15 Ways to Help you Wake Up

Insomnia and other sleep-related difficulties plague many of us. A few days ago, I wrote an entry about helping people fall asleep. Falling asleep and getting a healthy night’s sleep is very important, but it is only half of the equation. Today; we’re going to focus on the other side of the equation; waking back up in the morning.

We can easily divide a good night’s sleep into three parts; falling asleep, sleeping and waking up. The first part has already been covered, and the sleep itself is no great mystery. Waking up, however, is where many people have problems. We find that the alarm rings way too early, that our eyes just refuse to open and that our energy levels stay low until before lunch.

So; without further ado, let’s take a look at fifteen tips and tricks for making those pesky early mornings feel more like a walk in the park and allow us to get more out of the day.

1. Get enough sleep! This one goes without saying. If you’re going on three hours of sleep a night, any technique for waking up will ultimately prove to be futile. Make sure you fall asleep and get enough sleep to feel well rested when you wake up.
2. Sleep well! Even if you get nine hours of sleep; if the quality of that sleep is poor, you will still feel unrested in the morning. Make sure that the ambient temperature and sounds, your mattress and pillows and your clothing allows you to sleep well and rest properly.
3. Bright lights! Science has shown that it is easier to wake up in bright environments than in the dark. Try setting your night lights on a timer that lights them half an hour before your alarm rings. That way, your body’s melatonin levels will have adjusted to a more wakeful state. If it’s during the brighter half of the year, try to keep the blinds open to get your dose of sunlight or open them as soon as you wake up.
4. Move! As soon as you’re up, try to get moving. It will get your blood flowing and your adrenaline levels up. I’m not suggesting that you start doing jumping jacks or push-ups in the morning, but don’t just crawl from the bed to the nearest chair. Activate your entire body; if you’ve got an alarm that plays music, try dancing to it.
5. Nourish yourself! As soon as you’re awake, drink a sip of warm water flavored with some juice from a freshly squeezed lemon. This triggers your digestive tract’s peristaltic motions and tells your body that it’s time to wake up.
6. Don’t eat! We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but eating it too early can be a mistake. If the body is still struggling to wake up, it may be a mistake to add to the strain by activating your digestive tract too much. Keep from eating until you start feeling hungry.
7. Have a plan! When we are looking forward to something; it is easier to motivate ourselves to wake up. Try to make plans for the morning activities; keep something interesting from the day before that you’re interested in checking out. If you’re reading a book, try to keep the last ten pages for the morning instead of finishing it in the evening.
8. Keep the rhythm going! Even if you only work on week-days, try to keep the same rhythm going on week-ends. By breaking the rhythm again, we’re going to have to struggle to get back into rhythm on Monday morning.
9. Get the right alarm clock! What works best for you? Some people want loud ringing alarms, some people prefer gentle music that soothes them awake. Try different ways to wake yourself up over the course of a few days to see what works best. Also, try keeping it far away from your bed so that you have to get up to turn it off.
10. Get out of bed! There is no snoozing and no lying around and waiting for yourself to wake up. Just get out of bed, even if you wake up a few minutes before the alarm goes off. Every second spent in bed after you wake up is one more second that might send you drifting back to sleep.
11. Take a shower! Most people who get into the rhythm of showering in the mornings swear by it as the best way to wake up. Try alternating temperatures to get your circulation going and make sure to wash yourself to get a nice healthy feeling.
12. Spice up your morning! Peppermint, eucalyptus and other strong, refreshing things tend to wake us up quite nicely. Keep a pack of strong mints or chewing gum next to your bed and grab a bite early in the morning. It will make you feel more alert and just might help with that nasty early morning breath.
13. Time your sleep! Our sleep generally follows a natural 90-minute rhythm, so keeping our sleep to a multiple of 90 minutes helps. 7.5 hours or 9 hours is ideal, as we’ll be in our lightest phase of sleep when waking up.
14. Practice! No matter how strange this sounds, try practicing waking up by planning mock sleeping runs. Put on your pajamas and go to bed with conditions as close to your normal sleeping routine, even if it’s just for a 30 minute nap after work or dinner. When the alarm rings, get up and do the things you want to do in the mornings from now on. With a couple of trial runs every week, the body will get into the habit of doing the same thing in the mornings as well.
15. Stick with it! When you’ve gotten into the habit of waking up in the mornings; don’t try to change your routine or give yourself a “day off” from the routine. You can allow yourself to go to bed a little later if you have a big night with the friends or your partner; but stick to your routine for waking up the day after, even if it means you’ve lost a few hours of sleep. That way, you’ll be back on track the very next morning again.

Many of these tips and tricks look like common sense, but waking up in the morning remains one of the largest barriers to healthy living for many people. As you try to set your morning patterns, set it earlier than you actually need to. If you’re used to waking up at 06:00 to be able to go to work, set your new waking habits to 05:00 instead; it will give you an hour’s head start on the day and set you up for success. Being the first person to the office isn’t just impressive; it’s a sure way towards a promotion.