Have you heard the saying, “Early to bed, early to rise makes one healthy, wealthy and wise?” For most of us this rings true but sometimes it’s just really really hard to wake up early in the morning. Even if it’s hard at first, the benefits far outweigh the struggle of climbing out of bed in the morning.
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Benefits of Waking Up Early
Mornings are just quieter. The streets are empty, the house is quiet. There are fewer distractions in the early hours of the day. Minimal interruption translates into getting more done.
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- Better Eating
- Most late sleepers tend to skip breakfast. Your body needs those early morning nutrients to work efficiently
- Skipping the morning meal means the first time you eat something you are more likely to binge on high carb, unhealthy food.
- Time for Exercise
- You lessen your risk of skipping workouts if you get them done first thing in the morning. How many times have you been just “too tired” to work out late in the day.
- Working out in the morning gets it done and you’re good to go for the rest of the day.
- Improves Mental Health
- Waking up early lets you avoid the “morning rush.”
- Take time to exercise, meditation, say positive affirmations, and just relax before the day. A calm and happy mindset will lead to a calm and happy day.
- Increased Productivity
- You are at your most efficient after your brain has recharged overnight.
- Early risers have been scientifically proven to be better at making decisions and planning and setting goals.
- Once your body has adjusted to waking up early you will find that your energy is actually increased.
How To Wake Up Early
Shock the system. If you normally sleep till 9, immediately aiming for 6:30 is going to be a shock. If you want to force yourself into waking up early however, this might be the way to go. Why? Because your body is working on two and a half fewer hours of sleep than normal so it will be easier to go to bed earlier the next night.
Then, the second day you will have gone to bed earlier the night before so the next morning it will be easier to wake up early.
Ease into it. Another way to wake up earlier is to ease your way into it. Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier than normal. For the first day, set it for 8:45. The next day, set it for 8:30. Keep your routine throughout the week, even on the weekend, until you hit your goal.
If this seems unbearable, try sticking with each 15 minute interval for two or three days before knocking off another 15.
Night Routine. Sometimes waking up early is hard because we have a hard time going to sleep at night. Try developing a night routine that you follow every day of the week. Turn off the computer and put away your cell phone at least an hour before you want to sleep. Avoid caffeine after 5 pm. Take a relaxing bath and read before bed. Your routine should be enjoyable, otherwise you probably won’t stick with it. Just make sure to do it everyday, even weekends.
Open the curtains. It’s harder to wake up early in a pitch black room. Your body will naturally begin to wake up if you sense sunlight coming through the window. (Sadly I can’t use this trick because there’s a dang street light right outside my bedroom window. I was recently on a trip to Atlanta and I had to wake up about 5:45 everyday. Leaving the curtains open at night definitely helped me wake up in the morning.)
Put the alarm on the other side of the room. Make yourself get up and out of the bed to turn it off. Since your up, you might as well stay up instead of snoozing it.
Do you have any tricks for training your body to wake up earlier? I’d love to hear them.