Groggy refers to a state of mental and physical fatigue, often caused by sleep deprivation or medication. It can cause difficulty thinking clearly, slow movements, and even microsleeps. The term originated from sailors who drank too much grog. It can also be a symptom of depression or vitamin deficiencies.
“Groggy”, in its strictest dictionary definition, means “stunned”, although the term is more often used to refer to a severe state of mental and physical fatigue. The word is also used interchangeably with “drowsiness,” which pertains to mental lethargy and drowsiness. An individual usually feels groggy when sleep deprived or just awake. The lightheadedness can be accentuated after the consumption of alcohol or certain drugs. Some psychological and medical disorders can also cause chronic lightheadedness.
People who feel groggy usually have difficulty thinking clearly, as the brain is in a state of fatigue. Common behavior in groggy individuals includes mumbling, slow movements, and relapses into mental spaces. In some cases, people may fall into microsleeps, short uncontrollable periods of sleep lasting a few seconds, due to lightheadedness. Another key feature of being groggy is a dazed look in the person’s eyes, as if they are half awake.
The word “stunned” finds its origins in grog, an alcoholic beverage consumed by sailors in the 1700s. Sailors who had too much grog were often groggy, lethargic, and sluggishly drunk. Also, they would be hungover in the morning, often slow to react to any kind of stimulus. As a result, sailors caught in this state were jokingly referred to as “stunned.”
Although alcohol is believed to be the earliest identified cause of grogginess, the term has become better known as a state associated with sleep deprivation. Individuals with extremely active lifestyles often end up overexerting themselves and getting enough sleep. When lack of sleep reaches their systems, their brains tend to run at a slower pace in an effort to conserve energy. This explains why individuals are often groggy after days of little or no sleep or after waking from very short sleep.
Some medications are known to induce lightheadedness. These include “sleepy” formulations of cold medicines and sleeping pills. Commercially available sedatives such as diazepam depress the central nervous system, with large doses causing dizziness in patients. Illegal drugs such as opium, although used primarily to induce euphoric states, can also cause highs, especially after the user’s “high” wears off.
Lightheadedness can occur as a symptom of depression, as chemical imbalances in the brain tend to slow down its function. Patients suffering from insomnia also report feeling groggy, as they cannot fall asleep despite being tired. Stunning can also be due to vitamin deficiencies. An inadequate intake of vitamin B12, for example, can cause people to wake up feeling lethargic.
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