Doctors Hate This Quick and Easy Trick for Curing Sleep-Hangovers

October 13, 2014 1:45 PM

Sometimes on the weekend I over-indulge in sleeping/catching up on sleep. Feels great at the time, but the issue is getting 10 or 11 hours of sleep gives me a "sleep-hangover" for the rest of the day and I'm basically out of commission for 24 hours.

Basically if I get too much sleep, then the rest of the day my brain feels like it's trapped in a hazy fog and my eyelids feel like there are weights hanging from them. This groggy feeling persists until the next day after a normal-nights or even poor-nights sleep.

I am well aware of how to prevent this from happening, which is is to try not to get too much sleep, so I do set an alarm. But sometimes you mess up and oversleep anyway...cut me some slack, it's the weekend. So I am looking for sleep hang-over cures for when this does happen.

Things I've tried that sound like it should work, but does not work:

- Take a cold shower
- Consume lots of caffeine
- Get exercise

Does this happen to anyone else? How do you "lift the fog"? Is there some folksy secret cure I am not aware of, like "take 2 advil, then hold your breath while eating a tomato" or something? This especially sucks when I sleep in on a Saturday morning and have plans that night. I wake up at 10 or 11am, and when 8 or 9pm rolls around I still feel like a burned out zombie and look like I'm stoned.

posted by windbox to Health & Fitness (17 answers total)

If you're like me, this is a blood sugar issue. Try drinking some juice first thing.

Caffeine, without any sugar, actually seems to make it worse for me.
posted by BibiRose at 1:51 PM on October 13, 2014 [2 favorites]

Have a morning orgasm and exercise Saturday afternoon.
posted by taff at 1:52 PM on October 13, 2014 [4 favorites]

It brings to mind this:

A man goes into the doctor's office and says "Doctor, it hurts when I do this" and raises his arm. "Well", said the Doctor, "don't do that".

Set your alarm.
posted by HuronBob at 1:54 PM on October 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

I think a protein breakfast would help. Two hard boiled eggs in the AM works wonders for my energy levels. Also, if you're going out do a hard workout in the afternoon.
posted by sweetkid at 2:03 PM on October 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

Popsicles. I don't know if it's the sugar or the cold but I swear it works.
posted by cooker girl at 2:07 PM on October 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

I chug a can of diet coke and then go split logs for a half an hour. Then I chug some ice cold water. I think taff's morning program works too.
posted by 724A at 2:11 PM on October 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

Dehydration does this to me. I make sure to have a couple of big drinks of diluted fruit juice. Between the water & the sugar in the juice I usually feel much better. Also getting up and out in to the sunshine & going for a walk helps get my brain kickstarted.
posted by wwax at 2:13 PM on October 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

Like wwax, think it's dehydration, mostly, combined with missing your daily 'caffeine deadline'. Drink a bunch of water right when you wake up.
posted by umbú at 2:15 PM on October 13, 2014 [2 favorites]

http://sleepyti.me/ or http://www.sleepytimer.com/
posted by Lanark at 2:26 PM on October 13, 2014 [2 favorites]

Nthing dehydration. Everyone should be drinking a bunch of water when they wake up regardless -- dehydration is the root cause behind a lot of the morning blahs.
posted by Jacqueline at 2:39 PM on October 13, 2014 [3 favorites]

Nthing dehydration. Have a big green smoothie instead of cereal in the morning or swap out lunch for a nice soup. Just make sure to get a bit more water into your system.
Or try popsicles :-)
posted by travelwithcats at 2:44 PM on October 13, 2014

I think it might be a sign that you actually need *more* sleep, rather than that you've slept too much...try to get more sleep during the week if you can, and then you won't need as much on the weekend. But when it happens, try to go outside as soon as you do wake up, as the light should help a little.
posted by three_red_balloons at 5:00 PM on October 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

Ugh, this happens to me too. Complete with headache that can't be medicated, hydrated or caffeinated away. The only thing I've found that helps is getting old, as that seems to reduce the desire to sleep in. Silver linings!
posted by procrastinator_general at 5:08 PM on October 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

As others have said, the reason it feels like a hangover is that you are dehydrated. You probably sweated a lot over night, so maybe try wearing less, and drink lots of water in the morning. Caffine probably won't help a great deal. A decent meal, some water, and some painkillers, probably will.
posted by Cannon Fodder at 12:03 AM on October 14, 2014

Vitamin D.
I've been taking it with my pre-sleep glass of water for several months now, and it makes waking up so much easier. I used to laze and drag on waking, but it seems to be making a big difference.
I work at night, and sleep with my windows covered, so I probably wasn't getting enough before, so that may have something to do with it.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 1:59 AM on October 14, 2014

Yeah, I know what you mean. For me it's feeling like all the blood in my body pooled in my head, and it's just wrongness for hours. Only waiting it out (i.e. nothing) helps, though I try to speed it along with fresh air, easy walking and coffee (basically, what you've said).
posted by cotton dress sock at 5:16 AM on October 14, 2014

I have this issue, too, and was just going to post a question about it!!! I legit do not get enough sleep during the week, so my sleep binges are something I can't control. My advice is to not fight the hangover and go back to sleep for 1 more hour, but set your alarm so you're ostensibly taking a power nap. It seems to reset my circadian cycle just enough to wake me up.
posted by Hermione Granger at 8:54 AM on October 14, 2014