10 tips for waking up easily in the morning
The day before yesterday you overslept and were late for work, yesterday you missed your alarm and missed your morning run, and today, despite your best efforts, you gave in to the temptation to lie in bed for five more minutes and missed your train to your best friend’s wedding. How can you learn to wake up easily?
Contents of the article:
- 1. Time your awakening to coincide with REM sleep
- 2. Set up your bedroom for sleep
- 3. Balance your dinner
- 4. Choose a familiar sleeping position
- 5. Practice yoga regularly
- 6. Use autogenic training with an imaginary clock
- 7. Use aromatherapy
- 8. Set your alarm clock out of reach
- 9. Drink water immediately after waking
- 10. Start waking up earlier than your intended time
- 11. Avoid screens and bright light before bed
- 12. Create a consistent morning ritual
- 13. Stay hydrated and limit caffeine consumption after
- 14. Consider napping if possible
- 15. Pay attention to the quality of your mattress and pillow
the main rule is: to easily wake up early, you need to go to bed no later than midnight. “The ideal time to sleep is between 7 PM and 11 PM,” shares neurologist Valery Kramar. “Sleeping between 11 PM and 1 AM is less beneficial, and after 1 AM it’s even worse.” But what if circumstances prevent you from going to bed earlier? There are methods that will help you wake up refreshed, rested, and alert no matter what.
1. Time your awakening to coincide with REM sleep
You probably know that sleep consists of 90-110 minute cycles, including alternating REM and non-REM sleep phases. Waking up during non-REM sleep is very difficult—the body feels exhausted—while waking up during REM sleep, on the contrary, is light and refreshing. You just need to choose the right time so your alarm goes off at that precise moment. REM sleep occurs closer to the end of each cycle. Try setting your alarm for 6, 7. 5, or 9 hours after you fall asleep. If you feel drowsy after waking up, experiment by changing the time by 15–20 minutes.
2. Set up your bedroom for sleep
“The optimal temperature in the bedroom is from 18 to 24 degrees Celsius,” advises Valery Kramar. “It is in this microclimate that recovery processes and metabolism occur faster.” Before going to bed, be sure to ventilate the room and do not close the curtains completely. For centuries, our body has been accustomed to fall asleep when the light wanes and wake up with dawn, since melatonin, the sleep hormone, is produced in the dark at night. If the room is completely dark, even if you get up, you feel as if under the influence of a sleeping pill. What to do if city lights make it difficult to sleep? Cover the windows with curtains, but arrange for someone in your household to open them in the morning, or use an alarm clock with a light that simulates the dawn.
3. Balance your dinner
Eating heavily before bed is harmful not because it increases weight (scientists have long proven that extra pounds arise from overeating in general, and not from eating dinner after a certain time), but because of the quality of sleep. A study from the University of South Australia found that eating a large meal just 1-1. 5 hours before bed causes restlessness and tossing and turning throughout the night. It’s best to eat dinner 3 hours before bed, choosing foods with melatonin (eg, oatmeal, corn, rice) or containing the amino acid tryptophan, which stimulates melatonin production and relaxes (lean beef, turkey, dairy products). “What exactly to choose needs to be determined experimentally,” adds Valery Kramar. Some people feel more comfortable after a meat dinner, but this is a heavy meal that requires a lot of energy to digest, so you may feel a little sluggish when you wake up.
4. Choose a familiar sleeping position
“It is believed that sleeping on your back is healthier,” explains Valery Kramar. – In this position, the blood supply to the brain improves and the pressure in the vessels is equalized. But in practice, it is much more important to sleep as you are used to – in this case, your sleep will be of better quality, be it on your back or on your side.
5. Practice yoga regularly
Scientists from the University of Rochester have proven that after just four weeks of regular yoga and meditation, the quality of sleep improves significantly. The study involved patients who had recently had an illness and were suffering from fatigue and poor sleep. 22% of them admitted that they began to sleep better, and almost 30% noted that they felt more alert in the morning. The soft directions of yoga – hatha and restorative yoga – helped.
6. Use autogenic training with an imaginary clock
This method can eventually teach you to wake up a few minutes before your alarm. Before going to bed, close your eyes and mentally imagine your watch, set your wake-up time, and then imagine lowering it into the darkness – be it a well or deep water. Slowly watch the dial disappear from view, releasing the watch into darkness.
7. Use aromatherapy
A pillow with a sachet of mint or lavender will help you wake up more calmly, but the aroma of coffee is considered the most invigorating. It is the smell, not the taste, that stimulates activity. This conclusion was reached by scientists from Germany, Japan and South Korea, who published a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. In the experiment, rats that were not allowed to sleep were given the opportunity to smell coffee, and they were noticeably more energetic than a control group that was not familiar with the smell of coffee. Tests showed increased levels of proteins that protect nerve cells from stress damage. If you go to bed late and have to wake up early, place a jar of coffee beans next to your bed and inhale their aroma in the morning.
8. Set your alarm clock out of reach
A cruel but effective method for those who are accustomed to turning off the ringer without thinking and staying in bed “for a couple more minutes.” Place the clock at such a distance that you have to stand up to reach it. Then, once you turn off the alarm, you won’t want to go back to bed. To complicate the task, place the alarm clock higher on the closet and move the chair to another room. If you are afraid of missing a signal, place the watch in the basin – this will greatly enhance the sound.
9. Drink water immediately after waking
Getting out of bed does not mean fully waking up. To activate the internal processes of the body, drink a glass of water immediately after waking up. It can be prepared in advance and left on the nightstand – this ritual is much healthier than morning coffee, tea or soda from the previous day.
10. Start waking up earlier than your intended time
If you have to get up at 7am, set your alarm for 6:30 or 6:45. Use these extra minutes to do something you enjoy. This could be exercise or a healthy breakfast, but if these options are not to your liking, choose something more exciting: read a couple of pages of a detective story, write a comment on your favorite forum, or watch an episode of a TV series.
11. Avoid screens and bright light before bed
Exposure to bright light, especially blue light, before bed suppresses melatonin production and disrupts circadian rhythms. Try to stop using smartphones, computers and TVs 1-2 hours before going to bed. Instead, you can read a book in soft lighting or listen to relaxing music.
12. Create a consistent morning ritual
Repeated actions in the morning help the body quickly adjust from a state of sleep to a state of wakefulness. This could be light gymnastics, breathing exercises or warm-up. Gradually, these rituals will turn into a pleasant habit that will motivate you to wake up joyfully and with desire.
13. Stay hydrated and limit caffeine intake after lunch.
Lack of fluid can cause morning sluggishness and headaches. Also try to avoid drinking coffee and other caffeinated drinks in the afternoon, as they can interfere with the quality of your sleep and make it harder to wake up.
14. Consider napping if possible
A short nap (10 to 30 minutes) during the day can increase overall alertness and improve concentration without interfering with nighttime sleep. It is important not to go too far with the duration and time of daytime rest, so as not to disrupt the regime.
15. Pay attention to the quality of your mattress and pillow
Comfort and proper support of the body during sleep significantly influence its depth and duration. Invest in a good orthopedic mattress and pillow, taking into account your individual needs – this will reduce the number of awakenings and improve the body’s recovery.
