Everyone knows a friend, family member, pet, etc. who is either a morning person or a night person. Morning people usually have had their eggs, toast, and bed made before the sun has even reached for its cup of coffee. Contrarily, night folks pride themselves in the satisfaction of staying up later than anyone else studying, talking with friends, or just becoming engrossed in some kind of 2013 YouTube wormhole after staying on their laptop for too long. I could never quite choose which category I fit in. While I never get up insanely early like some family members (I’m talking 4 am for my nurse-mom), I also find that my brain starts to power down earlier than my night owl friends. Because I didn’t see myself in either category, I decided to choose a path to explore. I chose to become a morning person…in one week.
Day 1: So, I’d like to think this day doesn’t count. I woke up around 6 am with full intentions of getting out of bed early, but without an 8 am to run to, I didn’t feel the need to get out of my cozy bed! Sue me!
Day 2: This is when the experiment truly began. My mom drove to Bates for Homecoming weekend, so I had someone keeping me on track. After prying my eyes open, I felt energized enough for the whole morning! I took time to read some news, I drank a big glass of water, and I actually pulled myself together without rushing out the door for breakfast. However, my choice to order cinnamon French toast really didn’t help my prior energized mood. I finished off two big slices of warm, buttery goodness, and was down for the count (a.k.a I took a mid-morning snooze).
Day 3: Okay, so Day 3 was a little too similar to Day 1. BUT, my own morning-person mom told me to take the day to sleep in, so I had to follow her thoughtful advice!
Day 4: This is the day I began to realize that morning people are on to something with their insanely early habits. I actually woke up early today and didn’t take a nap. Between shopping, watching football, and catching up with loved ones via FaceTime, I really had no room to feel tired. I also felt the most productive out of all the days before. Since I woke up early, I was able to go for a run in the morning and relax for the rest of the day. Day 4 was a success!
Day 5: After a successful day before, I thought Day 5 might be a little rough. I was completely wrong! Because I woke up early and kickstarted my productivity the day before, I was able to get the right amount of sleep to wake up feeling refreshed today. Even if the 80 degree weather was partly (probably mostly) why I was extremely happy, I would like to pin at least some of my boosted mood on my early morning wake-up. Day 5 was another success!
Day 6: I woke up at 5:30 am. I fell back asleep at 5:35 am. That is all.
Day 7: Day 7 was probably one of my favorite days of the year thus far (dramatic, I know). Day 7 meant this was the last day I had to wake up early! Halleluiah! As I reflected on the week of early mornings (or attempted early mornings) I thought that I might just be able to become a morning person with a little bit more time (and probably a lot more effort). However, there’s one crucial element I learned from this week. NAPS ARE A KEY ELEMENT FOR COLLEGE SURVIVAL. If you’re looking to become a morning person in a week, just make sure you update that beautiful nap schedule of yours.