‘I am not a morning person,’ quite often you hear someone declaring this about to himself /herself with absolute surety. We avoid early morning appointments. When we are forced to wake up early, we are groggy and grumpy for the rest of the day.
So, is it really beneficial to wake up early? What happens to our mind and body when we become a morning person?
Waking Up Early Has Many Benefits:
- Mornings are the most productive part of the day; you can accomplish more.
- It’s a great time to relax and do things you enjoy.
- No one likes to commute during rush hours. Waking up early gives you plenty time to commute avoiding rush hour traffic.
- Got goals? There’s no better time to accomplish than early mornings.
- Improved mental health and well- being. Studies have shown that early risers have better mental health and are less prone to depression.
- When you wake up early you decline late night activities to get better quality sleep and hence you wake up with a clearer mind and better focus.
- If you have been a night owl all your life, is it really possible to change your sleep habits?
- The answer is yes, with little patience and persuasion you can.
So having read the benefits, there are different ways to train your body to wake up early.
How to Wake Up Early?
Schedule Your Sleep Time
Scheduling your sleep time is important if you want to get 7-8 hours of sleep and wake up early feeling fresh and invigorated. While it might be hard to get on a strict sleep schedule from the very beginning, the key is to be consistent. If you are used to sleeping at 1 AM, you might find it difficult to suddenly shift to 10 PM. You can start with gradual shifts in time and make your way to your desired sleep time.
Begin by Sleeping at Least 15 Minutes Earlier
Working your way by sleeping at least 15 minutes earlier can help you wake up at the target wake time up slowly. Making slow shifts can help you train your internal body clock to accustom itself to the ideal sleep schedule.
Avoid Caffeine Close to Bed Time
Your evening cuppa should not be later than 4 pm. Caffeine and other stimulants like tea and chocolate can mess up with your body’s internal clock. Avoid coffee at least 5 hours before scheduled snooze time to help you get quality sleep. This includes sodas, energy drinks,andother caffeinated drinks.
Keep the Alarm Clock at a Distance From the Bed
Setting an alarm to wake up early could be a good thing as you are getting into the rhythm. Many times, we hit the snooze button just to catch a few blinks. Keeping your alarm clock at a place where you will need to get out of bed to switch it off, can help you snap out of the snooze mode quickly.
Avoid Drinking Too Much Water at Bed Time
Drinking too much water before bedtime could increase the number of trips to the loo at night, thus waking up multiple times. Disturbance like this makes it difficult to fall backsleep. Generally, the urge to urinate tapers down towards the night allowing you to sleep uninterrupted seven to eight hours. However, drinking large quantities of water at night can lead to a disturbed sleep cycle.
Avoid Late Night Dinners
Late night snacks kick starts your digestion process when you are lying down resulting in reflux. Having an early dinner promotes disturbance free sleep. In addition, late night dinners may also have an impact on that diet you are so strictly following. Joy Dubost, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics said, “For years, we said a calorie is a calorie no matter when you consume it. I don’t know if we can say that anymore, based on emerging research. The timing of a meal may potentially have an impact.”
Revaluate Your Strategy if You Fail
Do not be discouraged if, despite all your sincere efforts, you fail to wake up early. Sit down and go through all that you did to make it happen. What went wrong? Working out a better plan will surely lead you to success. The secret istkeeptrying.
Your Pet to Your Rescue
Having a pet can have great health benefits. Scheduling your pet’s walk in the morning could be a great reason to be up and about. Get out and experience fresh air and bond with your pooch. Believe me you won’t need an alarm clock after that. Continuous licking and whining, and boy, can you sleep after that?
Plug Out Technology Before Bed Time
Stop using your laptop and smartphones in the bedroom. Technology can be a great distraction when you are planning to go to sleep. Limit the use of phones and laptops late into the night. Sleep experts have been advocating a lock-down of gadgets before bedtime in an effort to encourage better sleeping habits.
Various jobs and school schedules require us to wake up early. To make waking up part of your system. Do not wake up early for the sake of your job or assignments. Human brain builds associations with actions. Associating something pleasant with the act of waking up early is a great way to be successful in your effort. Getting yourself excited for a good breakfast recipe or a pleasant walk is a great way to bring about positive reinforcement.
A word of caution though, not everyone is born to be an early bird. Not everyone may be successful at it. What is important is getting good quality sleep and slowly working way to wake up early enough to have sufficient time to begin your day in quietness and peace.