7 Surprising Reasons You Wake Up Sleepy + A Supplement To Help*

I knew I had a morning problem when I read through my phone’s screen-time report. My most-used app wasn’t Instagram, Photos, or Chrome—it was my clock. “How could that be when I only set two alarms a day max?” I wondered. Then it hit me: It was all those times I’d pressed the snooze button, stealing a little extra sleep, minute by minute, until over an hour had passed and I was officially late to start the day.

Yikes. But, hey, I’m not alone! Research shows that the majority of adults report waking up feeling tired at least one day a week—especially during the pandemic. Of course, there are many things that can cause that drowsy, lethargic feeling in the morning, and thankfully, most of them are easy to fix (as long as you’ve ruled out more serious medical issues like sleep apnea).

Here are seven of the main reasons you (and I) might be waking up sleepy, and what to do about them: