If you’re regularly waking up feeling groggy, tired or even anxious and on edge, you’re far from alone. I’m regularly there with you. While I often attribute it to just being a parent (I was woken up a grand total of four times last night alone), some days I’ll get a solid seven hours and still wake up feeling fatigued.And there might be another explanation (or five) as to why I – and many like me – wake up so groggy each day.According to hormone health expert Mike Kocsis, of Balance My Hormones, the first 60 to 90 minutes after waking are perhaps the most hormonally sensitive of the whole day.This period of time is when your body determines how focused, alert and resilient you will be for the next 12 hours, he says.Understandably, then, small habits and routines in the morning can either balance that process or completely ruin it.Here are just some of the habits you might want to avoid going forward…1. Hitting the snooze button repeatedlyI am a serial snooze-button-pusher – and it turns out, I’m really not doing myself any favours. While it might seem like a fairly harmless habit on the face of it, Kocsis suggests it creates hormonal chaos.“Each time your alarm goes off, the brain slightly wakes, releases adrenaline and cortisol, then is pushed back into sleep again,” he says. “Over time, this stop-start cycle breaks down the body’s natural cortisol (the stress hormone) awakening response.”You’re basically giving yourself a series of false starts, which can leave you feeling mentally sluggish, irritable and groggy. His advice for chronic snoozers is to “set your alarm 10 minutes later and allow one short snooze only”.“This prevents repeated adrenaline spikes and helps cortisol rise more naturally,” he explains.2. Starting the day with a doomscrollReaching for your phone as soon as you wake might feel like second nature, but the onslaught of notifications, emails and news headlines you’re met with are all signalling urgency, which your brain processes as a stress cue, triggering cortisol.This might leave you feeling wired early in the morning, but will subsequently be followed by a crash in motivation, focus and mood later in the afternoon, says Kocsis.“Rather than banning your phone completely, delay overstimulating content,” he advises morning scrollers.“Keep notifications off and avoid any news or emails, however, allow music or a timer. This stops cortisol from peaking too early while still giving routine.”3. Reaching for caffeine immediatelyCoffee in bed might sound delightful, but health and wellness expert Andy Briggs from XO Fitness says your body actually produces its own natural “wake-up” hormone (cortisol) around 30-45 minutes after you wake. “Hitting caffeine too early can mess with that process, make coffee less effective, spike stress levels, and even leave you dehydrated,” he explains.His advice is to start with water instead, as after 6-8 hours without fluids, your body needs rehydrating. If you do drink coffee or breakfast tea first thing, Kocsis advises making sure you stand or walk whilst doing so, as “gentle, slow movement buffers caffeine’s effects on cortisol and improves insulin sensitivity”, which ideally keeps those pesky jitters at bay. If you wake up feeling groggy, you might want to switch up your morning routine.4. Skipping breakfast (or waiting too long to eat)Again, guilty. After getting two kids out of the door in the morning, and then kickstarting the day’s work and meetings, sometimes I’m not eating breakfast until about 10am.Kocsis notes this can place the body under unnecessary stress: “When the body doesn’t receive energy in the morning, it instead raises cortisol levels to keep blood sugar balanced.“This may feel like you’re functioning on adrenaline, you’re technically awake but not calm or stable. Over time, this pattern can cause anxiety, irritability, cravings and a sharp dip in energy mid-morning. You can start to feel shaky, stressed, short-tempered, extremely hungry and mentally foggy all before lunch.”His advice? Use food to signal safety. Even a small amount of protein and fat first thing sends a strong signal to the brain that resources are there, he says. “This lowers the need for cortisol to increase and helps the adrenaline-fuelled ‘wired but tired’ feeling mid-morning to settle.”5. Showering ‘too hot, too fast’ If you love a roasting hot shower to wake you up first thing, it’s worth noting this might not be doing you many favours.“Very hot water causes blood vessels to constrict rapidly, which can drop blood pressure and set off compensatory cortisol release to keep you upright and alert,” Kocsis says.You might notice a hot shower leaves you feeling light-headed or drained, which can carry into the morning. “This can be particularly impactful for people who already experience low blood pressure, fatigue or hormone sensitivity,” he continues.If you do love a bit of heat to start your morning (and who doesn’t during the winter months?), his advice is to finish your shower with 15-30 seconds of slightly cooler water.“This stimulates alertness and stimulation without triggering the stress response linked with intense temperature changes, leaving you awakened rather than drained,” he notes.6. Starting the day in absolute silence If you wake up in total silence with zero conversation, music or background noise going on, you might actually be helping your brain stay in a half-asleep state.“The auditory system helps trigger wakefulness to the brain,” says Kocsis. “With stimulation, dopamine and cortisol can rise more slowly, delaying mental wakefulness.”Listening to music, a podcast or even regular household noise can help prompt healthier hormone signalling, he offers. 7. Keeping the lights offBriggs suggests staying in the dark after you’ve woken up confuses your body clock. “Natural light tells your brain it’s time to wake up, improves mood and helps regulate sleep patterns,” he explains. “Open the blinds as soon as you can or, if it’s still pitch black outside, things like a sunrise alarm clock can help by gradually lighting the room without the shock of an overhead light.”Kocsis adds: “A clear light helps cortisol peak early and decline effectively, reducing the 3pm slump and evening restlessness.”Related…So THAT’s Why You Always Feel Groggy In The Morning No Matter How Much You SleepADHD Can Seriously Impact Kids’ Sleep, But Bedtime Tweaks Can HelpWe Really Need To Talk About ‘Depleted Motherhood Syndrome’ HuffPost UK – Athena2 – All Entries (Public) Read More