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The brain then suppresses melatonin - the sleep inducing hormone - and bumps up the release of cortisol and neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and histamine to stir you awake. When the light is bright enough, it can stimulate the sensors at the back of your eye to tell your brain it's time to get up, according to Yuen. They contain a light that mimics sunlight as it gradually increases in intensity until your desired wake up time. Unlike your classic alarms, these clocks are designed to help you wake up more naturally to your biological rhythm.
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So instead of adding to that stress with loud, triggering bells and ringtones, some people are choosing to wake up with sunrise alarm clocks - a.k.a. "Cortisol, a stress induced hormone, helps with that process."
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But when we start to open our eyes, "the brain has to adapt by speeding up our heart rate and constricting blood vessels ," says Dr. When we are asleep, our blood pressure is lower, which is normal when we are lying down for hours sleeping. Kin Yuen, M.D., M.S., a sleep medicine specialist at the University of California San Francisco. Or perhaps you get up feeling groggy from a rude awakening.Įven for the graceful morning people among us, getting out of bed is pretty intense on the body, according to Dr. When you're all warm and cozy in the sheets and that clock goes off, jolting you out of sweet slumber, it's only natural to want to smash that snooze button and go back to sleep.
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Waking up can be a stressful experience, especially when you're getting up to the sound of a blaring alarm.
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