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Read more about our vetting process.When waking up is hard to do, consider the following strategies.
We’ve all had those mornings when we just can’t shake a feeling of sluggishness, even when we’ve technically gotten enough sleep. In an effort to perk up on tired days, many of us load up on cup after cup of coffee.
But over-caffeinating can leave us jittery and anxious (not to mention perpetually running to the bathroom).
Perhaps there’s a better way to banish morning fatigue and get on with your day with the energy you need.
That beloved button on top of your alarm clock may not be so helpful after all.
Spending the last half hour or so of nighttime rest in what researchers call “fragmented sleep” has consequences for your ability to function throughout the day.
Pro-tip: Try the 90-minute sleep cycle hack by setting two alarms — one for 90 minutes before you want to wake up and one for when you actually want to wake up.
The theory is that the 90 minutes of sleep you get between snoozes will be a full sleep cycle, allowing you to wake up after your REM state, instead of during.
Fatigue is a classic symptom of dehydration, and even a mild case can trigger feelings of sleepiness, changes in cognitive ability, and mood disruptions. Let a glass of water freshen up your entire body before you get moving.
Pro-tip: If you find you still can’t shake morning lethargy, try upping your intake of water and other noncaffeinated beverages throughout the day.
There’s a reason it feels so good to stretch when you wake up. Overnight, during REM sleep, your muscles are literally paralyzed (atonia), and reactivating them releases energy-stimulating endorphins.
Pro-tip: If you have a bit of time for morning yoga, take it; just 25 minutes has been shown to boost energy levels and brain function.
Cold showers are reported to reduce sick-day absences from work. If you don’t want to take a full shower, a splash of cold water to the face, to signal a temperature change to your body, may also do the trick.
Is getting out of bed the main problem? Keep a spray bottle or water mist by your bedside table so you can lean over and mist yourself without even opening your eyes!
Pro-tip: One cult-favorite product is Saborino’s Morning Face Mask from Japan, which has essential oils to activate your senses.
In one minute, this sheet mask cleanses, invigorates, and moisturizes your skin.
Note: People with sensitive skin may want to avoid this product.
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The jury is still out on whether breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But research does say that skipping this first meal can negatively affect your energy and ability to pay attention throughout the day.
Food is fuel. Give your body some calories to put it into action at the start of the day.
But if you’re working out in the morning, remember to eat after, not before. This will (a) burn more calories, (b) boost your metabolism, and (c) help you avoid an unsettled stomach.
Pro tip: Build a fatigue-fighting breakfast instead.Since what you eat at breakfast can affect how you feel for hours, making the right choice is critical for your morning.
Reach for a combination of fatigue-fighting foods like lean proteins, whole grains, nuts, and lower-sugar fruits.
All breakfasts are not created equal, so take stock of your morning food choices. Sugary items like sweetened coffee drinks, pastries, and breakfast cereals can lead to the classic blood sugar spike-and-drop that leaves you feeling drained.
Pro-tip: Pay attention to nutrition labels to see how much sugar you’re getting at breakfast — and cut back wherever possible. Keep whole foods like apples, carrots, and oranges on hand for easy access.
That’s right, we said less coffee — but not none! Though coffee has plenty of health benefits, chugging a lot in the morning may indirectly contribute to increased fatigue later in the day.
Participants in one study reported feeling more tired the day after they had consumed caffeinated drinks. Experimenting with a reduced amount of caffeine in the morning actually may make you less tired.
Pro-tip: Avoid the big mugs. Purchase a smaller cup, if you have to, to help reduce the amount you drink.
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Sunlight bumps up your body’s serotonin levels, leading to improved sleep — and, therefore, increased daytime energy. And, according to a series of studies at the University of Rochester, spending time in nature “makes people feel more alive.”
Sounds like a very good reason to carve out a portion of your morning in the great outdoors.
Pro-tip: If going outside is a chore in the early morning, adjust your curtain so that the sunlight seeps in when you’re getting ready to wake up.
Sure, when you want to crawl back into bed, exercise may sound pretty unappealing — but it may be exactly what your body needs to get help booting up. Research consistently correlates aerobic exercise with reduced fatigue.
See if you can squeeze in a quick walk or bike ride, or try a longer workout for even more benefit.
Pro-tip: When pressed for time, get your body up with a few rounds of high-knees and jumping jacks.
Even 30 seconds of torso twists could do the trick, or plan a short cardio commute on your way to work.
Is it possible that negative feelings about your job or stressors at home are draining you of morning oomph?
You may not be able to fix certain situations overnight, but once you’ve identified them as a source of mental and physical exhaustion, you can often take some action to alleviate them.
Pro-tip: Streamline harried mornings at home by making school lunches the night before, or make time for morning meditations and create calm before your day begins.
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Sometimes all we need for an energy boost is a little excitement on the horizon.
To beat morning fatigue, consider scheduling a phone call with a friend during your commute, penciling in an outdoor walk on your midmorning break, or pre-making an appealing breakfast that calls you out of bed.
Pro-tip: Let another schedule determine yours. Make an earlier morning podcast or radio show part of your wake-up routine.
If morning fatigue becomes a chronic problem, it could be caused by depression or anxiety. People with depression can feel worse in the morning or only feel depressed in the morning.
The only way to know, however, is to track your mood or see a professional.
Pro-tip: Dig a little deeper. Asking some key questions about your mental health state may reveal an underlying condition that needs professional attention.
If your bedtime habits can have so profound an effect on your rest, so too could your waking routine. You’ve probably heard of sleep hygiene — the handful of best practices that help you fall asleep at night. These include:
Getting up at the same time each morning helps maintain circadian rhythm, the internal biological clock that’s responsible for feelings of sleepiness.
Make an effort to rise at the same time every day — even on weekends — to see if you can banish the midmorning slump.
Sarah Garone, NDTR, is a nutritionist, freelance health writer, and food blogger. She lives with her husband and three children in Mesa, Arizona. Find her sharing down-to-earth health and nutrition info and (mostly) healthy recipes at A Love Letter to Food.
If your constant use of the snooze button and your morning zombie routine is getting old, there’s help. It begins with figuring out the different reasons why you can’t wake up in the morning and what to do about them.
Chances are you’re not getting enough sleep and need to tweak your bedtime routine. If a sleep disorder or other underlying condition is to blame for your morning sleepiness, there are treatments available.
We’ll cover all of that and more here so you can become one of those perky morning people.
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:
There are a number of things you can do to help you wake up. If an underlying condition is causing your excessive sleepiness or drowsiness in the morning, you may need a combination of home remedies and medical treatment.
The following are tips and treatments that can help you sleep better and wake up better.
Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day is a must if you want to get on a good sleep schedule and train yourself to wake up early.
Figure out how much sleep you need — seven to nine hours per night is recommended — and aim to get to bed early enough so you wake up feeling refreshed.
Stick to your sleep schedule every day, including your days off, and your body will eventually begin waking up naturally.
You may be sabotaging your efforts to get up early without even realizing it. Drinking caffeine in the later part of the day and using devices that emit blue light before bed can prevent you from falling asleep.
To improve your bedtime routine, try doing something relaxing before bed, such as reading or taking a warm bath. Avoid activities that’ve been shown to interfere with your circadian rhythm and cause sleeplessness, including:
Tempting as that snooze button and getting “just a few more minutes” may be, falling back asleep after waking is sleep fragmentation.
According to research, sleep fragmentation increases daytime sleepiness and grogginess, decreases performance, and makes you feel run-down.
If you’re accustomed to hitting snooze, try moving your alarm away from your bed so you have to get up to turn it off.
Eating a healthy diet increases your energy and helps you sleep better. On the flip side, foods that are generally considered unhealthy can make you feel sluggish and zap your energy.
Aim for a well-balanced diet full of foods that increase your energy, like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and foods high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Exercise has been proven to improve sleep and conditions that can cause insomnia and excessive sleepiness, such as anxiety and depression.
It also increases energy levels by reducing fatigue, including in people with conditions associated with chronic fatigue, according to research.
Daylight helps regulate your circadian rhythms and improve your sleep.
If you get some sun first thing in the morning, it can help boost your mood and energy levels for the rest of the day. Try opening your blinds as soon as you get up, having your coffee outside, or going for a short walk.
You could also try sleeping with your blinds open so you wake up to sunshine — that is, as long as it’s not too bright outside your bedroom window at night.
Gloomy day? No worries. Just turn on the lights or use a light-up alarm clock.
If you can’t get up in the mornings after trying other methods or have noticed sleep disorder warning signs, talk to a doctor about a referral to a sleep specialist.
Participating in a sleep study can help diagnose a sleep disorder that may be to blame for your morning fatigue.
If you’re diagnosed with a sleep disorder, such as chronic insomnia or restless leg syndrome (RLS), treatment can help you sleep and wake up better. Treatment depends on the specific sleep disorder and might include:
Having trouble waking up in the morning is just one sign you’re not getting enough sleep.
Here are some others:
It’s possible to train yourself to wake up on time in the morning. A few changes to your routine can help you get rid of your morning fatigue so you can be up and at ’em bright and early.
If you worry that you have a sleep disorder or other medical condition that may be contributing to your morning fatigue, see a doctor.
There is a generally accepted opinion that 6-8 hours of sleep every night is simply necessary for every person. However, recent research shows that this belief has little to do with reality. Moreover, scientists from the Center for Sleep Research at the University of Surrey, UK, argue that the quality of sleep is much more important than its quantity. What affects the quality of sleep? What will allow you to get up early and feel refreshed even if you don't get enough sleep? Read in the post! nine0003
How to prepare for restful sleep?
1.
Avoid coffee, red wine and chocolate at night
Want to get a good night's sleep? Then your sleep cycle should be continuous. 4 hours of deep sleep is enough for you to gain energy; the main thing is not to interrupt this dream. One of the most common causes of nighttime insomnia is an unhealthy diet; Some foods work on your digestive system so that you literally can't sleep! Coffee, red wine and chocolate are examples of such foods. nine0003
2. Go to the bathroom right before bed
Some of us forget to go to the toilet before going to bed, reading, watching TV or surfing the Internet until late at night. However, the bladder fills gradually and imperceptibly, and the kidneys continue to work all night while we sleep. This means that although the bladder may not fill up until the morning, it will already bother you in the middle of the night. Therefore, it is important to urinate right before bed to avoid this inconvenience.
nine0002 3.
Make sure your room is built according to feng shui principles Not everyone believes in the ancient Chinese principles of Feng Shui, but they fit perfectly with Western values and logic. By following them, you can ensure a more restful sleep that fills you with energy every morning. It is especially important to pay attention to the arrangement of the bedroom, the location of the furniture and the bed. The bed should be placed so that you can see the door to the room from a lying position, but not in the way of a person entering this door. It gives us a feeling of confidence and comfort when we sleep. In addition, it matters in what colors you decorate the bedroom. Shades of blue and green are recommended - they symbolize serenity, calmness and harmony without excessive emotions. nine0003
What should you do after you wake up?
4. Focus on something good and uplifting
Stress and anxiety affect our well-being, as well as the thought patterns that later occur during sleep, and the level of cortisol responsible for anxiety in the body.
Because of this, we can feel tired, even after a good night's sleep. Try to neutralize this by focusing on the good parts of the day ahead. Some days this is easier than others, so plan for good things and remember nice things in advance; you can even add them to your calendar! nine0003
5. Find the right morning exercise routine for you
Even if you wake up in the morning and feel full of energy, this feeling can go away if it is not maintained. This is where charging comes into play! It improves your mood and helps you stay focused and focused throughout the day. Even the simplest exercises, such as running, cause the brain to signal the release of endorphins into the bloodstream, which relieve symptoms of stress, fatigue, and sometimes even pain. nine0003
6. Drink water as soon as you wake up
According to several studies, how we maintain a drinking regime when we wake up in the morning has a critical impact on our health and consciousness.
A simple glass of water in the morning boosts your metabolism, helping you wake up faster and feel instantly energized! As for hot drinks, try not to drink coffee every day: although coffee is considered to be a great sensory stimulant, over time our body gets used to caffeine, and it becomes more and more difficult to achieve the desired results. Drink coffee occasionally, sometimes when you feel particularly tired; on other days, replace it with fruit and tea. nine0003
January 22, 2017 Productivity Health
Just four steps will help you wake up easily and feel refreshed all day long.
You can not only read this article, but also listen to it. If it's more convenient for you, turn on the podcast.
To decide the best time to get up, you need to take into account your daily routine and responsibilities (work, study, family, hobbies, travel). For example, it will be very difficult for you to get up at five in the morning if you work at night or stay up late with textbooks.
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When you have decided on the time, pay attention to the following four points:
1. Goals and attitude towards life.
2. Evening ritual.
3. Sleep quality.
4. Awakening and morning ritual.
They will help you get up in the morning without difficulty. Let's consider each item separately.
One must be prepared that at first one will have to sacrifice a lot. For a while, you will have to give up parties. Until the body adjusts, you will be more tired, and your productivity may drop. To cope with this was easier, you need to have clear goals. nine0003
Why is this important?
For example:
Determine for yourself three main goals for the next year and write down a system of actions for each.
To wake up in the morning easily and comfortably, you need to prepare in advance in the evening. Here are some tips.
The light from the screens of smartphones, tablets and computers adversely affects the quality of sleep and the speed of falling asleep. Therefore, turn off all devices 1-2 hours before going to bed. nine0003
Make plans for the next day in the evening so that you don't waste time and energy on it in the morning.
Decide what to do, what to wear, what to cook.
Time flies by imperceptibly, and if you don't stop and think about the most important things, you can miss a lot. Therefore, in the evening, evaluate what you did during the day, for which you are grateful, what made you happy.
Everyone has such a busy schedule these days that it's hard to find time to read. But if you turn off all electronic devices a couple of hours before bedtime, you will surely have at least 30 minutes for a good book. nine0003
We usually don't think about what affects the quality of our sleep and how we can improve it. But you should always remember the following factors.
This loads the digestive system and also affects the quality of sleep. Snack on something light like nuts or a glass of milk. nine0084 
Of course, you will not be able to immediately determine the right sleep time for yourself to the nearest minute, but you will definitely find the best option. nine0084 There are two ways to help you get up earlier. Choose the one that suits you best.
Yes, this approach will take more time, but it will be easier for the body to adapt. nine0084 Once you've decided on an approach that's comfortable for you, try to follow these guidelines as well:
This trick will help keep you motivated. nine0084 Of course, this is individual, but here are a few suggestions:
Sometimes you may not wake up early, but don't feel bad about it. Be glad that you slept a little longer, and then go about your usual business.
And tomorrow, put in more effort. nine0003
It all depends on you. But when you're just trying to get into the habit of getting up earlier, it's best to stick to your new routine on weekends as well. When you are already confident in your abilities, you can pamper yourself by sleeping a little longer.
When you first begin to accustom yourself to a new routine, do not miss more than 1-2 days, otherwise it will be very difficult for you to return to early rises. If you have been getting up early for more than a month, missing 2-3 days will not be so scary. nine0003
Don't be too hard on yourself. Try to stick to the routine. If you can't, just do your thing as planned.
Great. Have fun and don't try to wake up at the same time as usual. Get some sleep and go back to your routine tomorrow.
