In a perfect world, we would all be morning people who wake up at 6 am every day, happy, and ready to start the day off in a positive mood. But it’s not a perfect world and most of us have a hectic schedule the moment our feet touch the ground. Let’s be real, it’s a miracle if I get out the door on time, eat breakfast, take my dog out, and be motivated for the day. Usually, I’m a grumpy mess who’d rather be cuddled up in my bed, instead of going about my day.
But even though, I am a creature of habit waking up early has always intrigued me. I’ve always wondered if I could become a morning person so that I could be more productive and motivated in the morning.
So, here’s an article with some tips and information with I have found helpful in becoming a morning person. I used to be able to sleep until noon every day especially now in college, but now I wake up around 8-9 am naturally without being super grumpy and unmotivated.
Create a routine
I personally like to watch a tv show or scroll through Instagram before bed, but that’s not the ideal plan. You really should be shutting down the TV screens and getting yourself relaxed before bed. One suggestion is to drink some tea or read a book 30-45 minutes before bed after taking a shower and brushing your teeth. Whatever you choose to relax yourself, make sure it’s something that you can repeat every night to make sure you get a good night’s sleep. If you stick to a routine, your body will naturally adapt to the change and allow you to become sleepy around the same time every day. Also, the environment that you sleep in can also have an effect on the quality of your sleep. If your room is messy or cluttered, then your mind might not be able to shut down because your brain will be thinking of all of the tasks that you have to get done the next day.
Wake up to natural light.
By waking up to natural light, you’ll be woken up with a gradual decline instead of a blaring alarm that you ended up hitting snooze a few times. Waking up to natural light allows you to feel more rested and ready to start the day because it’s the world’s way of waking you up. I wouldn’t rely solely on the natural light to wake you up at first, but over time once your body adapts to it, you’ll eventually be able to wake up naturally at the same time every day.
Work out first thing in the morning
I know this doesn’t sound like the best plan of action, but I promise you working out in the morning will get your mind right and your juices flowing. Now I know working out is usually put on the back burner, especially when it’s already hard to wake up early or your schedule is already busy enough but doing a quick 15-30 minute routine will release any of those bad toxins and allow you to start your day on the right foot.
Working out early in the morning will allow you to feel more productive and be more inclined to eating healthier throughout the day. A lot of people attempt to work out in the evenings after work, but you’re already physically and mentally exhausted that working out is the last task that you’ll want to do.
Do something positive or uplifting
Once you wake up, do something that you enjoy or gets you in a positive spirit like listening to a motivational podcast or reading your spiritual literature. It’s a proven theory that if you wake up with motivating thoughts, you’re more likely to have a better day and be more productive. It can be as simple as reading a motivational article or drinking a cup of coffee. Another idea is to try to plan something fun in the evenings of your day so that you have something to look forward to, especially on those mornings that you are just dragging.
Stop pressing snooze
Listen, I understand it’s literally the American way to keep hitting snooze, but I promise it does more harm than good because you’ve already woken yourself abruptly out of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, which is the stage of sleep where you dream. It is best to wake up at the beginning of the REM cycle because that’ll be right before you enter into deep sleep.
You can use different apps like the Sleep Cycle app to monitor your sleep patterns so that you can wake up naturally out of light sleep instead of disrupting your precious deep sleep.
The Takeaway
Becoming a morning person is no easy task to take on, but with practice and dedication, it can definitely be done. Studies show that only a small percentage of people are actually morning people or even evening people (see what I did there haha); most of us are actually somewhere in-between. I wouldn’t say I’m always a morning person, but I have definitely gotten better over time. Changing any habit takes time and practice so don’t rush the process. Just take it one day at a time and don’t forget that things happen that might not allow us to go to sleep early or wake up early every morning.
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