Eat the right breakfast

The researchers found that when individuals consumed a breakfast meal consisting of a higher amount of carbohydrates with limited sugar (compared to a standard breakfast with 40% of calories from fat, 50% from carbohydrates and 10% from protein), they experienced higher levels of alertness after eating. Interestingly, a high protein breakfast, on the other hand, resulted in a diminished level of alertness following sleep compared to the standard breakfast.

However, it is important to note that other studies have indeed found that eating a high-protein breakfast resulted in more steady glucose and insulin than a low-protein alternative. The same study noted that a high-protein breakfast increased both satiety (fullness) and positive mood markers.

What’s more, the researchers suggested that beyond day-to-day fluctuations in alertness within an individual, there are also large differences in baseline levels of morning alertness across different ages.

“Interestingly, older individuals felt on average more alert than younger individuals,” Vallat said. “This was an interesting finding, which might be related to another strong relationship we found in this study, that of happiness and alertness. The happier you are, the more alert you feel, on average.”

Energy: these 3 key factors have the most impact on how alert you feel in the morning, according to science