waking up as if drunk

I have a very difficult time waking up. Ask my husband or my mother. It takes 2-3 alarms spaced over at least 15 minutes or just waiting to see when I’ll return from the land of Nod. Even then, it also takes a bit for me to be more awake (at the least 20 minutes). Yes, I often sit down with a cup of caffiene — but that generally occurs later after I’m among the awake. When I was younger and had to wake up for a school trip or vacation really early I would help “test” how awake I was. A pen and pad of paper would sit next to a passage I had selected the night before. If I could write it legibly, I determined myself awake. If not, I was even more careful about getting ready.

[cnn article]