*This article is for general information purposes only and is not intended as medical or other professional advice. Visit the links within the text for sources. Casper has not independently verified the sources.
There’s two types of people in this world: early birds who bounce out of bed at the first glimpse of sunlight and night owls who pull the covers over their head when it’s time to wake up.
Even if you fall into the second category, you can still learn to love mornings. Little changes to your routine can make a drastic difference so you feel ready to take on the day.
Some of these tips are great additions to your morning routine to feel more alert. Others you can implement as lifestyle changes to make sure you get enough sleep and are prepared for the next day. Here are some tips to help you get the sleep you need and wake up early.
A few extra minutes of sleep can be appealing, but resisting the temptation will make it easier to get up. That’s because drockling (the official term coined by sleep specialists in the ‘70s) throws off your body’s internal clock and leads to that groggy feeling called sleep inertia. Sleep inertia can last two to four hours, making those ten to twenty extra minutes less appealing when you consider your whole day.
Your body needs natural light to reset your internal clock. Start your day by opening the shades, but keep in mind filtered sunlight isn’t good enough. Direct sunlight exposure is best. Within an hour of waking, try to get outside for a walk or have your breakfast on the patio.
No matter how rushed your morning routine, you can spare a few minutes to make the bed. It gives you a sense of accomplishment, gets you moving and makes it harder to crawl back under the covers.
Not only do the natural sugars in orange juice give you a rush, its bright color can help stimulate concentration and increase energy.
Pour yourself a glass in the morning for the visual effects, as well as the nutrients and energy boost.
The sound and smell of fresh brewed coffee can be heavenly when you’re struggling to get out of bed. Caffeine boosts serotonin and dopamine levels, which stave off the blues, give you energy and help you to focus. If you don’t drink coffee, you could always opt for a cup of black or green tea.
Before you stumble toward the carafe, you should rehydrate yourself after going hours without water. It can jumpstart your system and ensure that your body processes work efficiently. Starting the day with two glasses of water will keep you hydrated and make you feel more awake.
After six to eight hours of stillness, our bodies need to move. Add stretching to your morning routine to release the buildup of connective tissues in your muscles and reduce stiffness. It helps wake up your body by boosting circulation and decreasing pain.
Exercising in the morning can boost deep sleep, meaning you wake fewer times after initially falling asleep at night. It also gets your blood pumping so you feel more alert in the moment (and throughout the day). Exercise any time of day is beneficial, just make sure you don’t schedule a workout too close to bedtime or you may have trouble falling asleep.
Certain scents such as peppermint, citrus, rosemary and eucalyptus are known for their energizing properties. It’s easy to incorporate these scents into your morning routine using essential oils, shampoos or body washes. You could also try eating a grapefruit for breakfast or slicing a lemon to add to your tea.
Just as some tunes are great for relaxing at the end of the day, cheerful music in the morning can boost your mood and get your body moving. Instead of waking up to a buzzing sound that you’re anxious to turn off, try setting your alarm to a song with a strong beat and positive vibe.
Stress can make you feel tired and meditation is a great way to reduce stress and improve concentration. A few minutes of relaxation can help you feel more ready to take on the day, and keep you from feeling burnt out early in the morning. You can even use an app to replace your alarm with a guided meditation.
Your body needs fuel to start the day and the choices you make can leave you with an energy deficit (especially if you skip this all-important meal). A high protein breakfast enhances human performance and alertness. Don’t let a time crunch cause you to miss breakfast; you can throw all these ingredients into a delicious smoothie to go.
Your circadian rhythm dictates what time of day you’ll feel alert or sleepy. If you get enough sleep (most people need seven to nine hours), you can train your body to wake at the right time by creating a consistent rhythm. Move your bedtime back by 15 minute increments each week until you’re going to bed early enough to wake fully rested.
Drinking caffeine six hours before bedtime has disruptive effects on your sleep and can reduce your total sleep time by an hour. If you know you need to be in bed by 10pm, you should avoid a 4pm coffee run. We can all lose steam mid-afternoon, but our tips below to help you power through without caffeine.
Up to 20 percent of Americans use alcohol to fall asleep. While it can make you feel drowsy, it interrupts your circadian rhythm and can cause you to wake in the middle of the night before you’re truly rested. Plus, a morning hangover can cause irritability, sickness or fatigue.
Resist the temptation to reply to one last email before you fall asleep. Just like caffeine and alcohol, blue light can be too stimulating before bedtime. It surpresses the release of melatonin, which helps induce sleep and delays your body’s internal clock. Consider setting a digital curfew a half hour to an hour before bed.
The midday slump is real, and reaching for caffeine or sugar may seem like a quick fix. However, both can keep you up at night if you have them too late in the day. The last thing you want to do is start a cycle where you get even less sleep. Fortunately, we have a few suggestions on how to wake up naturally.
If you’re still waking up exhausted, you may need to look at the quality of your sleep. Investing in a comfortable mattress, sheets and pillows can help turn your bedroom into a sleep haven. The amount of sleep you get each night, as well as the quality of that sleep, can make all the difference when it comes to waking up well-rested and refreshed.
It's only 3 p.m. with a few more hours to go till work ends. Yet, your eyelids are drooping, and you can't resist the urge to snooze at your desk. The question is: How do you wake yourself up when you’re tired to get through the day?
As you'll learn below, it's OK to feel tired at certain times of the day. But if you're constantly tuckered-out, high sleep debt and an off-kilter circadian rhythm (your internal clock) are usually the two main instigators.
Below, you'll learn scientifically proven tips on how to wake yourself up when tired. But keep in mind that these hacks are only temporary at best; you're better off keeping your sleep debt and internal clock in check.
Disclaimer: This post is not intended as medical advice. While the RISE app is designed to support natural sleep and boost sleep hygiene to address symptoms of sleep deprivation, it does not treat medical conditions such as sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome.
PSA: It’s OK to Be Tired at Certain Times of DayAs much as we would like to be “on” all the time, the human body isn’t like the Energizer Bunny, raring to go 24/7. Even time management hacks, like the Pomodoro technique, are aligned with the rest-activity cycles of your circadian rhythm (the internal body clock). At Rise, we refer to these fluctuations as “energy peaks and dips” for a more relatable term.
On the RISE app, you’ll notice three periods where everyone experiences low energy levels, even when you’ve had enough sleep:
Perhaps you find yourself running on low fuel even outside of your low-energy periods. It’s hard to focus on an important meeting or spend quality time with your family when you’re constantly yawning. Here's the thing — you don't have to feel tired all the time.
The first trick is to keep your sleep debt low by outsleeping your sleep need (the genetically determined amount of sleep your body needs).
You can do this via one of the four ways:
The second trick is to keep yourself circadianally aligned. Even if you've met your sleep need, not playing to the tune of your circadian rhythm can make you feel out of sorts. A prime example would be social jetlag, in which your social and biological clocks are out of sync. For many, this entails an early-to-bed, early-to-rise sleep schedule during the workweek and staying up late and sleeping in on the weekends or days off.
The best way to work with your body clock is a consistent sleep schedule that meets your sleep need. If you need help getting your sleep patterns back on track, learn how to reset your sleep schedule.
How to Wake Yourself up When Tired With These Temporary HacksBecause life happens, there may be days where you need more help in the energy department.
This prompts you to search for viable ways to wake yourself up when tired.
Good news, science has a few tricks up its sleeves to temporarily combat your fatigue — temporarily being the operative word here, if effective at all. We also want to caution that some of these hacks may disrupt your sleep-wake cycle unless administered strategically, potentially inciting an endless loop of less sleep and more tiredness.
1. Well-Timed NapsWell-timed naps within your afternoon dip (you can check the exact timing on the RISE app) are a good way to dial down sleep deprivation and the accompanying daytime sleepiness. During your circadian dip, your body is primed to go into hibernation mode, making dozing off easier than ever.
A power nap of 10-20 minutes during this window of time can help you stay maximally productive as you rest and recharge for the rest of the day’s activities. A study by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and the Federal Aviation Administration found that pilots who napped for roughly 26 minutes had "improved physiological alertness and performance" than their counterparts who didn't.
If you want a longer-lasting energy boost, consider deeper naps of 40-90 minutes. The trade-off, though, is more intense sleep inertia afterward.
Play It SafeDon’t nap too long or too late in the day, as it can dilute your sleep pressure (biochemically known as adenosine), the key factor that helps you drift off to sleep at night. Use the RISE app to find your best window of time for a daytime siesta.
2. CaffeineCaffeine is a well-known stimulant when you want to wake yourself up when tired.
How it works: Caffeine inactivates the adenosine receptors in your brain, so you don't feel the urge to doze off — at least for the moment. A 2008 study shows that its effectiveness wanes after 3-4 hours. It's also interesting to note that the energizing effects of a cup of coffee (or tea) is more short-lived than naps.
Play It SafeNot many people realize that caffeine stays in your system for up to 10 hours.
So, drinking it too late in the day can incite or aggravate your sleep problems. To avoid this unwanted scenario, add the "Limit Caffeine" habit to your Energy Schedule in the RISE app so you know when to cut off your caffeine consumption based on your unique chronobiology.
For a potent duo, drink a cup of coffee before taking a nap, also known as a "coffee nap." For the record, scientists highly endorse caffeinated naps over coffee or napping alone.
One study involving 12 sleepy participants in a driving simulation showed that 200 milligrams of caffeine coupled with a power nap significantly "reduced incidents to 9% of placebo levels versus 34% of placebo levels for caffeine alone."
Play It SafeTo get the most out of your coffee nap, keep it short (20 minutes tops) to avoid falling into the deep sleep stage. If you're using a coffee nap to combat excessive sleepiness while driving, take note: It isn't 100% foolproof against drowsy driving.
4. ExerciseRegular exercise is one of the pillars of good health and better sleep. It gets your heart rate going and floods your system with feel-good endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. The result? Not only do you feel more awake, but you'll also likely be in a better mood.
Because natural light is the most powerful circadian cue to wake up your body clock, pair exercise with sunshine. Even if you aren't a morning person, take a short walk in natural sunlight during the afternoon for an invigorating breath of fresh air.
Play It SafeWhile exercise can energize you, doing it at the wrong time can delay your sleep schedule. To make your workout work for you, check out our tell-all guide on exercising before bed.
5. HydrationA glass of water is another simple (albeit brief) pick-me-up. When you're mildly dehydrated, your alertness suffers. Also, studies explain that water intake (no matter if you're thirsty, to begin with, or not) improved self-reported alertness levels.
Just like exercise, the timing of your water intake affects your sleep. Avoid drinking water before bed to minimize middle-of-the-night awakenings because you have to get up to use the restroom.
6. Cold ShowerOn a related note, a cold shower steps up your heart rate, metabolism, and blood flow to instantly revive your senses. If a cold shower isn't possible, say you're in the office, splash some cold water on your face to reap similar benefits.
Play It SafeLimit cold showers to the earlier part of the day. From dusk onward, switch to hot showers and baths to mimic the natural drop in your core body temperature as sleep beckons.
7. AromatherapySpecific essential oils are scientifically proven to boost your attention, alertness, and focus. Eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils, in particular, are known to stimulate and rejuvenate your mind as well as boost your energy levels.
Bear in mind that some essential oils, like lavender, promote drowsiness. They may help you get the hours of sleep you need at night but won’t help you stay vigilant during daylight.
As you've learned, many of the hacks on how to wake yourself up when tired are temporary at best, if effective at all. Rather than relying on them for short-lived energy boosts, RISE offers a more sustainable way of staying awake.
You've guessed it right — it's all about keeping your sleep debt low and learning to work with your circadian rhythm. In other words, practice healthy sleep habits 24/7 to get the sleep you need. Download the RISE app today to perfect your sleep hygiene so that you can feel and function at your best when you need to.
In the morning you press the “snooze” button on your alarm clock several times, rub your eyes, drink liters of coffee, but still for a couple of hours you feel like you are walking in your sleep? If you want to wake up quickly and feel refreshed, do this.
TechInsider
It's very simple: to get up easily, you need to get enough sleep. And in order to sleep, you need at least 7-8 hours a day, in less time the body does not have time to recover. Do you need to wake up at 7 in the morning, cook breakfast for everyone and collect your child for school? So, you need to go to bed no later than midnight. Better yet, even earlier, because the growth hormone, which allows us to stay alert and not gain weight, is produced only from 23.00 to 1 in the morning, and only in sleep.
You must have read many times that the blue glow of smartphones and tablets interferes with the secretion of the hormone melatonin, which is necessary for sound sleep. And for sure you still, to put it mildly, left this information without attention. And in the morning they rubbed their eyes, pressed the “snooze” button and drank liters of coffee.
Try one time not to use gadgets before going to bed and appreciate the difference. First, don't use social media, play games, or watch movies an hour and a half before bedtime. Better read a book - traditional, not electronic, or have sex - also traditional, not virtual. Second, turn off all gadgets or remove them from the bedroom. The room should be absolutely dark, only in this case the sleep hormone melatonin is produced as expected.
If you have had a hearty dinner and immediately went to bed, it will not be easy to relax, because the body needs to make a lot of effort to digest what you eat. In addition, a full stomach in a supine position puts pressure on the diaphragm, and this interferes with breathing and makes it difficult for the heart to work. The result is that you are hot, stuffy, your heart hurts, you cannot fall asleep for two hours, and in the morning you are not able to get up. The optimal time for dinner is 3 hours before bedtime, while trying not to overeat.
Complex carbohydrates (vegetables, brown rice, wholemeal pasta) + lean protein (cottage cheese, fish, seafood, eggs) is what you need.
On the one hand, it's very likely that a couple of glasses of wine before bed will help you relax and fall asleep instantly. But scientists have proven that alcohol significantly reduces the quality of sleep: sleep becomes less deep and more intermittent. This means that even after 8 hours in bed you run the risk of waking up exhausted. Conclusion: give up alcohol 2-3 hours before bedtime. And be careful with green tea and even plain water. If you have to run to the toilet at night, it's no wonder you don't get enough sleep.
If the alarm rings at the far end of the room, you will have to get up anyway, if only to turn off the annoying alarm.
In autumn and winter, it is also difficult for us to wake up because it is dark outside and it seems that it is still deep night.
The backlit alarm clock not only rings, but at the appointed time, it begins to glow brighter and brighter, imitating dawn.
During the night, the body loses moisture, and in order to wake up easily, you need to replenish fluid reserves. In the evening, pour water into a glass and place it on a bedside table near the bed.
Then rub your whole body. This will activate blood circulation and help to cheer up.
If you know that joy awaits you at the very beginning of the day, it will be easier to get up. And be sure to plan a reward system. Usually you lie in bed for half an hour, but today you got up in five minutes? Think of something pleasant you can do in the free time. Some yoga? Mask for the face? Paint your nails? Or drink coffee in a cafe? And don't forget the power of motivation.
Think about what bonuses you can get if you wake up earlier, and everything will work out!
First published in The New Hearth
Updated by by
And here is sunny joyful May. The time when you, a body exhausted during the working year, must spend the maximum amount of effort on your studies. How, despite being tired and wanting to go somewhere closer to the warm sea, how can you still force yourself to get up and, let's say delicately, plow?
15 (good) IDEAS
1. Lie down and wake up with the sun. A classic, but also effective. Try to go to bed at 22 first. Turn off your computer, put your phone away and you can jump into a warm bed. If you are really tired during the day, then in half an hour you will already be sleeping sweetly.
2.
Set the alarm for 5… And then for 5:05, 5:10, 5:15 and even 5:30. So you can be sure that you won’t oversleep, you will have time to do everything and even repeat the training material.
3. Set the alarm to a loud and bright song. Something upbeat and energetic, or something so terrible, disgusting and irritable that you just won't be able to sleep again. From my experience I know that the old-school screaming sound "Pee-pee-pee" is very effective.
4. Put your phone or alarm clock away from you. But for the sound to be heard well. On the windowsill, for example. While you are crawling to turn it off, you will have time to wake up well.
5. Take your will into your fist and throw the sheets off the bed. It's even better if you fold it. So no soft blanket will tempt you.
6. Immediately move all curtains and blinds and enjoy the sun-filled room!
8.
Now open the window wide. You can even stick your head out and take a deep breath. A good dose of oxygen stimulates brain activity, and a beautiful dawn outside the window will give inspiration.
9. Time to run to the bathroom! The best option for a dream to remain only a pleasant memory is a cold, refreshing and tempering scent.
10. Sleepy eyes and exquisite bags under the eyes are not a problem. If you are not too lazy and prepare ice cubes in advance. To do this, it is enough to prepare an infusion of chamomile and pour it into special molds. Then just massage the skin around the eyes with such a healing cube and voila!
11. Let a playlist with your favorite perky tracks or a cool radio program become your faithful morning companion - nothing will charge you with positive energy like a good musical accompaniment!
12. To cheerful music, joyful and peaceful, drink a delicious tonic drink: fragrant coffee or, more healthy, green tea.
