Here I tell you why you need to become a morning person and how doing so has truly changed my life. I will give you every tip and trick I used to change my unhealthy sleep habits into a consistent and productive sleep cycle.
No matter who we are or how different our lives are, we all share one thing in common…. We all need Sleep.
But are you getting the most out of your sleep?
Do you wake up feeling refreshed?
Or are you reaching for the snooze button every morning?
We have all been there.
I was in that position not too long ago. Waking up feeling groggy even after 9 hours of sleep. I would sleep in until noon whenever I could and getting up early seemed impossible.
I felt like I didn’t have enough time in my day and I did not feel ready for anything that came my way. So I started trying to change my bad habits. After a lot of trial, error and research I have finally become a morning person!
I’m not talking about a 5am start every morning, but I can happily and naturally wake up early enough to fit everything I want into my day.
I really feel like every aspect of my life has improved.
I want you to know that even if it seems impossible now, you really can turn your sleep around and make it work for you. You will feel better in yourself, more productive, well rested and ready to level up the rest of your life.
Benefits of Waking up Early
So, what can waking up early really do for you?
I’m a firm believer that waking up early enhances every part of life. But if you’re still sceptical here are a few proven reasons why you should become a morning person.
Better Sleep
If you are getting up earlier, you will feel tired by night time (when you are supposed to) and you are more likely to go to bed earlier. This means people who get up earlier are more likely to enjoy more, better quality sleep.
Getting better sleep comes with so many benefits that will improve your health and your life. You will improve your concentration, mood, energy levels and immune system. Better sleep can even lower your chance of some chronic diseases.
Less likely to skip Breakfast
It is well documented that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So, it is staggering to me that nearly one quarter of people in the US skip breakfast daily.
But if you start getting up earlier, you will have more time to enjoy a healthy breakfast that will stand you in good stead for the day. This will also make you less likely to make unhealthy eating decisions later in the day.
Better Skin
Like with Breakfast, people who get up early have more time to fit in a proper skincare routine. This also works at night, because you will have a more consistent sleep schedule you will be able to fit in some skincare before bed.
Also, if you are having longer, high-quality sleep your skin will have more time to properly rejuvenate. As your skin cells regenerate, increased blood flow and collagen aids in the repair of UV damage to your skin.
Better Productivity
Did you know it can take up to an hour to fully wake up in the morning? That’s not ideal if you immediately have to start your day or go to work. Waking up early will give your brain time to wake up before it is faced with the challenges of the day.
Many successful millionaires say that waking up at 5am got them ahead of the rest. And there really are many reasons why waking earlier will make you more productive.
- You will have more time to work on tasks.
- You are more alert and better at decision making in the morning.
- You have the time to look after yourself, so when you sit down to work you are truly ready.
- If you are up before the world around you, then you will have more quiet, uninterrupted time to focus.
How to use your extra time to elevate your life
But what can you do with your newly found extra time that will actually improve your life?
Obviously, this time is yours for you to do whatever you choose. But if you are looking to level up in your life, a concrete morning routine could be the major step you need to get started.
Workout
I know working out isn’t for everyone. But even if you have never tried it, I would highly recommend giving it a chance.
I always hated exercise, but since committing to working out every weekday morning I have fallen in love with it!
You don’t need to go to the gym and it doesn’t have to cost you a penny. I use various workout videos to follow along with at home and it has improved my health and mental wellbeing more than I thought possible.
It is proven that exercise releases a wave of feel-good endorphins that will decrease your stress and actually increase your energy levels for the day.
Having a dedicated time for exercise in the morning will also help you to stay on track and not use excuses of other commitments to skip your workout.
Journal
Journaling seems to be the new cool, “in thing” to do. But it’s really been around for centuries, and it has only got more popular. Anyone can journal, and there’s so many ways you can journal and reasons why you should.
You could simply write a diary of your life which would help improve your writing skills and memory.
Or you could create a dream journal and take real steps towards what you have always wanted. This will help you keep track of your progress and let you see how far you’ve come.
One of the most loved type of journal is the gratitude journal where you can write everything in your life that you are thankful for.
Whatever journal you use, it could be very beneficial to you, your goals and your mindset.
Many people find writing down their worries or stresses can help release them and move forward.
Plan your Day
Similar to journaling, you could use your morning time to plan the day ahead.
As a self-employed business owner, I have found planning my day to be an invaluable step in improving my productivity.
You will have enough time to figure out what you need to do today, what you want to do today, and when the best time to do each task would be.
Planning your day in the morning can also help you adapt your routine based on the day.
For example, if you are feeling more creative in the morning, you could prioritise more creative tasks for the day. On the other hand, if something important comes up last minute, you have time in the morning to adapt your schedule and plan for it.
Meal prep
Waking up early could give you time to start meal prepping! I know, that sounds like an awful lot of work. But meal prepping has so many benefits that if you have the time then it is well worth it!
You could use your morning to prep your meals for the day ahead, or even for the week!
Here are just a few benefits of meal prepping:
- Saves you time.
- Eliminates the dreaded “what should we cook tonight?” question.
- Can save a lot of money over time.
- Encourages a Healthier diet.
- Eliminates impulsive snacking and Hanger issues.
- Reduces food waste.
Tackle jobs you’ve been putting off
If you’re anything like me, you tend to avoid the jobs you don’t like.
I wish I could say I have fully defeated this problem, but I think the pile of clean clothes on my floor waiting to be hung up in my wardrobe would disagree!
Having some dedicated time in the morning set aside for those pesky “life admin” jobs can really help you get ahead and feel more organised.
Learn a New Skill
You could even use this time to learn a new skill! I recently started learning French on Duolingo. I am really loving engaging my brain and learning something new again. I find the sense of achievement gained from this also helps propel me into my next task of the day.
How to become a Morning Person
Finally!
We have discussed why you should be a morning person and how it will change your life. You also have many ideas of what you could do with your new morning time.
Now you just need to become a morning person.
Sounds simple…
We all know it’s not.
And it’s definitely not going to happen overnight!
Just make small changes each day and don’t get discouraged the first time you accidentally oversleep. You’ll soon be on your way to your ideal sleep schedule.
I am now going to share the tips and tricks I learnt that changed my sleep cycle for good and transformed me into a morning person.
Count 90 minute Sleep Cycles
On average, each sleep cycle lasts 90 minutes. This can vary by few minutes depending on the individual. But knowing this, you can use it to your advantage.
The theory is that if you wake up at the end of one of these cycles then you will wake up easily, compared to waking up in the middle of one which would make you feel groggy and tired.
From the approximate time you go to sleep count in 90-minute blocks until you get to a good wake up time and set your alarm for then. E.g. if you sleep at 22:30 you could wake up at 07:30 for 6 complete sleep cycles.
There is a lot of debate whether this really works, and it’s effectiveness will vary from person to person, but from my personal experience this is a really great sleep hack.
Give it a try and see how you feel in the morning.
Sleeping before midnight
I’m not going to tell you the age old myth of “every hour of sleep before midnight is worth double compared to after midnight”. Because there’s no proof behind that.
But as a general rule, if you can sleep before midnight, you will feel more refreshed, and your body will be able to replenish itself better.
This is because of your Circadian rhythm.
That sounds complicated but its just how your body reacts to changing light levels throughout the day.
The function of the cells in your body synchronise to the light of your environment. So if you can go to bed as it goes dark and wake up with the sun, your body will be better synchronised to the environment. This will aid in the regulation of many bodily systems such as your temperature, blood pressure and production of hormones.
Get a Sunrise Clock
One of the best things that helped me first become a morning person was a clock.
Not just a regular clock, but a Sunrise clock.
This clock is a game changer!
It uses the same logic where light impacts when you should sleep and wake up. This stems back in history to when everyone would sleep when it goes dark and wake at sunrise.
You set the time you want to be asleep and your wake up time like a regular alarm clock. But as you lay down for the night the light will be on 100% brightness. It will then decrease for half an hour until it is off at your set time to simulate the sunsetting.
In the morning, the alarm will then light up from 0% to 100% gradually over 30 minutes before your alarm goes off at your desired time. This means you will gradually wake up as if you were waking with the sunrise.
This has made such a difference to how I feel when I wake up in the morning. I finally feel like I wake with a clear head that is ready for the day, instead of feeling overwhelmed and tired.
This is perfect for someone who struggles with waking up in the morning, whether it is 6am or 11am. I honestly couldn’t recommend it enough. I found my sunrise clock on amazon. Though that specific model has been discontinued, I have linked the updated model for you to start your mornings off right! (affiliate).
No Phone time
Phones, laptops and tablets all emit blue light. This is great for keeping you going through the day but can make you feel wired and not sleepy when bedtime arrives. I would recommend avoiding all blue light sources for a couple of hours before bed.
If you can filter blue light on your device then definitely do so, but I would still recommend avoiding your phone in the lead up to bedtime so you can properly disconnect and wind down, without the stresses of modern life and social media.
Avoid Caffeine
I know this is an obvious one but did you know studies have shown that consuming caffeine up to 6 HOURS before bed can still disrupt sleep and make it hard to drift off.
This means you should really try to keep coffee to the morning, or even consider giving it up for good.
Move meals earlier & have a lighter evening meal
Although going to bed with a full stomach can make you feel sleepy, it can also disrupt your sleep as you could get heartburn or indigestion.
Try to keep any big meals atleast 3 hours from bedtime and consider making a smaller evening meal so your body can properly digest everything before you want to sleep.
Shift your alarm by 15 minutes each day
I don’t want you to read this post and try to wake up at 6am tomorrow.
I’ve tried it…and trust me when I say it was an instant regret!
Instead move your alarm earlier in 15 minute steps each day.
This way you won’t shock your body and become over tired within a couple of days.
And it will only take you 8 days to gain 2 whole hours in your morning.
Avoid Big lie ins on the Weekend
You should be able to have a small lie in to reward yourself for your hard work through the week.
But make sure you don’t take a huge 4 hour lie in. This could mean you wake feeling tired and will mean you will have start all over again when you want to get up early in a few days time.
Conclusion
By now I hope I have convinced you that there are countless benefits to waking up early. Try out some of the tips suggested and become a morning person with me.
After a couple of weeks look at the difference in your mindset, energy levels and productivity.
I don’t think you will ever look back!
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