If your constant use of the snooze button and your morning zombie routine is getting old and you want to stop doing it, we’re here to help.
Waking up early and having a productive day is something that we all want and need, but it’s always not as easy as it seems. Waking up and looking at the sunrise with a cup of tea in your hand seems extremely fascinating, but how to wake up early is the bigger question here.
There are several reasons why you aren’t able to wake up early even though you want to. Difficulty getting up in the morning isn’t just about loving your sleep and hating mornings. Lifestyle factors, medical conditions, and medications can make it hard to wake up. These include:
- parasomnias : such as sleepwalking, sleep talking, and night terrors
- sleep apnea : which causes periods of stopped breathing during sleep
- sleep deficiency : which can involve not getting good quality sleep, or sleep deprivation, which is not getting enough sleep
- stress and anxiety : which can interfere with your ability to fall asleep or stay asleep
- depression : which has been a trusted sources linked to excessive daytime sleepiness and insomnia
- certain medications : including beta blockers, certain muscle relaxants, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants
- chronic pain : which can make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep
Signs you may not be getting enough sleep
excessive yawning
irritability
lack of motivation
fatigue
excessive daytime sleepiness
brain fog
increased appetite
Here are some simple tips to help you get in the habit of waking up early:
- Set an earlier bedtime
Training your body to fall asleep earlier may help you rise earlier each morning. Most adults should aim to get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night – anything less than that can cause you to struggle with waking up early.
- Unplug before bed
“Unplugging” from smartphones and laptops about 30 minutes before bed can contribute to a better night of sleep. According to The Sleep Judge, the blue light emitted from screens can alter your body’s natural melatonin levels, making it more difficult to fall asleep. An earlier bedtime with zero interference from tech can leave you feeling happier and more energized the next day.
- Avoid late-night snacking
While some studies have shown that snacking close to bedtime can help dull any hunger pains that may appear overnight, others have shown that it can cause less enjoyable symptoms such as acid reflux. It’s easy to confuse hunger with tiredness, so instead, ditch the snacks and save your appetite for breakfast.
- Avoid sugary energy drinks and coffee
Energy drinks and coffee may give you the extra boost you need to study, but ingesting large amounts of sugar or caffeine before bed can make it more challenging to fall asleep and stay asleep. Limiting consumption of sugary sodas, energy drinks and coffee has been proven to produce healthier sleeping habits. Try switching to water or tea before bed to keep yourself hydrated.
- Silence your phone
Turn off your phone ringer or activate “do not disturb” mode before bed. Notifications can wake you in the middle of the night and tempt you to check your phone, which will disrupt your sleep cycle. That text message or funny meme will still be there in the morning, so do yourself a favor and completely disconnect before bed.
- Avoid all-nighters
Skipping a night’s sleep to finish an assignment is not a wise choice. Not only can it lead to exhaustion the next morning, lack of sleep can also inhibit your body’s ability to function properly. According to Vice, a recent study reported that someone who goes a night without sleep will often end up with the cognitive impairment of an individual who drank to the legal limit. This proves just how important sleep is to our bodies. If you have a big deadline approaching, avoid procrastinating so you won’t have to pull an all-nighter to finish your work. You will quickly realize the lack of sleep is not worth it.
- Sleep with your curtains open
Leave your blinds or curtains slightly open before going to bed. This way, sunlight can stream through and help you wake up more naturally. On sunny days, this can be an effective strategy.
- Put your alarm clock far from your bed.
If it’s right next to your bed, you’ll shut it off or hit snooze. Never hit snooze. If it’s far from your bed, you have to get up out of bed to shut it off. By then, you’re up. Now you just have to stay up
- Allow yourself to sleep in once in a while. Despite what I just said in the previous point, once in a while it’s nice to sleep in. As long as it’s not a regular thing. I do it maybe once a week or so.
- Enjoy the break of dawn!
As much as you can, look outside (or better yet, get outside!) and watch the sky turn light. It’s beautiful. And it’s quiet and peaceful. It’s now my favorite time of day. Getting up early is a reward in itself for me.
