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Are you having difficulty getting up early? Is it muscle memory for your hand to hit the snooze button as soon as your alarm goes off? Or do you get up early, but are cranky and groggy for most of your day?
I’ve had some big aspirations in my life, but I never ever thought I would be a morning person. I have slept through a lot of mornings in my life and I just kinda accepted that I wasn’t a morning person.
But as the years passed and the responsibilities grew, waking up early became more a necessity rather than an option. I am glad to report that I have went from someone who was half awake and cranky in the mornings, to someone who actually enjoys waking up early and gets sooooo much more done in a day.
I wanted to share some very realistic ways to wake up early since most of the tips out there consist mostly of “when your alarm goes off, don’t hit snooze”. That’s great advice, but some of us need a bit more help than that. I want to share with you easy and realistic ways that I have found, to neglect that snooze button and actually feel like a human being in the mornings and not a zombie.
What are the benefits to waking up early?
The benefits of waking up early really depend on you and your lifestyle. Maybe you are a mom and would love some time to yourself before the kiddos wake up. Maybe you want to get fit and workout before work. Or maybe you want to wake up earlier because you are most productive and creative in the mornings.
How do I wake up early and not feel tired?
It’s one thing to wake up early but its a whole other thing to wake up early and not feel exhausted. There are many factors that can affect how rested we feel. You want to incorporate habits that will help you get a good night’s sleep and wake up feeling rested. I’ll explain below ways to do this so you can get up early without that dreaded groggy feeling.
How can I force myself to wake up early?
Forcing myself to wake up is pretty high on the list of unpleasant feelings. My goal with the tips below is to help you be able to wake up early and do it with more ease.
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Know your Why
I know this sounds so simple, but you really need to establish why exactly you want to get up early. If you don’t have an important enough reason to get up early, chances are you will hit the snooze button.
You may already have a reason why you want to get up earlier, and that’s great! Make sure to remind yourself of this reason and really think about what goals you could reach by getting up earlier. Plan out your days and get excited by all the things you will be able to accomplish.
Relaxing the Night Before
Getting a good night’s rest will make it waaaayyy easier to get out of bed earlier, shocking news I know 😉 But getting a good night’s rest is not just about getting enough sleep, it’s also about the quality of sleep.
Relaxing before bed can seem difficult if time is an issue, but even just taking a quick shower or bath, applying a face mask, having a tea, or reading a book for a couple minutes, can be great ways to wind down before bed.
If you have a hard time relaxing while in bed because you live in a noisy area, or there’s too much light coming through the window, perhaps try something like a white noise machine or blackout curtains.
Some people find the noise from a white noise machine to be soothing, and it can mask other noises. I also only ever use blackout curtains in my bedroom because I find I get a much more deep sleep when the room is very dark.
Things to Avoid the Night Before
There are many things that can interfere with our bodies being able to get a good night’s sleep. Everyone is different and are sensitive to different things. Some common practices that I found that make it difficult to fall asleep is consuming caffeine, food and alcohol too close to bedtime, looking at any screens such as a tv or phone before bed, and working out really late in the evening. These are the most common that I have found to interfere with my sleep. If I eat, or workout too close to bedtime, I am laying in my bed wide awake for hours feeling cranky.
Keep notes on nights where you are wide awake and unable to sleep. Try and make up a list of things that you find keep you up and maybe try and avoid those things before bed.
Same Time to Bed and Same Time to Rise Each Day
Going to bed the same time and waking up the same time each day will become much easier when it becomes your routine. Having this routine can make it much easier to fall asleep at night and you’ll be less tired in the mornings. I know it can be tempting to stay up late and sleep in on weekends, and once in awhile is okay, but doing that too often can make it difficult to start getting up early again when Monday comes.
Go to Sleep and Get up a Bit Earlier Each Day
If you are used to getting up at 9 or 10am and you suddenly try and force yourself to get up at 6am, you will most likely feel miserable and just hit snooze and go to back to sleep anyway. Likewise, if you are used to going to sleep at midnight and then try to go to bed at 10pm, you will probably lay there wide awake feeling frustrated.
Be easy on yourself and try and go to bed and wake up earlier in small increments like 15 minutes. It won’t be such a shock to you and it’ll probably be easier to adapt to.
Make Plans in the Morning
I found this to be extremely effective, especially when I just started trying to wake up earlier and my will power to not hit snooze was weak.
If you have to do something during the day such as meet up with someone, or have an appointment, try and book it in the morning at a time you would feel comfortable waking up. This will kinda force you to get out of bed and once you finish your plans, you have the rest of the day to accomplish what you need to get done.
Have a Nice Alarm Clock
Well to be honest, is there any such thing as a nice alarm clock? I guess I’ll say get a tolerable alarm clock. I cringe every time I think about my old alarm clock on my phone and how obnoxiously loud and irritating it was. It was such a horrible way to wake up and start my day and it would always have me feeling cranky.
I came across this alarm clock that (at the risk of sounding dramatic) changed my life! It is a sunrise alarm clock and it truly is one of my favorite purchases ever, which says a lot considering how much I love to shop 😉
I did a lot of research on the different models before buying and ended up purchasing this one. I love it for multiple reasons. Firstly, I really love the minimal look of it. Secondly, I love that you can turn the brightness of the time display way down or even off so you aren’t distracted by the light. I will say however, although you can turn the time display off, when you have an alarm set it will show a tiny bell display in the corner which is something to keep in mind. But it is very small so I don’t find it bothers me at all.
The biggest reason I really love this alarm clock though, is because of the light it gives off and the sound. It gradually lights up my room before the time I want to wake up which helps my body awake much more naturally and gradually than a loud noise screeching from my phone. This has been most helpful in the winter when the mornings are dark and gloomy. It also has different noise options and I chose this model because it had an option of nature noises. The nature noise is such a calming sound and it starts off quiet and gradually gets louder.
There are still days where I don’t feel like getting up early, obviously. But this alarm clock has made the experience so much more pleasant and calming. And I find that I don’t wake up as groggy since my body gradually woke up.
Have Something to Look Forward to First Thing
I know one of the things that makes it easier for me to get out of bed is knowing I’ll have a nice hot cup of coffee to enjoy. I love coffee and am slightly obsessed with my Nespresso machine. It’s fast and easy which is great when I’m tired or in a rush and it is one of the best coffees I’ve ever tasted. Seems silly, but looking forward to this does help when I get out of bed tired.
Find something that you really enjoy having in the morning, whether that be coffee, tea, or breakfast. Pinterest has loads of quick but very tasty breakfast recipes. You can even search breakfast recipes that you can make the night before to save time in the morning.
Make your Morning Routine Enjoyable
Creating a morning routine that you enjoy can not only make your morning easier, but can have a great impact on your whole day. Your morning routine doesn’t have to be long or complicated, but even small wins like taking extra time on your skin care, listening to your favorite podcast while making breakfast, or just cuddling with your loved ones can help you look forward to waking up early. Create a morning routine that you love and include things that you’d only be able to do if you got up earlier to encourage you to wake up early.
Be Easy on Yourself
It can be super frustrating at first to try and wake up earlier. But what will make it even more frustrating is if you become very hard on yourself. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t start waking up early right away. Remember that great changes take time and you are working towards a goal.
I really hope you enjoyed this post! Leave a comment below on any tips you have.
waking up early isn’t always easy but definitely making it enjoyable is a great tip especially if there’s a lovely, hooot cuppa coffee waiting for you in the am!
Thank you! 🙂 Yes, coffee can be a great motivator!