4 Factors Determining Alertness or Sleepiness in the Morning

A research group in the United States and Britain found that four factors significantly contribute to daily differences among people regarding feelings of alertness or fatigue and drowsiness in the early morning. The findings published in the journal "Nature Communications" indicate that the factors are age, number of hours of sleep, mood, and frequency of meals, where less food intake reduces stress the following day. The experiment also showed that a carbohydrate-rich breakfast enhances morning alertness, in contrast to a protein-rich one, and that consuming pure glucose made participants feel more alert. The study involved 833 volunteers, many of whom were twins, over two weeks, during which they used a device to record sleep, physical activity, and glucose levels, as well as food intake data and alertness levels via a dedicated app on their phones.