You want to get a head start on your day. You know that you have more energy in the morning, and have heard the old cliche about the early bird drilled into your head from childhood. But you just can’t get yourself to bridge the gap between the idea of doing it, and the actual doing it. What can motivate you to get up, out of bed, and on with your day earlier?
Here are 10 ways to get up early and catch that worm!
Go to bed earlier
It seems simple, but in order to get adequate rest, it is key to allot enough hours to get the sleep your body needs. Try thinking backwards to establish your bed time. Not everyone needs eight hours of sleep; some people only need six.
Figure out how many hours you need, then plan accordingly.
Establish a wind-down ritual
Turn down the lights, fire up the candles, and put on comfortable clothing. Create your home as a haven for rest an hour before you go to sleep. This may include a hot shower, or even a cup of relaxing, non-caffeinated herbal tea to help soothe you to sleep.
Wear a sleep mask
Even if the lights are off when you sleep, there is outside light and light from electronics that can hinder your sleep cycle. To kick into full REM sleep mode and to boost melatonin (the hormone responsible for good sleep), blocking out the light by wearing a sleep mask has proven effective in becoming more well-rested.
Skip the nap
It will be easier to go to sleep if you are already sleepy. Simple.
Forgo the afternoon nap if you are tired. Have an apple or take a walk to refresh you instead. A short nap of 20 minutes or less is probably fine. Any longer, and you can actually feel groggy, and then be prone to stay up too late.
Avoid stressful conversations before bed
Even watching movies that are suspenseful can keep you awake. They used to say, “never go to bed angry”. Nowadays, many experts recommend sleeping on it, so you wake up refreshed and more clear in the morning.
Even if it seems urgent, it can almost always wait until morning.
Don’t eat after 8 pm
Eating late at night will often keep you awake. If you eat too close to bedtime, your stomach is working hard to break down food when your body should be resting. This practice also causes indigestion and heartburn.
Don’t drink alcohol before bed
You might think that alcohol relaxes you, and you’re right to an extent. But drinking alcohol before going to bed can also disrupt sleep cycles, make it more difficult to wake up the next morning, and leave you feeling groggy.
You will find yourself wanting to hit the snooze button if you wake up with a hangover.
Change what you say about mornings
As a child, I had a Snoopy pillowcase that showed a picture of a groggy Snoopy dog on it with the saying, “I think I’m allergic to mornings.” We are culturally trained to view mornings as bad. Get out of the habit about talking about how you hate mornings, or te fact that you’re “no good before coffee.”
Start your day out with a walk
If you wake up to a beautiful sunrise walk, even better. Start the day as the sun rises and wake up to your body’s natural Circadian rhythms of getting up with the sun.
Don’t let yourself hit snooze
It can be easy to get in the habit of hitting snooze over and over again. You may have the best intentions of waking up early, and then rationalize about how you can sleep in. Start training yourself to get up early, no matter what.
Follow these tips and you’ll be waking up early as a habit. It’s a great experience that leads to feeling like you have somehow found lost time.
Featured photo credit: Blond Girl Peacefully Drinking Coffee At Sunrise/Ed Gregory via stokpic.com
