How to Become a Morning Person
Getting up can be hard and sometimes you just want to crawl back under the covers. Here are some tips and tricks to help make getting up in the morning a little easier.
1. Get enough sleep. It may seem obvious, but getting those recommended seven to nine hours will make getting up earlier easier. Pro tip? Keep the laptop and other work out of the bed to sleep soundly.
2. Stay consistent. Try to set the alarm clock for the same time every morning—including weekends. A constant wake-up call may make it progressively easier to jump out of bed.
3. Start slowly. Pick a new wake-up time and gradually work towards it. Want to rise at 7 a.m. but stuck at 8 a.m.? Start by setting the clock for 7:45, and move down in 15-minute increments until that new time goal is reached.
4. Skip the snooze. Disrupting sleep an hour or so before actually getting out of bed may disturb our REM cycle, which helps stimulate brain regions linked to cognition. You don’t want to mess with that (or bug a roommate with multiple alarms!). Set one alarm for when it’s time to rise—and maybe another a few minutes later in case you snooze through!
5. Set some happy sounds. Skip the beeps and blares and set an alarm tone to something soothing or fun.
6. Let in the light. Research shows a little light may be all we need to reset the body block. A simple solution is to keep the blinds open during the night. Or greet the day and brush your teeth outside! (While waving to the neighbors…)
7. Eat breakfast. Sleepiness doesn’t disappear just from drinking a cup of coffee. Having enough time for some green eggs and ham (or maybe just a yogurt parfait) will also provide energy, not to mention it’ll boost that brainpower too.
8. Hit the gym. Those tired eyes may go away once a morning workout routine is in order. Exercise will definitely boost energy.
9. Treat yourself. Have a reward waiting in the morning to motivate you climbing out of the covers. Dive into some freshly baked fruit and nut bars, or slide into a warm bath instead of taking a quick shower.