Some people wake up at the crack of dawn each day with no alarm and all the motivation in the world. The rest of us drag our butts out of bed, snooze 20 times, and head immediately to the coffee maker to start our morning. It’s hard not to envy those naturally-inclined early risers, but that doesn’t mean we can’t become morning people ourselves.
Even though it may never make you jump for joy thinking about getting out of bed at 6am, with a few little life changes, you can encourage yourself to wake up earlier. Morning people tend to have certain habits, and with a little practice, you too can adopt them into your life.
If you’re trying to be more productive at the start of your day, try these seven ways to become a morning person.
1. Ditch The Electronics At Night
“Have trouble waking up in the morning?” says sleep specialist Dr. Robert S. Rosenberg. “A common reason is poor sleep hygiene, which entails staying up too late with excessive blue light exposure such as iPods, iPads, TV, and computers.” Studies have found that people who use electronics before bed spend less time in restorative, REM sleep and feel sleepier and less alert the following morning.
2. Pick A Morning Activity
“Set an activity that you will do first thing when you wake up,” says Max Cron, a mindfulness, leadership and business coach. “This could be as simple as walking to the front of the house and opening the blinds. If you don’t set a morning activity, your motivation to get out of bed is not going to be strong. From taking in the paper, to walking the dog, to doing 20 pushups, set a morning activity, and make it a routine.”
3. Do Some Yoga
If you’re not one to jump on the treadmill first thing in the morning, yoga is a good way to ease into the day while also waking yourself up. “Stretching and yoga are great to get your body — and also your mind — moving in the morning,” says health and wellness coach Nicole Granato. Stretching first thing in the morning can relieve muscle tension, and getting a little exercise in can boost your energy levels and keep you feeling focused throughout the day.
4. Get Some Bright Light
“Bright light exposure in the morning can help people wake up and feel alert earlier,” says psychology researcher Jay Olson. “Even a few minutes of morning light can shift the body clock so that people wake up — and fall asleep — earlier. The usual recommendation is to get sunlight or bright artificial light for about half an hour immediately after waking. This can be as simple as eating breakfast by a sunny window.”
5. Don’t Sleep In On The Weekends
“When you sleep in on the weekends, it makes that early Monday commitment that much more challenging to wake up for,” says fitness instructor Kat Haselkorn. “Try to set your alarm for the same time every day, and after about a week, that alarm will feel like no big deal. There is a short adjustment period, but after a few days, your body is in a rhythm and you might even find that you start waking up naturally at that time.”
6. Don’t Snooze
It may seem like you’ll be more well-rested if you continue to hit the snooze button, but doing so can actually make you more tired. Drifting back to sleep and then having your alarm go off 15 minutes later wakes you up in the wrong sleep cycle and can leave you more tired throughout the day. Set you alarm for when you want to get up — and then actually do it.
7. Plan Ahead
Instead of making breakfast in the morning or picking out your outfit while trying to run out the door, plan the night before. Give yourself extra time in the morning by getting organized the previous night, and you’ll feel more relaxed at the start of your day.
Photo by eflon 