Snooze control: Your guide to waking up easier

By MiNDFOOD

Charming pregnant woman stretching sitting on bed
Charming pregnant woman stretching sitting on bed

Stop telling yourself you’re not a morning person. If you want to be your most productive self, it’s time to change your habits – and this starts with waking up earlier.

If you find yourself repeatedly hitting that snooze button in the morning despite all your good intentions to get up and on the go early, you may want to consider these 8 ways to start the day well.

Even small changes to your routines can boost your mood and energy. Little tweaks can help you get the shut-eye you need, too. When you’re well-rested, it’s not a struggle to get up.

1. Sleep well

The key to getting up earlier is actually more about how well and long you sleep.

The struggle isn’t all mental. There’s a strong physical component and the amount — as well as the quality — of sleep you get is the most important factor.

Although it’s obvious, make sure you go to bed at a reasonable time if you want to wake up early. Also, pay attention to your diet and exercise. General physical fitness greatly impacts your sleep habits and energy levels.

2. Stop using your bed to watch Netflix

When you use your bed for things other than sleep (or sex), your brain stops associating the space with relaxation. So move your binge-watching to the couch and get better shut-eye.

3. Enjoy a morning splurge

To curb your urge to stay under the covers, plan something to look forward to each morning. You could read your favorite website over a tasty breakfast, or go for a walk in a scenic park. Anything that excites you or brings you pleasure helps to rouse your brain and makes you less sleep.

4. Stick to your wake time

Your body becomes conditioned to this and regulates your sleep patterns accordingly. You get more of that precious REM sleep and when you have a regular wake time, your body actually begins the process of waking up long before your alarm sounds.

5. Don’t hit the snooze button

Tempting as it may be to set your alarm a bit early so you can enjoy dozing in bed, there are good reasons why this is a bad idea. For one thing, interrupted sleep is not good-quality sleep. The impact on your heart is another. Although setting an alarm may be necessary – and even a good thing, if it encourages regularity in the timing of your sleep – if you are repeatedly exposed to it, you are literally alarming your heart.

6. Use peer pressure to get you up

Set a meeting with other early risers first thing in the morning. This is effective because it creates accountability; you won’t want to let them down.

7. Lay out your clothes for the next morning

Prepping your wardrobe for the next day is one great way to shave off a couple of minutes from your morning routine and make it easier to get up and out of the house. This is one less thing to worry about when you rise.

8. Brainwash yourself with a morning mantra

We like: “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” – Benjamin Franklin

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