For some people waking up full of energy, in a good mood and feeling like singing, seems to be normal behaviour. Even though they get up very early, their state of mind is really sharp. Unfortunately this positive attitude is not an option for many, even though following the last Spanish National Health Survey,  the average of sleeping hours is over 7, which seems like enough time to stop barking at wake up!

The number of sleeping hours affects us at wake up time, but spending more time in bed not always ensures a better mood. That is the case for at least 5% of the Spanish population, who claims that 5 hours of desconnection provides them with enough petrol to go on for an entire day. Therefore, if the number of hours we sleep is not highly relevant, the question is: are grumpy people born as such or do they just develop their bad attitude? The answer is a mix of both. David Ezpeleta, from the Neurology Department at the Gregorio Marañón Hospital in Madrid, says that what causes that characteristic behaviour on people who are consistantly irritated at wake up - the grumpy from birth -, could be a gradual process of adaptation to conscience. “The bad mood would be some sort of morning toll until they manage to be fully awake and integrated to the normality of the new day”. This transition, which for some people tends to happen in seconds, for some others and without aparent causes, tends to take some extra time.

Nevertheless, if the bad mood at wake up was not the norm but it has only been developing for a certain period of time, “there is a chance of sickness or malfunction related to sleep, such as the apneas syndrome or any other kind of sleeping disorder”, says Ezpeleta. “The apneas obstruct the air trying to go to the lungs while breathing at night. Those who snore experience inability to breath, their blood does not oxigenate properly and they experience very poor quality sleep: less deep sleep and less REM sleep”. Therefore, the time when the brain is supposed to rest the most is considerably reduced and the consequences during the day are somnolence, sadness, apathy and bad humor.

“Mood swings that happen during the day or right after wake up, can also be the sign of poor quality sleep. People that always wake up tired relate their wake up point to a long day where they will not be performing at their full capacity”, says the neurologist. From that to the dog face or the attitude of a Tasmanian devil there is only a small step.

Worries also have an influence on a good night sleep and, therefore, on our mood at wake up. But not all of it is about the time it takes for us to wake up, the sleep disorders or the problems we may have. Many times the solely responsible of our bad mood is the mattress we use. Following a study from the Spanish European Asociation of Bed Manufacturers, the spanish average life of a mattress is around 12 and a half years, whereas the right way to go would be changing the mattress after 10 seasons.

A new mattress may considerably increase the quality of sleep and improve, at a rate of 63%, the back related problems we may be suffering. Back problems as explained by the Spanish Asociation of Beds (Asocama) “interfere with our daily activities, social relations and mood”.

Ezpeleta says that there are some basic rules to be followed in order to achieve a good night sleep: dinner must be light, avoid alcohol and exciting substances and, try not to go through too intense physical activities right before going to sleep. “Following these simple recommendations can transform a tired grumpy person in someone happy, calm, and eager to go about each new day”.