Editing Sleep inertia (section)

== Treatments and countermeasures ==
{{Medical citations needed|section|reason=This section relies too much on one source, please consider adding additional reliable third party sources, like medical journal review papers or newspaper articles|date=February 2019}}
There has been a great deal of research into potential methods to relieve the effects of sleep inertia.  The demand for remedies is driven by the [[occupational hazard]]s of sleep inertia for employees who work extended shifts such as medical professionals, emergency responders, or military personnel.  The motor functioning and cognitive ability of these professionals who must immediately respond to a call can pose a safety hazard in the workplace.  Below are some of the various methods that have been suggested to combat sleep inertia.

=== Napping ===
When a person is [[Sleep deprivation|sleep deprived]], re-entering sleep may provide a viable route to reduce mental and physical fatigue, but it can also induce sleep inertia. In order to limit sleep inertia, one should avoid waking from the deeper stages of [[slow-wave sleep]]. The onset of slow-wave sleep occurs approximately 30 minutes after falling asleep, therefore a nap should be limited to under 30 minutes to prevent waking during slow-wave sleep and enhancing sleep inertia. Furthermore, self-awakening from a short nap was shown to relieve disorientation of sleep inertia as opposed to a forced awakening, but these results may warrant more research into the nature of arousal after sleep periods.<ref name=":02"/>

=== Caffeine ===
[[Caffeine]] is a [[xanthine]] derivative that can cross the [[blood–brain barrier]], as well as the most widely-consumed [[stimulant]] compound, present in therapeutic quantities in a variety of food and drink, including [[tea]], [[coffee]], [[soft drink]]s and [[chocolate]]. The caffeine present in coffee or tea exerts its stimulating action by blocking [[adenosine receptor]]s in the brain. By [[Antagonist drug|antagonizing]] the adenosine receptors, caffeine limits the effects of adenosine buildup in the brain and increases alertness and attentiveness. Previous research has shown that coupled with a short nap, consuming caffeine prior to the nap can alleviate the effects of sleep inertia.<ref name=":02"/> Nonetheless, individual degree of consumption and [[Drug tolerance|tolerance]] to caffeine may be responsible for variation in its efficacy to reduce sleep inertia symptoms.

=== Light ===
The natural light provided by the sunrise may contribute to a reduction in sleep inertia effects. Research simulating increase of light at dawn was shown to potentiate the [[cortisol awakening response]] (CAR).<ref name=":02"/> The CAR is a spike in blood cortisol levels following awakening, and is associated with the return to an alert cognitive state.

=== Other ===
Some other interventions that could potentially minimize the effects of sleep inertia are sound and temperature. There is moderate evidence that the presence of mild sounds and a sharp decrease in the temperature of the extremities may independently reverse sleep inertia symptoms.<ref name=":02"/> Sound, especially music, is thought to increase attentiveness and decrease one's subjective feeling of sleepiness upon awakening.<ref name=":02"/> A drop in temperature of the [[Extremities skeleton|extremities]] may prevent heat loss upon awakening, facilitating the return of core body temperature to [[Homeostasis|homeostatic]] daytime levels.<ref name=":02"/>