Getting up in the morning can be hard. Especially in the winter, it can be so difficult for many of us to start our day when we would much rather be snuggled up in bed at home, completely avoiding the chilly outdoors. But have no fear, I have compiled some tips that have the potential to revolutionize your mornings, and quite possibly make you a morning person!
First and foremost, do not hit the snooze button!!! Snoozing only makes it harder to actually get up. Board-certified sleep medicine physician W. Christopher Winter says that every time you wake up, hit snooze and then fall back asleep, you start a brand new sleep cycle. The extra sleep that you do get from snoozing that extra five minutes is light and fragmented, which could actually leave you feeling even more tired upon finally getting out of bed. You will feel much more rested if you just get up after your initial alarm goes off— so either intentionally plan to sleep later, or use an alarm without a snooze button!
Speaking of sleep cycles, you can actually plan yours so that you will not wake up sleepy at all! The reason that we often wake up super tired when our alarm goes off is that it wakes us up before the sleep cycle that we are in is complete, resulting in the natural reaction from our body to want to go back to sleep and finish it. The best way to combat this is to plan to wake up between cycles. An average cycle is about 90 minutes long, and a good night’s sleep consists of five to six complete sleep cycles. Considering that it takes an average person about fifteen minutes to fall asleep, you should count backward in increments of 90 minutes from the ideal time that you would like to wake up to plan when you should lie down to sleep. If you are not a huge fan of math (no shame, neither am I), there are a bunch of apps that are made specifically to serve this purpose. A personal favourite is the Sleep Calculator app, which gives you the option to calculate when you should go to bed in order to wake up at a certain time, or alternatively, to determine when you should try to wake up if you are planning on heading to bed right away.
After you wake up it is inevitable – you have to get ready. If you are a morning shower kind of person, then maybe consider taking a cold one! In no way am I suggesting that you should endure 20 minutes of cold water on your back – that is PURE torture! But consider ending your shower off on a cold note! It is proven that concluding your shower with 30 seconds of immersion in cold water wakes your body up by forcing your capillaries to close and restrict blood flow in the body, in order to protect the central organs. When you exit the shower, your body works harder to warm itself up by speeding up your metabolism and activating your immune system. This is beneficial not only for waking your body up, but also for strengthening your immune system, improving blood circulation, and increasing your ability to burn calories! Bearing 30 seconds under cold water before you exit the shower increases the number of disease-fighting white blood cells in the body, better protecting you from getting sick, increases the rate of your metabolism, which makes your body burn more calories throughout the day!
If you are not the type to shower in the morning, then consider washing your face with cold water! This also will help wake you up and better yet, is proven to actually slow down the aging process, resulting in fewer wrinkles over time! Washing your face with cold water also helps rid of the harmful effects of the sun by tightening your pores which are opened up by UV rays. Tightening up your pores also helps your makeup last longer throughout the day! Last but not least, cold water significantly reduces inflammation by restricting the capillaries in your face – no more puffy morning eyes for you! (You can thank me later).
Do you listen to anything while you are getting ready in the morning? Maybe a podcast, some music, or the news? Whatever you choose, try to make it happy! A study from Harvard University in 2015 revealed that just three minutes of negative news in the morning can impact your mood for the rest of the day. I am not saying that you should not be informed about what is happening in the world around you – being engaged is very important. But maybe try to not make negative headlines or topics the first things that reach your ears in the morning! According to Harvard, you will have a better day and are more likely to perform better at work or school, than if you had started your day otherwise.
After you are ready and almost ready to head out the door, do not forget to eat! Eating breakfast is important because it provides your body with the necessary fuel after an overnight fast. Eating in the morning increases your energy levels, increases your ability to concentrate, and brings your blood sugar up to its appropriate level. Having a breakfast rich in protein and natural fats is essential to preparing your body for a great day. Protein and natural fats both help you stay full and provide your body with essential nutrients. Consider putting peanut butter on your toast instead of butter or jam, or having an omelet with some avocado on the side, instead of a bowl of cornflakes with milk. Try to avoid refined carbohydrates which are loaded with unnecessary sugar. Things such as muffins, pancakes, and waffles contain few nutrients, and cause your blood sugar levels to quickly shoot up and then fall, leaving you tired and hungry a few hours later.
Finally, attempt to maintain your routine as best as you can on weekends. This might not be practical 100% of the time, but keeping a daily routine makes the whole process easier, and will result in your energized mornings becoming more of a healthy habit over time. So try your very best to stay on track!