wakes up from sleep — and produces that morning feeling

Brain Scans Reveal Why Waking Up Is Sometimes Such a Difficult Experience

A new study suggests that certain brain activity patterns may be linked to feeling less groggy in the morning.

Scientists discover a signature 'wave' of activity as the brain awakens from sleep

Each morning, your brain embarks on a remarkable series of events: it transitions from being asleep, potentially in an alternate reality, to waking up. Within a short time, you regain waking consciousness, reorient yourself and reconnect with your surroundings, becoming ready to interact with the world again. But how does your brain accomplish this transition so safely and efficiently?

Brain Activity Patterns Reveal Why Waking Up from Sleep Can Be So Difficult

Neuroscientists have found that the brain can wake up in different ways, explaining why some mornings feel like a dream and some feel like a disaster

How the brain wakes up from sleep — and produces that morning feeling

Certain patterns of brain activity during awakening correlate with a lower likelihood of the bleary-eyed state called ‘sleep inertia’. Certain patterns of brain activity during awakening correlate with a lower likelihood of the bleary-eyed state called ‘sleep inertia’.

Sleep to Consciousness: How the Brain Transitions from Dreams to Reality

Each morning, your brain undergoes a precise sequence to shift from sleep to wakefulness, reorienting you to the world. A study using high-density EEG recordings found that awakening begins in frontal regions and spreads backward, with distinct patterns depending on whether you wake from REM or non-REM sleep.