Millions of people find it difficult to wake up early each day, but with the right tips and tricks, it can be a whole lot easier.
Despite what some may say, waking up early is not always easy. Between struggling to get out of bed and facing a busy day ahead, it’s understandable why many people choose to sleep in instead. However, there are ways to make waking up early easier.
In fact, these simple strategies will help you start your day off on the right foot and be more productive throughout the day.
Keep reading to find out exactly what they are.
Tips to make waking up early easier
Making the transition from night owl to early bird can be tough, but there are a few simple tricks that can make the process a little easier.
- Wake up during light instead of deep sleep
- Make your sleeping environment conducive to sleeping
- Make your bed as soon as you wake up
- Experiment until you find what’s best for you
- Wake up at the same time everyday
- Have a positive attitude towards waking up
- Get enough sleep at night
- Don’t sleep with a sound based alarm clock
- Never sleep through your alarm
- Try not to oversleep
- Drink water when you wake up
- Exercise when you wake up
1. Wake up during light sleep and not deep sleep
According to research, we pass through five stages of sleep:
- falling asleep
- light sleep
- deep sleep
- dream sleep
- REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
Actually, your body will go through about 4-5 cycles each night – each lasting approximately 90 minutes. However, we usually spend more time in light sleep than the other stages, especially as we age.
It’s during this light stage that you wake up feeling refreshed and energized. In fact, even if you’re asleep for a longer period, you may wake up feeling more exhausted if you do so during deep sleep.
So, to increase your chances of waking up during light sleep do the following:
Step 1: Establish what time do you want to wake up
Step 2: Determine your sleeping habit
If you’re a:
- long sleeper (go through about 6 cycles of 90 minutes each for total of 9 hours)
- average sleeper (go through about 5 cycles of 90 minutes each for a total of 7.5 hours)
- short sleeper (go through about 4 cycles of 90 minutes each for a total of 6 hours)
Step 3: Consider how long it takes you to fall asleep
For instance, if you’re an average sleeper who wants to sleep for 7.5 hours, take about 15 minutes to fall asleep, and want to wake up at 4 am, you should go to bed at 8:15 pm.
As such, you’ll be asleep by 8:30 and complete five 90-minute cycles by 4 am; allowing you to wake up during light sleep.
"How we start our day determines how we can create our life, are you snoozing through your morning, snoozing through your life and snoozing through your unlimited potential?" - Hal Elrod
2. Make sure your sleeping environment is conducive to sleeping
Get rid of the distractions in your room (like a TV, computer, lights etc.). If there are too many things on your mind before bedtime, write them down and leave them aside until morning.
Making the environment more conducive to sleep will decrease both the time it takes to fall asleep and the quality of sleep.
In this post I discuss various ways to improve your sleep environment.
3. Make your bed as soon as you wake
Making your bed as soon as you wake up will give you a sense of accomplishment and will help to improve your mood and start your day on a positive note.
In fact, the act of making your bed sends a signal to your brain that it is time to get up and get moving.
Additionally, tidy rooms have been shown to promote feelings of calm and well-being.
Making your bed is a simple way to create a more orderly environment and set the tone for a productive day. Plus, it only takes a few minutes to do.
So, if you want to start your day off on the right foot, be sure to make your bed as soon as you wake up.
4. Experiment until you find what’s best for you
Experimenting with your wake-up time is a great way to find out what works best for you. Some people find that they feel more rested and energetic if they wake up early, while others prefer to sleep in just a little longer.
There’s no right or wrong answer – it’s all about finding what works best for you. If you’re not sure where to start, try waking up 30 minutes earlier than usual and see how you feel.
Experimenting with your wake-up time is a great way to find out what works best for you.
5. Wake up at the same time everyday
One key tip that can help make waking up early easier is to wake up at the same time each day. This may seem like a small change, but it can actually make a big difference.
When you wake up at the same time each day, your body begins to adjust and become more accustomed to waking up earlier.
As a result, you may find it less difficult to get out of bed in the morning. In addition, waking up at the same time each day -even on weekends- can help to improve your sleep quality.
Studies have shown that waking up and going to bed at regular times can help to promote better sleep. So if you’re struggling to wake up early, try making up habitual.
6. Have a positive attitude towards waking up
Having a positive attitude to waking up means that you should not dread the early morning rise and actually look forward to it.
In fact, having specific goals will get your motivated to starting the day since you are shifting your focus on something exciting and inspiring rather than going back to bed.
"Some people dream of success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen." - Wayn E. Huizenga
7. Get enough sleep at night
Make sure that you get at least seven hours of restful slumber. If not, it’ll be much harder to stick to the routine overtime.
Sometimes, people sacrifice their sleep in order to get more work done, delaying the bedtime past midnight. However, insufficient sleep often results in tiredness throughout the day and lower productivity.
8. Don’t sleep with a sound-based alarm clock
One of the most common mistakes people make is using their sound based alarm to wake them up in the morning. This means you are training your brain to get used to hearing this sound even while deeply asleep.
According to research, alarms often do not take into account the cognitive behavior of the user. In fact, many alarms tend to be too loud, confusing and irritating and may hinder rather than enhance performance (Edworthy & Hellier, 2006).
So, consider using an alarm clock that wakes you up gradually instead such as a light-based alarm.
9. Never sleep through your alarm
Sleeping through an alarm is another common mistake people make when they are trying to wake up early. Eventually, your body will get used to the sound of the alarm and ignore it after some time.
If you insist on using an alarm and find yourself hitting the snooze button more often than you’d like, try moving your alarm clock to a different location in your room so you have to get out of bed to turn it off.
10. Try not to oversleep
Oversleeping can lead to a number of health problems, including fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.
It can also negatively affect our mood and can be a sign of an underlying health issue such as depression, sleep disorders, hypothyroidism, diabetes etc.
So, try and get exposure to natural light in the hours right after you wake up. This will help regulate your body clock and make it harder to oversleep.
11. Drink water when you wake up
I’m sure you’ve heard the claim that drinking water as soon as you wake up is good for your health. Drinking water has been known to increase energy levels, refreshment and boost metabolism.
Although, I haven’t found research to directly validate this claim, there are tons of benefits of increasing your water consumption so why not get started first thing in the morning?
12. Exercise as soon as you wake up
One of the most important things you can do is exercise first thing in the morning. According to research, exercising early in the morning may be even more beneficial than exercising later in the day.
Some of the benefits of early morning exercise include:
- Burns more calories
- Helps with weight loss
- Increases metabolism
- Helps in managing stress better
- Increases vigor and energy
- Releases toxins
However if that’s not possible, exercising during the evening is better than no exercise at all.
"If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up." - J. M. Power
Final words on tips to make waking up early easier
Waking up early is not possible for many people. Actually, there are various factors that might interfere with your body’s clock, thus making it difficult for you to wake up early. However these tips will definitely help you out.
Let me know your favorite tip in the comments below.
Read also: 27 Healthy habits to naturally improve your sleep
How can lack of sleep affect my health?
Most people know that getting a good night’s sleep is important for their overall health, but few realize just how significant the effects of sleep deprivation can be.
Actually, chronic lack of sleep has been linked to a wide range of health problems, including obesity, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
In addition, sleep deprivation can impair cognitive function, making it difficult to concentrate and remember information.
It can also increase stress levels and make it difficult to cope with everyday challenges. Read more
What are the main causes of sleep deprivation?
There are many causes of sleep deprivation, but the most common include stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders.
These disorders can be caused by a variety of factors, including underlying medical conditions, medications, and lifestyle choices. Read more
References
Edworthy J, Hellier E. Alarms and human behaviour: implications for medical alarms. Br J Anaesth. 2006 Jul;97(1):12-7. 7.5
Leave a Reply