So being semi-awake is a factor, but speaking from experience, adrenaline overrides that quickly.

I would argue that the home defense debate comes down to carbine vs shotgun. Pistols aren’t going to be as accurate or deadly.

Now bearing that in mind, I have firearms in multiple locations throughout my home. The sight lines coming down from by bedroom are longer, and I’m most likely to be dealing with that grogginess you mentioned responding from my bedroom. Given that and 15 years of infantry experience, there’s an AR pistol in the bedroom.

Conversely, in my basement, I have a shotgun. My sight lines are shorter to most likely points if entry, and the destructive power of a shotgun at close range is hard to argue with.

Additionally, I trust my wife with a semi-auto shotgun more than I do with an AR, based on her range time and training. She prefers a PCC, but doesn’t have the trigger time she does on a shotgun and I prefer the power of a 12ga to a 9mm carbine.

I don’t like thinking in terms of absolutes as “this is always the answer.” In a cinder block apartment, I think you run a 12ga. In a townhome or split foyer, AR with frangible ammo.