About a third of the population identifies themselves as “morning people”, but one who is a college student is hard to find. Between late nights and erratic sleep schedules, most collegiettes find it difficult to wake up in the morning, let alone feel positive and ready to tackle the day. Avoid those grumpy mornings and read about the five ways to make your mornings a little bit sweeter.
1. Wake up gently
Ever wake up in the morning and feel totally sleep-deprived, even if you slept more than six hours? It’s probably because you woke up during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) period of your sleep cycle, which is when your sleep is in the deepest state. Avoid waking up during deep sleep with SleepCycle. This free app for the iPhone monitors your sleep cycle during the night and wakes you up when your sleep is the lightest, allowing you to feel refreshed in the morning. The alarms are all soothing sounds to help you avoid the panic that you experience with the traditional iPhone alarm, and you will never have to set more than one alarm! SleepCycle will automatically set multiple alarms to go off within a given amount of time before you have to get up so you can slowly wake up. When you feel more refreshed and awake in the morning, the beginning of your day will be a little bit better.
2. Develop a routine to start the day
Feel like deciding what to wear takes too long in the morning? Allow your brain to wake up a little more by having a no-think routine for washing and prepping your body for the day. Spend a morning during the weekend figuring out how long it takes you to get ready, including going to the bathroom, washing your face and brushing your teeth. Use this routine right when you wake up in the morning. By completing the simple hygienic tasks first, you will be more likely to complete all of those important things and be more awake when you make your fashion choices. It’s a win-win!
3. Pamper yourself
While you’re getting ready in the bathroom, make your morning a little better by using products that make you happy. Use a face wash that smells great and a moisturizer that leaves your skin feeling smooth and soft. Have a lotion, facial sunscreen and deodorant in your shower bag so that you’ll remember to use them, thus both making you happy and taking care of your body. This extends to outside the bathroom as well: invest in a bottle of your favorite perfume to help you feel glamorous and put together even in the early morning.
4. Soften the light
Since Christmas is just around the corner, now is the perfect time to purchase and put up Christmas lights! Hang a string or two on your ceiling and use them instead of the harsh dorm lighting in the morning. Not only are they not as bright, thus saving your eyesight, but they create a more natural light than the unforgiving ceiling lights. This is really useful for doing your makeup in the morning, so spread the holiday cheer!
5. Eat breakfast
It sounds like a chore, but getting something in your stomach will noticeably improve your mood in the mornings. An empty stomach means you’ll be thinking about food in class instead of paying attention. Help your day start better with a breakfast that combines both protein and carbs: fruit and cheese, yogurt and granola, or a bagel with peanut butter. If you’re a coffee or tea addict, make sure to have your morning cuppa before you go to class to avoid that dreaded headache. To up the sweetness, add a little bit of sugar to your diet, such as dark chocolate chips in your yogurt or cinnamon sugar on your bagel. Sugar in small quantities will make you happy, but not create that sugar crash later in the day.
Are you going to try any of these ideas? Do you do something else to make your mornings sweeter? Tell us in the comments!
Photo Credit:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/cleansing/myths/wash-face-too-much.htm
http://bestfragrance.wordpress.com/
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/health/body/head-to-toe/foods-for-pms/
http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photography-sleepy-girl-image24339022