The doctor urged to stop reading the news immediately after waking up.

Reading the news in the first minutes after waking up can increase stress and negatively affect how you feel during the day. Endocrinologist Natalia Petrova told Izvestia about this on April 9, explaining the effect of morning cortisol levels on the body.

"In the first 30-45 minutes after waking up, cortisol levels naturally rise by 50-75% of the nighttime basal level. This is a normal mechanism — we need it to "turn on", mobilize energy resources, prepare the body for active activity," the specialist noted.

This mechanism is necessary for the activation of the body, but during this period it is especially sensitive to additional stress factors. If at this time a person is confronted with emotionally stressful content, such as news about crises or conflicts, the stress response increases. This can lead to feelings of fatigue and emotional exhaustion throughout the day.

The expert noted that such information is easier to perceive in the daytime and evening, since the baseline cortisol level is lower and the body has a large reserve of resistance to stress.

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The specialist also drew attention to the influence of the news background on sleep. Cortisol and melatonin work as opposite hormones: in the evening, cortisol levels should decrease, giving way to melatonin. When watching the news before going to bed, this process may be disrupted, which leads to difficulty falling asleep and poor sleep quality.

"Moreover, chronically elevated cortisol combined with sleep disorders reduces leptin levels and increases ghrelin, the hunger hormone, which stimulates appetite, especially cravings for fast carbohydrates and fats, and promotes the deposition of visceral fat," the doctor said.

Among the factors that increase morning stress, the expert highlighted checking work messages immediately after waking up, drinking coffee on an empty stomach and a sudden transition to active activity without an adjustment period.

The specialist recommended maintaining a "protected" interval in the first 40-60 minutes after waking up. At this time, it is better to pay attention to calm actions — waking up, taking water, light physical activity or walking.

Alexander Kazachenko, PhD, somnologist at the SM Clinic in St. Petersburg, named ways to improve sleep quality without medication on April 2. According to the expert, the first thing to do is to give up a heavy and greasy dinner.

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