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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.
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.
3. Naps Plus CaffeineFor 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.
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To 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.
A 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.
Play It SafeJust 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.
Specific 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.
Play It SafeBear 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.
May 10, 2021 Likbez Life
Instructions for those who come to their senses only for dinner. You simply forget about many obvious things.
Select the correct melody for the alarm. She shouldn't be annoying. In the morning, we are especially susceptible to everything, including sounds. You will want to quickly turn off the nasty alarm clock and fall asleep again. But it’s also not worth putting a very calm composition either. Under it, you will only fall asleep more soundly.
Turn on the radio or your favorite upbeat playlist as soon as you get out of bed. The body will automatically begin to move to the beat, the mood will rise, which means that you definitely won’t want to go back to bed.
Motivation will make you get out from under the warm blanket and start your morning rituals. Set a specific goal for yourself. For example, to have time to hand over the project by the deadline or to finish all the work before the evening. Minor but pleasant thoughts about a new outfit or a delicious breakfast will help to wake up.
Light, ideally sunny, will help you wake up in the morning. But if you had to get up before dawn or in cloudy weather, call on electricity to help.
The fact is that in the dark we actively produce the sleep hormone melatonin. Therefore, after the alarm signal, turn on all possible light sources.
There is a theory that it is during this time that the body will finally wake up. Especially if you make these moments as pleasant as possible.
Go to the mirror and smile at your reflection, even if you don't feel like it at all.
Start simply with a mechanical movement of the lips. This will start the process of producing serotonin, the so-called hormone of joy.
American publicist Ron Gutman is sure that a smile can energize a person for the whole day. In his TED talk, Gutman compares the effect of smiling to getting a lot of money.
Short morning workouts not only help you wake up due to the flow of oxygen to the brain, but also improve your figure and make you happier. So spread out the mat and do some exercises.
Dmitry Fedin
VIP trainer, candidate of psychological sciences
Every morning I start with exercises. It is better to give preference not to strength training, but to stretching. You need to gradually pull all your muscles and, of course, draw in the abdominal muscles. This exercise can be started right in bed: pull your knee to your stomach.
First right, then left, then both at the same time. So your body wakes up.
You can also focus on push-ups. Perform three sets with breaks of 30 seconds. The main thing is to do as many push-ups as you can each time. This simple workout will tone you up and energize you.
Weather permitting, put on your sportswear and shoes and go for a run. The benefits are double: morning cardio and fresh air.
Wash your face with cold water as soon as you get to the bathroom. This is stress for the body, which means you will definitely cheer up.
Well, you will become more beautiful. Beauticians say that cold water protects the skin from premature aging. If you have time and energy, freeze some ice in the evening. And in the morning, wipe your face with a couple of cubes. This procedure will help you wake up and relieve you of bags under the eyes.
Even such a familiar hygiene product as toothpaste will help you wake up in the morning.
Only here it is better not to experiment with tastes. As practice shows, the most invigorating pasta is classic, with peppermint. Taste, smell and a slight tingle in your mouth will help you wake up.
This is a very simple, accessible to everyone and at the same time effective way. Just do not immediately douse yourself with ice water, and then douse yourself with boiling water. The temperature should be comfortable. Increase the difference gradually.
And one more important rule: start the treatment with warm water and end with cold water.
Drink a glass of water after the water treatment. This is a real alarm clock for your body. Water will start the digestive processes, and the body will understand that it is time to work. Athletes and those who adhere to a healthy lifestyle regularly start the day with water.
Julia Glyantseva
doctor, fitness nutritionist
Water is found in most tissues of the human body.
Therefore, it is impossible to wake up in the morning without it.
You don't have to drink coffee to cheer up, just smell coffee beans. So say scientists from the United States. The fact is that the rich aroma of good coffee reduces the activity of genes that are responsible for drowsiness. The aroma of citrus fruits also has an invigorating effect.
Don't forget this when choosing your air freshener or shower gel.
A delicious breakfast and even the thought of it will help you wake up. Don't limit yourself to scrambled eggs, experiment. Moreover, in the morning you can afford both proteins and carbohydrates.
The main thing is not to overdo it. Overeating will backfire and make you want to sleep.
Where would you be without it? Just know the measure. After the first morning cup of coffee, somnologists recommend taking a break for 3-4 hours.
Then in the middle of the day the body will be active and without additional doses of caffeine. If you drink too much coffee at breakfast, you will feel tired by dinner.
Most experts consider 7-9 hours of sleep a night to be the norm. And employees of the University of Arizona came to the conclusion that for happiness a person needs exactly 7 hours and 6 minutes of sleep.
If you can't go to bed on time, experts recommend calculating the time of sleep so that it is a multiple of one and a half hours. So even after a short rest you will have a chance to wake up refreshed.
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If you are accustomed to not getting enough sleep on weekdays, and on weekends to gain hours of sleep, lying in bed until lunch, then it will be difficult for the body to enter into a working rhythm.
With a constant schedule, the body adapts to the routine and the brain functions faster in the morning - it gets used to the fact that by the time of awakening it is necessary to move into the REM sleep phase. And being in it, a person is likely to wake up rested, and not broken. If you are looking after your health, it is important to get enough sleep regardless of the day of the week: this will help you feel better and even lose weight.
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Instead of a cup of coffee in the morning, try drinking a glass of water on an empty stomach. Cold liquid causes the body to use extra energy to absorb it in the stomach, so it is better to drink water that is warm or at room temperature. So you start the processes of cleansing and stimulating the circulatory system and speed up the metabolism, which will help other body systems start working faster. Do not rush to have breakfast: it is better to take a half-hour pause between drinking water and food, and do some simple exercises in between.
Daily hot shower damages the skin and slows down metabolism, while cold water helps wake up. It improves immunity, improves blood circulation and thermoregulation. You need to start pouring cold water over it, gradually lowering the degree so as not to get hypothermia, but you can start by washing your face. A contrast shower with a change in temperature relieves depressive thoughts and regulates the emotional state. Do not use this method when you are sick or feeling unwell.
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It doesn't matter if it's cardio, stretching or strength training. Video workouts with short home exercises are perfect. Charging helps the body cheer up and produce serotonin, which improves mood. If it's hard to force yourself to do at least some active exercise, start the day with a plank or walk a couple of kilometers - this is the average distance between metro stations.
Most of the physical actions that have become a habit are automatic, while the brain remains half asleep.
Make it work on par with the rest of your body: schedule a simple task for the morning, make a to-do list before breakfast, complete a game level in the app, or write a couple of messages on social networks. Visualizing the upcoming day in positive colors will not only help you wake up faster, but also create additional motivation to move.
Sugars are simple carbohydrates, the main fuel for energy production. But at the same time, it suppresses the immune system, leads to overeating, reduces mood and mental abilities. After eating sweets, there is a sharp rise in activity, but it is followed by an equally sharp decline. This shake-up is harmful to the body, and to maintain energy at a high level, you will have to increase the amount of sweets daily. It turns out that by morning, the body, accustomed to large doses of sugar, already refuses to work without stimulation. By giving up sugar, you will normalize internal processes and in the morning you will feel more cheerful.
This tip is especially true in winter, when most of us wake up and get to work in the dark. Bright and cold light helps to instantly wake up and cheer up, stopping the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. You can use lamps that imitate dawn and spectral light changes depending on the time of day, or you can get by with ordinary electric lamps, LEDs are best. The fact is that ordinary incandescent lamps give only warm light, and cold LEDs that activate the nervous system are more suitable for human physiology in the morning.
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Catechin content in black tea improves brain function and memory. Catechin is similar in properties to caffeine, but gives a long-term rather than a short-term effect of cheerfulness. Unlike coffee, tea does not contain alkaloids, so it does not burden the nervous system, increasing the tone of the body. There is even more caffeine in green tea than in coffee, but due to the combination with tannin, it acts softer - the effect appears within half an hour and decreases over the next four to five hours. There are more nutrients in green tea than in black, but in some people it can cause pressure surges, so it is better to drink it after breakfast.
Try different herbal or rosehip options, they also have tonic properties and also support the immune system.
If you really miss the bitterness of freshly brewed coffee, try chicory. It tastes similar to coffee and is recommended by doctors as an alternative, especially if you have a tendency towards hypertension or gastrointestinal disorders. Chicory root contains potassium, inulin and B vitamins, normalizes the work of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. By the way, the instant drink does not lose its useful qualities, it is not exposed to chemical attack.
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Slow carbohydrates and protein are the main sources of energy. You can eat them individually or make a healthy breakfast with a combination of both. Carbohydrates will be processed by the body into glucose, which will energize, and proteins will slow down the rate of its release. It is important not to lean on fats, they require more energy for digestion and assimilation, this will slow down the awakening.
Delicious and varied breakfasts speed up metabolism and help you focus by stabilizing blood sugar levels.
Loud and sharp sounds instantly irritate the nervous system, causing adrenaline to be produced, which invigorates, but not for long. Then a decline in energy will follow, and with it a bad mood. Choose a pleasant light melody for your alarm clock and provide yourself with quiet time in the first few minutes after waking up. This will help the brain naturally tune in to the start of the day without hormonal surges. You can listen to music on the way to work to create a good mood.
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Some scents have a stimulating effect on the brain and instantly invigorate, including the smell of coffee. If you decide to give up the latter, then try using essential oils. The most invigorating of them are citrus oils (orange, lemon, grapefruit and lime), mint, rosemary, bergamot, black pepper and eucalyptus. You can charge the aroma in various ways, for example, put an aroma lamp (automatic or conventional with a candle), add oil to a shower gel or shampoo, or mix it with your favorite scent.
