Waking up to a catchy pop songs such as the Beach Boys or The Cure rather than a beeping alarm can stop drowsiness, scientists claim.
Melodic songs such as the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations and The Cure's Close to Me can drive away morning sluggishness, say researchers.
The groggy, disorientated feeling in the first hour or two after waking, can lead to confusion, clumsiness and sluggish brain performance.
Thought to be caused by an impaired transition from sleep to being awake, 'sleep inertia' as it is known has been linked to car accidents in drivers who have just woken up as their reaction times are slower.
It has also been implicated in plane crashes where pilots have taken the controls immediately after a nap.
Surviving Beach Boys members Brian Wilson (far left), David Marks (second left), Bruce Johnston (centre), Al Jardine (second right) and Mike Love (far right). Their hit Good Vibrations can help prevent drowsiness in the morning, researchers say
But researchers in Australia believe they may have found a solution - waking up to melodic music like the Beach Boys or The Cure.
Scientists examined how 50 people woke up each morning at home and the impact this had on their mental performance in the hours after getting out of bed.
They found that people who woke up listening to melodic music suffered lower levels of sleep inertia compared to those who woke up to a classical beeping alarm sound.
Researchers found that while sound is generally good at attracting human attention, melodic music may be better at holding it for longer and help get the brain going in the morning.
This melodic music a appeared to almost entirely neutralise sleep inertia in those taking part in the study.
Stuart McFarlane, the lead author of the study at RMIT University, in Melbourne, Australia, said: 'When they wake up, people experiencing sleep inertia may show signs of reduced alertness and reduced cognition, manifesting in inadvertent mistakes. Sleep inertia can last for seconds, minutes or hours after waking.
Robert Smith of rock band The Cure performing in Milan in 2016. Waking up to the band's song Close to Me is said to be better for brain performance than a beeping alarm
'Research suggests that 'difficulty in waking up' is a common experience. It's one that many of us
