We’ve all been there. Hitting the snooze button for the fifth time for a few minutes of extra sleep, only to realize we’re going to be late for work. With the colder months upon us, I’ve found it even harder waking up on time to get to the office and leaving my warm, comfortable bed.
How do we resist the urge to snooze? Below are 10 simple yet effective tips on how to get out of bed.
- Easy first step. Set an alarm. What helps me is setting my alarm clock across the room so I’m forced to get up and out of bed to turn it off. Getting myself moving and away from the warmth of my bed always wakes me up. An interesting thing about having a schedule is the earlier and more consistently you wake up on time, the easier it gets. Your body naturally adjusts and soon you’ll find yourself waking up naturally earlier on the weekends without an alarm.
- Make your bed. This helps you resist the urge to climb back under the blankets. It is also a small way to start your day off right. One little productive task can lead to many others. It also looks and feels better. Imagine at the end of your day, going to sleep in a freshly made bed.
- Don’t snooze. Waking up and going back to sleep multiple times actually isn’t good for our health. It confuses the body as to if it’s time to wake up or time to sleep more. Research shows it’s better to set your alarm for when you want to wake up.
- Keep a similar schedule on the weekends. Having an erratic sleep schedule can make it much harder to wake up during the weekdays. Try and go to bed and wake up on your days off around the same time as you would on your workdays. Your body will develop a rhythm and waking up earlier will be easier.
- Go to bed earlier. The human adult needs around 7-9 hours to function properly. The amount of sleep we get directly affects our mental and physical health along with productivity, emotional balance, immune system, and even your weight.
- When the weather is cold, wear socks or keep a pair of slippers or a robe by the bed. It’s much easier convincing yourself to get up when you’re not freezing.
- Drink water. Your body gets dehydrated as you rest because you can’t consume liquids while you’re asleep. Drinking a glass of water as you wake up hydrates your body, flushes out toxins, wakes up your organs, and fires up your metabolism getting your body running for the day.
- Cold Shower. Taking a shower in the morning helps most people wake up. Cold water increases circulation in the body which leads to a higher demand for oxygen, causing you to breathe deeper which in turn wakes your body up and fights off fatigue. Even switching between hot and cold water is beneficial to your health. The cold and hot restricts and dilates your blood vessels, which does wonders for your immune system.
- Give yourself something to look forward to or wake up to. Whether that is getting a coffee, breakfast, or donning a new outfit- give yourself something fun to look forward to during your day. Even a small reason to wake up can make all the difference.
- Small steps. If you’re looking to change up your morning by waking up earlier, do so gradually. Start at waking up 5 minutes earlier than you usually do. Increase the next day by 10 minutes earlier and so on. In a few weeks, you’ll be rising an hour earlier without even noticing.
Starting the day off right puts you in a good mental space. Waking up early and giving yourself ample time to prepare for your day will have you feeling less rushed and anxious. Following some of these simple steps, you’ll be a morning person before you know it.