This semester I have been faced with my worst nightmare: my classes start at 7:30am Every. Single. Day. Being a night owl, this sort of class schedule spells disaster, so I have had to find ways and products to help me not only get to class on time, but be engaged with what I am doing in the class. Here are my tips on how to make the most out of the morning.
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Sleep Cycle: One of the easiest ways to be more awake and engaged in class is to actually be awake. Instead of using the basic iPhone alarm that jolts me from my sleep and is easy to snooze, I did some research and found the app Sleep Cycle. Sleep Cycle analyzes your breathing pattern to figure out your REM cycle and determine when you are in the lightest stage of sleeping. So, if I want to be up by 6:40am at the latest, Sleep Cycle takes a 30minute window (6:10-6:40) to wake me up, so that it wakes me up in my lightest stage of sleep. This makes it easier to wake up and be alert since you are naturally pulling your body out of sleep instead of jolting when you are in the deepest stage of sleep. I cannot recommend this app enough as it helps me feel awake and alert when it gently pulls me from sleep even if it is 6:20 in the morning.
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. GMM: Another way I get myself to stay awake, instead of falling back asleep after my alarm goes off, is to start engaging my brain immediately. I love YouTube, and a popular show on YouTube that gets me going every morning is Good Mythical Morning. Two guys named Rhett and Link upload every weekday morning at 6am with a quirky, weird, and sometimes slightly gross 10-20 minute show to start the day. They are super funny and since what they are doing is anything but normal it engages my brain as I begin to get ready for my day. They also have a second show called Good Mythical More which is like a second segment to the first show. I love watching this show in the mornings to start my day on a positive and happy note, and I know there will always be a new episode to watch every morning without fail.
These two things are my big keys to success, they make my mornings as easy and enjoyable as possible. By the time I get to class, I am ready to start my day and I am alert enough to participate and engage with the class instead of dozing off or not showing up at all. This doesn’t mean that every morning is a breeze, but it keeps me from begin absolutely miserable every single day. So, here’s to a beautiful tomorrow morning!