Art, obsession, and identity
One final tip: keep your alarm clock out of arm’s reach. If you can simply reach over to snooze your alarm, you will most likely do that.
So there you have some ideas for how to help yourself get up earlier. Even if you’re not a natural early bird, there are strategies you can use to make the most of those morning hours.
Sources: (CNET) (Lifehack)
See also: The mysteries of sleep
If you keep your alarm at least several feet from your bed so that you have to get out of bed to turn it off, you’ll be more likely to resist the snooze temptation.
It is a good idea to have a plan for exactly what you will do with the extra time you have after getting up earlier than usual.
Not only does this serve as motivation for getting up early, but it also puts you at less risk of taking a morning nap (which would only undo all your good work!).
Many people find themselves going back and forth trying to decide whether to get up in the morning. Try to cut this step out of your process.
Research shows that exposure to bright light directly before bedtime makes it more difficult to fall asleep and reduces overall sleep quality.
Try to avoid bright light, in particular phone and TV screens, in the two hours before you go to bed. Keeping your phone out of the bedroom may help with this.
Make a final decision the night before that you will get up at a certain time. That way, when the alarm goes off, you simply have to follow through on last night’s decision.
However, it is best to avoid naps wherever possible, and definitely not after 3 pm. Napping interferes with your nighttime sleep, which makes it harder to get up in the morning.
It can be very tempting to nap in the afternoon, particularly if you have been getting up early in the morning and you are not yet used to it.
A breakfast high in protein, such as eggs on toast, or peanut butter toast with banana, is the perfect way to make sure your body gets the nutrients it needs.
You might not be hungry straight after waking up, but eating at some point in the morning is important to set you up properly for the day.
Some people are less sensitive to caffeine, particularly those people who have consumed it in large quantities for years. A good rule of thumb, however, is no caffeine after 3 pm.
If you’re struggling to remember these tips, you might find it helpful to remind yourself of the RISEUP method.
Waking up and getting up at the same time every day, even on your days off, will make it easier to get up, even if it is early.
Again, this one is obvious but very important. Caffeine is a powerful stimulant that can interfere with your sleep even hours after consuming it.
RISEUP stands for: Refrain from hitting the snooze button, Increase activity in the first hour, Shower or wash face, Expose yourself to sunlight, Upbeat music, and Phone a friend.
Exposure to bright light first thing in the morning helps to reset your body clock and suppress the production of melatonin (the chemical that makes you feel sleepy).
Resisting the urge to snooze the alarm may sound like an insurmountable task, but it is actually one of the things that will help you the most.
If at all possible, try and get 20 to 30 minutes of light on your face each morning, shortly after waking up. Pull back those drapes or, even better, go for a short walk.
The easiest moment to get up is after the first alarm, and with every snooze it gets harder. Try to remind yourself of that fact when the first alarm goes, and resist the urge to snooze.
Start by setting your alarm 15 minutes earlier every couple of days. Once you’re comfortable with each new wake-up time, move it back again until you’re waking up at the desired hour.
When attempting to shift your body clock, it is important to go slow. Sudden and drastic changes might work for one or two mornings, but they don’t usually stick.
If you are a late riser and you’re wondering how you can join your early bird friends in their habits, there are thankfully some concrete steps you can take.
Until society rids itself of the rigid 9 to 5, those people who are able to get up early and concentrate first thing in the morning will tend to have the upper hand.
As problematic as these stereotypes may be (we all have our natural circadian rhythms, for which we can hardly be blamed), modern society is definitely geared towards early-bird life.
The early birds, by contrast, are thought of as energetic and ultimately more productive, since they have more hours in the day to get things done.
In life, there are the early birds and the late risers. The late risers are often considered lazy, unable to motivate themselves to get up and seize the day.
As we learn more about the brain and its restful state—sleep—the more the importance of circadian rhythms comes into focus. A circadian rhythm can be defined as the internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. For those of you whose natural circadian rhythm tends towards activity at night, the idea of getting up early and launching into a productive morning may seem a distant dream. There are things we can all do, however, to train ourselves into early morning habits.
Check out this gallery for some tips on how to become an early bird.
How to become an early bird
And catch that worm!
LIFESTYLE Time management
As we learn more about the brain and its restful state—sleep—the more the importance of circadian rhythms comes into focus. A circadian rhythm can be defined as the internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. For those of you whose natural circadian rhythm tends towards activity at night, the idea of getting up early and launching into a productive morning may seem a distant dream. There are things we can all do, however, to train ourselves into early morning habits.
Check out this gallery for some tips on how to become an early bird.