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You may feel tired in the morning if you’re not getting enough sleep. It may also relate to your mental or physical health. Speak with your to find the cause. In the meantime, making a few lifestyle changes may help you fight morning fatigue.
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.
All data and statistics are based on publicly available data at the time of publication.
Some information may be out of date. Visit our coronavirus hub and follow our live updates page for the most recent information on the COVID-19 pandemic.
The time before COVID-19 can feel like a million years ago.
Watch Netflix’s new documentary series “Lenox Hill” and you’re immediately transported to what we now know to be a simpler time — 2018 and 2019 — when the new coronavirus hadn’t yet besieged New York City and beyond.
Four doctors, two of them pregnant, star in the eight-episode series and succeed at drawing you in with their passion for patients and their ability to juggle their intense jobs and lives outside of Lenox Hill, a hospital established in 1857 to treat people in the immigrant community.
Netflix has added a bonus episode on the doctors treating people during this spring’s COVID-19 surge in New York City. That episode was made available today.
Last week, Healthline spoke with Dr. Mirtha J. Macri, DO, a physician in the emergency room who is currently expecting her second child any day now.
We discussed her experience treating an endless stream of patients with a camera rolling, giving birth to her first child as a part of the series, and what it was like working in a New York City hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Mirtha Macri: First of all, I’ve never done anything like this before, so I felt initially I had no idea what to do. Luckily, the directors, Ruthie (Shatz) in particular, was very present throughout the filming, actually. There was a lot of reassurance. They made it so that we definitely felt like the cameras were never there. It was like a mental blocking — the cameras aren’t here, they’re not following me.
They were just so discreet. The cameraman was almost like a ninja. He would just pop up whenever he needed to pop up. The consenting was done beforehand, and then I would walk into the room and they would just be there.
But they would be in a very noninvasive corner. I wouldn’t hear them or see them. So, it was actually kind of surreal at first, and then I just started getting used to it.
Whenever I needed to take a break it was, “OK, I’m going to go do my thing,” and I’d shut off the microphone. It was only two people. It was the director and the cameraperson, so that was nice. It wasn’t like a lot of people around me asking questions. It actually went smoother than I thought it would.
Initially, I was a little worried because the ER is so busy, and there’s nurses and other colleagues asking questions and talking. But, you saw the series, the atmosphere came across as so calming.
It was just certain days. It’s a very small team, so they also had to follow surgeons (Dr. David Langer and Dr. John Boockvar) that have very long surgeries, and Dr. Amanda Little-Richardson — women in labor, it’s just so unpredictable — so somehow they made it work.
I usually have my schedule in advance for the ER, so I was able to give them my schedule and they would tell me the days and the shifts that they would come by. It would be pretty often for a while for several months, actually, until I had the baby.
We started filming when I was a little earlier in my pregnancy, actually, and by the time she asked me, I felt so comfortable with (directors) Ruthie (Shatz) and Adi (Barash) that I was actually not hesitant at all.
I already had gotten to see the way they were working and how respectful they were of the patients and the providers and the staff, and the space in general, that I felt like this was not going to be something I’m going to be uncomfortable with — and I wasn’t.
They were just so very respectful of the space and the time, and if I needed a minute and I needed them to step out — which actually never happened — but they were open to whatever I needed, so the experience was actually quite great.
They explained to me what the idea was, the vision, and I actually got to see their work. I had some time to sit down and watch their work that they did in Israel. They did a similar series in Israel in a hospital, same concept, where doctors from different specialities were followed and they were filmed, both their personal and professional life.
I actually just fell in love with the series. Then I got to have a couple of film meetings with Ruthie and Adi, and I just loved their ideas and their vision, and just them as people.
Share on PinterestDr. Mirtha Macri at work in the emergency room at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Image via Netflix
I was hoping that the documentary would give an insight into how our personal lives tie into our professional lives, which I think 100 percent the series was able to show a part of that.
Keep in mind that the series only showed a very small piece of what our professional lives are like, the time in the ER.
I wanted the series to portray the struggles that we have within our specialty, especially in a city like New York City where we’re met with such a diverse group of patients, undergoing such a diverse group of health problems, and the challenges we meet with health insurances, healthcare, and a system that supports them.
Especially in New York City we have a huge homeless and psychiatric population that is unfortunately saturated, and sometimes in my eyes not supported enough because the system is so saturated, so a lot of these patients are lost to follow up and care.
How we as doctors do advocate for patient care, and especially in emergency medicine where patients don’t make an appointment to see us. They don’t sign consents to have us do procedures on them and necessarily to be our patients for an extended period of time.
Sometimes we just have one moment with them, and that’s the moment that we have to help them — and that’s it.
And sometimes we never see them again.
So, it’s a very challenging field in that we have just a very small slot of time to do something important to help them. Sometimes we don’t know what they need, and it’s challenging.
I think the show, at least for my patient population in emergency medicine, definitely portrayed that. My patient population obviously is very different from the others, but it did portray that it’s challenging.
Definitely unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before in my career. Speaking to colleagues that were in other parts of the country, I even had colleagues ask me, “Is that really what’s happening in New York City?” and it was.
It was completely unbelievable the amount of people that were falling sick and struggling with resources.
The hospital itself did a job that was just unbelievably amazing, especially Northwell (Health). We had to make spaces within our hospital, within spaces.
Even our own space, our emergency room, had an entire inpatient floor upstairs made for COVID patients, and then there was the (USNS) Comfort, and the Jacob Javits (Center).
I just thought it was just such an amazing way that we all came together as a team. It really brought us together, professionally and personally. It really brought the entire team together. It was all hands on deck, our hospital system.
My experience was very supportive. If we needed to make changes, if we needed to make adjustments, it was all done. And so I’m lucky in that it was just so systematic and it flowed really well.
Luckily, everybody did OK despite the change in morale that happens in something like this, where everybody’s stressed and worried and anxious because you can’t help not to be that way.
But it’s a field where you typically don’t feel that way, because this is our comfort zone. This is what we do in emergency medicine. But when COVID came, it was like, wow. We’re all on board for this ride — and we’re still recovering, and I think we’re going in a great direction.
It’s better. In the height of it, I’m pregnant on top of that again, and it was all about keeping myself safe, and my pregnancy safe and my family safe. So during some of that time I had to be separated from my husband and my son. I quarantined them with my parents because I was just too hesitant to possibly expose them and then the rest of my family.
So it was a very trying time. It was actually 7 weeks of being separated from them and seeing my family on FaceTime, which is something that I never imagined would happen… I am so thankful to my colleagues and the staff that I worked with, because we all came together, checked up on each other, made sure that we were OK.
I’m not the only one that chose to do that. There were other colleagues that decided to quarantine, because in the beginning, we were like, even if you do the best decon [decontamination] procedure when you come home, there’s just that underlying thought in your mind, like what if I expose my entire family?
Yes, there was a lot of critical that came in.
Our volume was definitely high in critical care. I did pull out right at the peak of it because of the pregnancy and my concerns for it, so I did start doing some telemedicine as well.
So, I haven’t been back since the peak started back in April, because I’m due in 3 weeks (with another boy). Northwell just did amazing. They were just so supportive.
Even though (pregnancy) wasn’t listed as one of the high-risk exposures, they still sought out and said if somebody’s pregnant, let’s see how we can repurpose them or help them, make sure that they’re OK during this time.
You have a baby and then you’re about to have another baby, we don’t know enough about the virus to know how it could affect a pregnancy. There’s only theories. So that was very, very anxiety-driving.
Oh, yes. I’m still doing work from home. I still go on the board every day. I connect with my colleagues. I look at the volume. I do callbacks.
I do telemedicine for the ER, so I’m connected to them.
I recently met with all of them, actually, in person, and our meetings started up again and patient case reviews, so I’m still doing all of that. I’m just not currently doing a clinical shift right now. Our volume is significantly down, and numbers of COVID positives have gone down.
According to my colleagues, and I go on the board a lot, we did treat a lot of protest-goers. We’re doing a lot of the COVID testing after protests. Our volume definitely went up that week, but it was not, I don’t believe it was COVID-related. It was more, just when you have so many people in a crowd, somebody’s bound to trip and fall.
We’re seeing a lot more non-COVID-related visits, which is definitely a good thing. We also have to realize the elderly population and the sick population that’s been home during this time that wouldn’t see their doctors. Now they’re coming in for care because they need the care.
But overall the protests were pretty peaceful. (The protests) definitely needed to happen, and I think the city is already down on numbers of COVID.
No, we didn’t know each other. Yes, we’ve all gotten together on separate occasions, not a lot. I mean, we’re so busy, and one of the providers moved to California, so we don’t see her but we have all kept in touch in some form.
Actually, one of them came to visit me after I had my son, which was so nice. I’d never met him before. Dr. Langer, he came to see me in the hospital, so that was very sweet of him to come visit.
It’s actually very calming right now. I’m glad that I’m about to give birth and that I’m not giving birth in the height, in the peak of COVID.
We’re still not having visitors (at the birth), but we can have a support person, obviously, and my husband will be there.
I’m OK with that. My parents and my son aren’t going to come to see us at the hospital, but I’m OK with that. It is what it is.
I feel a little better now because the numbers are definitely down, the city’s reopening. Now all the hospitals have a systematic approach. We’re testing everybody, so I feel better about that. So, it’s not too bad.
I’m still here. You know, I don’t know. I’m still thinking about it. My husband just finished law school, so we stayed in New York for him to finish law school. I’m glad I did that, because then I got to do the show.
He just finished this past December, so right now with COVID, I think things are just up in the air. I’m definitely not leaving in the next year or two. Definitely not.
Contents of the article
It is customary to divide people into larks and owls, the former wake up early in the morning without difficulty and are ready to run on business, while the latter like to go to bed late and wake up for a long time in the morning.
Many owls are convinced that it is impossible to change their biological clock and get up early in the morning easily. But if you have a goal and the need to change your usual schedule, then everything will definitely work out. We have prepared instructions with which you can learn how to wake up early in the morning. We took some of the useful recommendations from our free course "What prevents us from achieving our goals."
Before you decide to change your daily routine, you need to analyze your daily routine: what time do you start work or school, what household chores do you perform, how much time do you spend with family and friends. For example, if you work until 10 pm, then it will be difficult for you to get up at 5 am, you simply will not be able to work productively later. When you understand what time you need to wake up, then you can proceed to the following steps:
The desire to get up early cannot arise from nowhere, there is always a good reason.
For example, you decide to start a healthy lifestyle, eat right and adjust your daily routine. At first, when you start to change your schedule, the body will rebuild, you will be more tired, your efficiency will decrease. In order not to give up at the very start and not return to the usual mode, you need to set goals. It is precisely the clearly set goals that motivate us, they will help to open your eyes at 6 in the morning, despite the fact that you do not want to sleep much. Also, to the goal, you need to prescribe tasks, by performing which you can step by step come to the result.
In order to wake up early and feel fresh, you need to prepare in the evening. The first thing to do is put all your gadgets away 1 hour before bed. The bright screen of a smartphone, tablet or laptop worsens the quality of sleep and the speed of falling asleep. Be sure to analyze the past day and think over a plan of action for tomorrow, this will help you sleep peacefully and not worry about problems.
Read before bed, reading a book is great for relaxing and helping you fall asleep faster.
It must have happened to you when you went to bed at the usual time, but woke up rumpled and tired in the morning. The quality of sleep is affected not only by a comfortable bed and an airy blanket, but also by other factors. For example, if you drink coffee 4-5 hours before bedtime, you are unlikely to be able to fall asleep at the right time. If you eat before bed, then the body will have to digest food all night instead of resting. It is also not recommended to exercise 3 hours before bedtime. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time so that your body prepares for sleep in advance.
There are two effective approaches to regime change. The first way is to get up immediately at the scheduled time. But then be prepared for the fact that you will become very tired at first, but you can quickly switch to a new schedule.
The second way is to gradually change the wake-up time. Start waking up first 15 minutes earlier, then 20, 30, and so on until you reach your goal. This method will take longer, but it will be easier for the body to adapt to the changes.
Coach Jari Rumer in his Medium column explained why we do not get enough sleep, and gave seven tips on how to become a morning person.
Anna Samoydyuk
If you leave your alarm in another room, you have to get out of bed to turn it off. And if you got up and went to another room, it makes no sense to go back to sleep.
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After 8 hours of sleep, your body is dehydrated and you need to drink water as soon as possible. The reason why many people get tired and lose motivation in the morning is dehydration - and no wonder, because our brain is 75% water. Therefore, immediately after sleep, drink two glasses to recharge your energy and productivity for the coming day.
Another tip is to do a little exercise (2-5 minutes). Jump, do yoga, whatever you want.
Active exercise raises your heart rate, your body starts producing cortisol, and blood flow increases. After charging, you will not feel sleepy; on the contrary, you will be charged with energy and strength.
According to recent discoveries in the field of biohacking, your breathing has a big impact on your body, energy and morale. With a single breath, you can influence everything from the immune system to creativity. But for now, we'll focus on how breathing can help you feel energized in the morning.
When you take a deep breath with your belly, you breathe in much more oxygen than usual.
And the more oxygen, the more energy. Try doing the Wim Hof breathing exercise in the morning. Its essence is as follows.
For 10-30 seconds, take a deep breath and exhale through your mouth without pauses. It is important to breathe in your belly, not your chest. Most likely, you will begin to feel dizzy, and this is absolutely normal. The main thing is to do this exercise in a safe environment; never do it while driving or swimming.
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Many people reach for their phone right after waking up to refresh their Facebook feed or check their email. Such a habit immediately puts your brain in a distracted state. All the messages, emails and notifications you received at night take your attention.
Instead of deciding how to spend your morning, you are forced to react to what others have presented to you. Because of this, you begin to feel stressed.
Not the best start to the day, right? Therefore, do not touch your phone for at least the first 20 minutes after sleep.
If you hate everything about your morning routine, you won't want to wake up earlier and you won't be able to enjoy your morning. So do what you like.
One of the most obvious ways to learn how to wake up early in the morning is to get a good night's sleep. And that doesn't mean just sleeping 8 hours; The quality of sleep must also be taken into account.
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After a good night's sleep, you will feel a great surge of energy in the morning. Here are some tips to improve it:
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