As university students, it’s not a mystery that sleep is imperative to our well-being. However, when school gets busy, a good night’s rest often becomes our last priority. If this is the case for you, you’re not alone. According to a report conducted by the University of Saskatchewan, 70% of students don’t get the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. While this statistic is unsurprising, it’s equally concerning – students are swapping out sleeping for studying and hindering their daily functioning in the process. What if I told you, however, that there’s a way to catch all your Z’s while boosting productivity levels and increasing overall happiness? Lucky for you, there is.
Waking up early.
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a (wo)man healthy, wealthy and wise.” He wasn’t wrong. Studies show that early risers are not only more proactive, but also have greater success in life. And Franklin isn’t the only notable early riser – celebrities like Dwayne Johnson and Oprah Winfrey are well-known for their predawn routines. While these individuals are pros, the art of waking up early can be difficult to master. If you’re the kind of person who only ever wakes up early for Homecoming or for 8:30 a.m. lectures (and sometimes not even those), waking up at a seemingly ungodly hour probably seems pretty daunting. Fortunately, the following tips will jumpstart your journey to becoming an early riser!
1. Have something to look forward to
Knowing that a delicious breakfast awaits me always gets me out of bed. What do you look forward to when you wake up? Whether it be food, a cup of coffee or another episode of that Netflix show you’ve been binging, use it as motivation to get your day going.
2. Go to sleep at a decent hour
Take it from me, you’re not going to be able to wake up at 7 a.m. if you went to bed at 4 a.m. – that’s just not enough sleep. Try to squeeze in at least 7 hours. Additionally, trade your phone in for a book an hour before you hit the sack to relax your body and mind.
3. Force yourself out of bed
Having your alarm right within arm’s reach of your bed isn’t going to do much for you other than tempt you with the snooze button. I recommend putting your phone (or whatever you use as an alarm) somewhere else in your room. That way, you’ll have to actually get out of bed to turn it off.
4. Have a positive attitude
Media often dramatizes the dread of waking up early, projecting this feeling onto us as well. However, you can choose your own attitude in the morning. Find the good and gratitude in a new day and approach it with a smile on your face.
5. Just do it
No matter what you do, creating a habit is difficult – and waking up early is no exception. At some point, you have to forget about the temporary drowsiness you feel and pull yourself out of that bed. Don’t make excuses; just do it!
In no time, these tips will have you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed before the sun is up!