Why Does My Brain Feel Foggy in the Morning but Clear at Night?

[JonnyG]

Am I the only one here that feels completely unable to do any hard work in the morning and afternoon times? If I try to get an early start on some math problems, then my brain feels very foggy. I just can't focus and think very deeply. But at night time I'm sharp and can work for hours. Does anyone else have this same experience?

 

[gfd43tg]

I get some of that too, it's hard to exercise in the morning

 

[rootone]

Everyone needs some time after waking up before they are fully alert, often using a cup or two of tea or coffee etc, to assist with that.
As well though there are some people who just seem to be naturally 'night owls'.
(I live with one and have had to adapt to that)

 

[JonnyG]

I hate drinking coffee. It makes my hands shake a bit and makes me feel nervous. But I feel as if I have to start being productive as soon as possible. I am not fully alert until it is the evening time! I feel as if this is a bunch of time wasted.

You guys have any suggestions?

 

[JBA]

You are definitely not alone in that respect, I have been exactly that way throughout a very long life, only advanced age has shifted the time frame a bit; but, I still do not like to deal with anything important in the morning. My sharper and more productive thinking was always later in the day and on into the night; as a result, I often worked, sometimes long, past office closing times when focusing on creative projects. Another philosophy that dominated me was "I want to get this done today, so that I don't have to deal with it tomorrow, especially in the morning".

 

[gleem]

I guess I'm the odd man out. My most productive times have always been in the morning.

 

[Drakkith]

I hate drinking coffee. It makes my hands shake a bit and makes me feel nervous. But I feel as if I have to start being productive as soon as possible. I am not fully alert until it is the evening time! I feel as if this is a bunch of time wasted.

You guys have any suggestions?

Sounds like you're just a night person like me. However, if you're truly worried about this, then I would recommend seeing a doctor to check for sleep issues or something (because I have a sleep disorder)

 

[bigfooted]

Scientists say: "don't start working before 10 am!

reputable source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/sci...am-to-avoid-torture-of-sleep-deprivation.html

 

[gleem]

Scientists say: "don't start working before 10 am!

reputable source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/sci...am-to-avoid-torture-of-sleep-deprivation.html

This must be for millenials.

 

[Sophia]

You may naturally be a night person. Everyone is different and some people work better at night, some in the mornings.
But if this problem is something new to you, than you should probably visit your gp and have you sleep checked. It may be possible that you have a sleep disorder you don't know about and that's why you don't get enough rest at night. Or you may suffer from lack of certain vitamins or minerals. So have this checked as well.

 

[S.G. Janssens]

If I try to get an early start on some math problems, then my brain feels very foggy.

My brain feels very foggy most of the time, but every once in a while there is a spark of insight. That's what keeps me going.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Like Drakkith I think if you are worried you should see a doctor, sleep disorders are no fun and it's important to seek treatment if you have one.

It could be that you're just naturally more of a night person. But we could probably use more information here. Generally what are your sleeping habits? When do you go to bed and wake up? How consistent or disturbed is your sleep (i.e. how long does it take you to fall asleep, do you wake up in the night and if so how many times, how long does it take you to fall back to sleep if you do wake up etc)?

 

[Enigman]

I hate drinking coffee. It makes my hands shake a bit and makes me feel nervous. But I feel as if I have to start being productive as soon as possible. I am not fully alert until it is the evening time! I feel as if this is a bunch of time wasted.
You guys have any suggestions?

• Glass of cold water in the morning, the morning grogginess can be caused by dehydration.
• Green tea brewed with instant coffee twice a day. Green tea negates the jitters and prolongs the caffeine buzz and gets rid of the initial hyper activity. http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2234172
• Manage your sleep cycles : http://sleepyti.me/ (though it is easier to use android apps like https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.northcube.sleepcycle&hl=en)
• Exercise.
• Meditation.

 

[JonnyG]

Like Drakkith I think if you are worried you should see a doctor, sleep disorders are no fun and it's important to seek treatment if you have one.

It could be that you're just naturally more of a night person. But we could probably use more information here. Generally what are your sleeping habits? When do you go to bed and wake up? How consistent or disturbed is your sleep (i.e. how long does it take you to fall asleep, do you wake up in the night and if so how many times, how long does it take you to fall back to sleep if you do wake up etc)?

I usually go to bed between 2 AM and 3 AM. I usually only go to bed when I'm dead tired so I fall asleep very quickly. Probably no longer than 10 to 15 minutes, and I usually wake up around 9:30 AM then try to go back to bed for an hour or so, but I find it hard to fall back asleep. It's like my body is set to get up at that time.

I don't think I have any health problems. I have always been a night person. It's just that with my workload increasing lately, I need to make more hours of the day.

 

[KSG4592]

I find exercising in the morning helps jolt me awake. Doesn't have to be strenuous, even a light jog works. Follow it with a solid healthy breakfast and you're set. Being active helps if you struggle to fall asleep as well.

 

[Drakkith]

I usually go to bed between 2 AM and 3 AM. I usually only go to bed when I'm dead tired so I fall asleep very quickly. Probably no longer than 10 to 15 minutes, and I usually wake up around 9:30 AM then try to go back to bed for an hour or so, but I find it hard to fall back asleep. It's like my body is set to get up at that time.

I highly recommend seeing a doctor and possibly having a sleep study (and going to bed about an hour or two earlier). I was having problems for years and it turned out I had a sleep disorder.

 

[Enigman]

• Glass of cold water in the morning, the morning grogginess can be caused by dehydration.
• Green tea brewed with instant coffee twice a day. Green tea negates the jitters and prolongs the caffeine buzz and gets rid of the initial hyper activity. http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2234172
• Manage your sleep cycles : http://sleepyti.me/ (though it is easier to use android apps like https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.northcube.sleepcycle&hl=en)
• Exercise.
• Meditation.

Also, try f.lux if you have trouble going to sleep early.

 

[AkshayJain]

One possibility is that you are doing this to yourself. If you are one of those multitaskers who always toggle between projects, it's possible your brain might just give up at some point.

 

[JorisL]

I started out well enough this academic year i.e. go to bed around midnight wake up around 8.30am
However the past two weeks I'm slipping in my old habits of going to bed at 3am or later and waking up just before noon.

It sucks. Mostly it happens because of deadlines that keep me working for 10 or more hours straight.
Then I want some time to wind down (go for a run, watch a tv show and then shower usually).
But then I get hungry and can keep going for another few hours.

So I do know how hard it sucks.
In the morning I start by drinking 2 cups of coffee. Then I have breakfast (oatmeal, rice, beans on toast anything filling) while watching another tv-show.
After that I can get some work done but not much (I can't work on my thesis in the am because my brain is too slow).
All in all I'd advise to get in a schedule. It's hard but sooo good. Plan ahead as much as possible.

 

[jack476]

Am I the only one here that feels completely unable to do any hard work in the morning and afternoon times? If I try to get an early start on some math problems, then my brain feels very foggy. I just can't focus and think very deeply. But at night time I'm sharp and can work for hours. Does anyone else have this same experience?

That sounds like a sleep problem. You're groggy in the morning because that's when your brain wants to sleep, you're alert at night because that's when your brain wants to be awake. Try getting to bed at a more consistent time and training yourself to get to bed earlier. You likely won't be aware of how sleep-deprived you've been until after you've adjusted to a more normal schedule.

I had exactly this kind of problem throughout most of college and high school and it was severely compromising my academic performance, working with a sleep doctor has turned my life around and my GPA has gone from 2.5 a year and a half ago to being likely to make the Dean's list this semester.

Seriously though, you need to talk to a doctor about this, because it's leaving entire chunks of the day off-limits to you.

 

[JonnyG]

Thanks for all of the replies. I am going to go see my family doctor on Tuesday and talk to him about this.

 

[Evo]

Every person is unique, one person's diagnosis cannot be used for another person. See your doctor.