What is Dysania? Why You Might Struggle to Get Out of Bed

Five more minutes can quickly turn into twenty when a warm bed is hard to leave. We get it. Our 2026 UK Sleep Survey found that the bed is the favourite place to relax for 41% of UK adults, and only 5% always wake up feeling refreshed. When getting up feels like a struggle morning after morning, there’s even a word for it: dysania.

Dysania is an informal term for finding it extremely hard to get out of bed, often day after day, even after a full night’s sleep. Dysania isn’t a medical diagnosis in its own right, so it works better as a description than an explanation. A slow start after a late night is one thing. Dysania tends to describe something more persistent, where getting up can feel like a daily battle with the duvet, no matter what time the lights went out.

Sleep inertia is the groggy, slowed-down feeling that can linger after waking as the brain transitions from sleep to full wakefulness. A 2017 review found sleep inertia tends to hit hardest when people wake during their biological night (the hours their body clock expects them to be asleep). Sleep inertia usually refers to the first part of the morning, while dysania describes a broader, ongoing struggle to get up at all. Our guide to morning grogginess has tips for shaking off sleep inertia.

The reasons behind a tough morning aren’t always easy to spot, and these are some of the possible culprits:

• Not enough sleep: Short nights can leave the body running on empty by morning. When we asked UK adults how a bad night affects the next day, low energy came out on top at 54%. Our guide to sleep deprivation covers the signs of a sleep shortfall.
• Low mood or depression: Lack of energy and no motivation can both be signs of depression. People with mood conditions such as depression report difficulty waking more often than the general population, according to a 2017 review. The Mind x Dreams Relaxation Hub has ideas for looking after your well-being.
• Hypersomnia: Hypersomnia means feeling very sleepy during the day, sometimes even after long nights of sleep. One type, called idiopathic hypersomnia, can make waking up especially hard. European sleep experts list a groggy, confused state called sleep drunkenness among its features.
• ME/CFS: Waking up unrefreshed and feeling very drowsy during the day are both symptoms of ME/CFS, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. Our guide to chronic fatigue syndrome explains how it differs from everyday tiredness.
• Fibromyalgia: Fibromyalgia causes pain all over the body and can stop people from reaching the deep sleep needed to feel rested. People with fibromyalgia may wake up tired even after a full night, with stiffness that can be at its worst first thing in the morning.
• Sleep apnoea: Sleep apnoea can cause loud snoring and disrupted breathing at night, and it can also be behind daytime sleepiness. Our guide to sleep apnoea explains more.

Adults need around 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, according to Public Health Wales. A 2014 study of more than 24,000 adults in France found that people who regularly slept over 10 hours a day were more likely to have mental health conditions or a higher BMI. The 2014 study couldn’t tell whether sleeping a lot led to health issues or whether health issues led to sleeping a lot. People sleeping fewer than 5 hours a night were more likely to have nearly all other long-term health conditions in the 2014 study.

Spending long stretches lying down may also mean moving less, and an inactive lifestyle has been linked to higher risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and depression.

More time in bed may not mean better rest for people with insomnia. In a 2020 trial of 56 adults with insomnia, those who cut back their time in bed as part of a structured treatment saw their insomnia improve more than those who simply kept regular hours. Our guide to oversleeping has tips for getting a sleep schedule back on track.

A few small changes to evenings and mornings may help the start of the day feel a little brighter:

• Keep a regular routine: Going to bed and getting up at about the same times every day, weekends included, can help with sleep. Keeping the usual wake-up time, even after a bad night, may also help.
• Get some morning daylight: Around 30 minutes outside in daylight, especially early in the day, may help the body feel more alert. A walk around the block is an easy way to fit it in.
• Try a sunrise alarm: A sunrise alarm slowly brightens the room before it’s time to get up. A small study of 17 young men found that a light that brightened over 30 minutes before waking lifted their well-being and mood after a short night’s sleep.
• Wind down in a calm bedroom: A quiet, dark and cool bedroom and a relaxing wind-down routine may help the night feel more restful and the morning less of an uphill climb.
• Move during the day: Even a 10-minute walk can help with sleep, with workouts ideally finished at least 3 hours before bed.
• Make the first step a small one: Sitting up, opening the curtains or putting the kettle on may feel more manageable than facing the whole morning at once. Our guide to morning motivation has more ideas.