Want to learn how to wake up early? You'll love this guest article by Vanessa Davis:
If you’re a night owl and getting up bright and early isn’t your thing, you’re not alone, as there are millions of people all over the world who are more productive and active during the night. However, night owl habits and activities aren’t always sustainable when you have to wake up early every day and go to work, classes, take your kids to school etc. Getting up early is usually something that comes gradually into our lives, it’s a part of growing up, but that doesn’t mean we like it.
Truth be told, being an early bird has its advantages, you have more time for yourself, you catch some of that morning freshness plus your whole body functions better. If you need some help with training yourself to wake up early, here are some tips and tricks on how to do it faster.
Forget About Snoozing
“Just five more minutes” excuse has got to stay in the past, along with the snooze button on your alarm clock. If you set your alarm to a certain time, then that is when you should get up, no questions asked. Snooze buttons are so tempting, true, but they’re also trouble because we aren’t completely (or at all) awake when we just keep prolonging the “agony” of waking up.
Not being able to give up the snooze button usually ends up in your scrambling around the house and being terribly late, and don’t forget the moodiness that comes with it. There are many ways not to fall under the snooze spell – get an alarm clock that doesn’t have snooze button and put it on the other side of your bedroom, so that you have to get up when you hear your alarm calling out to you. Getting out of the warm bed isn’t easy, but all the extra time you get is definitely worth the effort.
You Need Healthy Sleeping Habits
Talking about something being easier said than done, right? Of course it’s going to be much harder to rise up early if you went to bed at 3 am, which is why it’s so important to start nurturing healthy sleeping habits right now. Some people get stuck browsing newsfeed on Facebook, others can’t help but watch another episode on Netflix and some just have to work until late hours of the night, but all of these scenarios can have a permanently negative impact on your health. While waking up early is good for your body, staying up late and not sleeping enough results in your metabolism slowing down and immune system becoming more vulnerable. Rising with the sun isn’t just good for time management, it is vital in improving your quality of life and the way you function. So tune out from the world around 10 pm, even though you don’t have to go to bed straight away, do your night rituals and get comfy in your bed, even though you don’t feel sleepy right away. In time, your mind will recognize your pre-sleeping preparations as a cue that it’s almost time for resting and you will fall asleep much easier.
Control Your Moods as You Wake Up
Many people have a very serious policy that they shouldn’t be talked to until they’ve had their first coffee after they wake up because their mood is sour. This is one of the main reasons why people don’t like waking up early, they feel bad and unhappy, even though there’s no reason for it. If you’ve had a long night or simply didn’t sleep enough, of course you’re going to be cranky and hiss at your surroundings, but good morning routine is the best solution here.
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but it should feel good to you. We definitely recommend getting up and stretching, exercising at least a little bit and having a hearty breakfast. If you don’t want to cook first thing in the morning, then do all your meal prepping the night before, or if you’re extra lazy, then you can go for online meal delivery services and by the time you finish working out, your breakfast will be waiting for you.
The key here is to find what makes you feel amazing in the morning, so that you can avoid any mood swings that can have negative outcomes both for you and all those around you.
You Don’t Need Technology in the Bedroom
You shouldn’t find it hard to separate yourself from a piece of technology, but somehow most of us still sleep with our smartphones, tablets and laptops right next to us. Not only is this very bad for our health, but staring at a screen until you fall asleep doesn’t allow you to have a good night sleep, not to mention bad dreams that are full of stuff we’ve seen on social media. Train yourself to get rid of your phone at least half an hour before you go to sleep. If somebody urgently needs you, they will call you, otherwise you can rest assured that not checking your phone every couple of minutes will do you plenty of good. Be kind to yourself, leave all the unnecessary technology in the other room and let your bedroom be your oasis free of notification sounds.
Waking up early is a habit and one that can be easily acquired and nurtured, as long as you have some willpower to do it. Give these tips a try and notice just how much of a difference they will make in your morning routine – we’re quite sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
About the Author
Vanessa Davis is a 32-year-old fitness enthusiast, mother of two and content writer at www.diet.st. She's originally from Long Island, New York, and when she isn't cooking up some new health and fitness article, she enjoys doing yoga and figuring out new, delicious organic recipes for herself and her kids.
cheryl
I love your website. I enjoy visiting because everything is so positive, and fresh and, well, blossom-y. I appreciate that DIY tips, recipes and hints that you share.
Francisca
Exactly, the room you sleep in should be technology free. And that includes no TV. many people can watch TV shows in bed and even sleep off. That habit got to stop. Also, teaching snooze button doesn't help you. It only makes you feel grumpy when you finally leave the bed after 3 snoozes.