When we wake up in the morning, it sometimes seems like our brain “turns on” at the first sound of the alarm clock – and it's okay if we still feel sleepy for a while. But in reality, waking up the brain is a gradual, coordinated process. Portal livescience.com speak more about it.
To begin with, it is necessary to clarify what can be considered a state of wakefulness. Science believes that the waking brain is the brain in a state that supports consciousness, movement and thinking. Unlike sleep, in which brain waves are slow and synchronized, the state of wakefulness is characterized by faster, more flexible activity that allows people to respond to the world around them.
However, there is no moment where the brain suddenly falls into this state. Research shows that subcortical regions are responsible for alertness and alertness. First of all, the reticular activating system – it acts as a kind of “ignition key”, sending signals to activate the thalamus (sensory information center) and the cerebral cortex.
Scientists also discovered that when waking up, the human brain goes through a certain sequence of processes. When participants in the 2025 study were awakened from deep sleep, their brain activity initially showed a short burst of slow waves, followed by faster waves associated with wakefulness. And when waking up from REM sleep, brain waves immediately quicken. But no matter what stage of sleep the volunteers were in, activity always started in the front and center of the brain.
After waking up, the brain needs some time to fully restore cognitive abilities. This period, scientifically called sleep inertia, can last from 15 to 30 minutes and sometimes lasts up to 60 minutes. Researchers don't know why this condition occurs every morning, but the time of waking up may play an important role in how a person feels.
In fact, when naturally awakening, the brain will send activation signals at the time the body finds it necessary. During sleep, many brain regions take into account internal and external signals, “talking” with each other about the transition to different stages of sleep. Our lifting system works in a similar way: it receives signals and generates cycles in which a person's sensitivity increases approximately every 50 seconds.
At increasing stages of this cycle, it becomes more difficult to wake a person, but the closer it gets to its peak, the more sensitive sleep becomes – and, therefore, the easier it is to wake up. This is why experts recommend getting into the habit of waking up at the same time without an alarm clock.
However, science still does not know much about the mechanism of wakefulness and awakening. For example, no one can say for sure why the same amount of sleep can make you feel adequate one day but lacking another. The mechanism of spontaneous awakening of the brain is still a mystery.
