Do you feel tired in the mornings even when you think you have slept well? The problem might not be the length of your sleep. The routine you have at night can predict your energy and productivity throughout the next day. We often do not spend much thought on how we rest during the night-I am not talking about sleep! There are many routines you can experiment with and find out what is best for you!
Here are 3 ways to wake up energised in the morning
1. Calming Night Routine -Relax!
One of the things that make us tired in the mornings can be our minds. We can stress our bodies when lots of thoughts are going on in our minds at the same time, that we do not listen to. That is why it is useful to have quiet time; to be mindful. During this quiet time, meditating, writing a journal or even talking to someone can help your mind rest, and switch to a positive mood when you can focus on your well being. Sleep is not the time for your body to rest, in fact, you should relax your body before going to bed! Not only our minds but our physical bodies also require relaxation of all the tension after a long day. It depends on how your body feels relaxed, by stretching, doing yoga, having a bath, or maybe diffuse some essential oils and relax.
2. Don’t Eat Right Before Bed
Eating right before bed prevents your body from digesting and repairing itself. So while you’re sleeping, your body is actually doing hard work and causing you to feel tired in the morning. To sleep soundly, you should avoid eating after late afternoon, as it can worsen the quality of your sleep, and make waking up energised even harder.
3. Get Up To Wake Up! -Move Your Alarm Across The Room
It’s safe to say that when you snooze you lose! We snooze our alarms for 5-10 minutes of more sleep. However, after hitting the snooze button, we fall into REM sleep, which is deepest form of sleep, and this makes it harder to wake up again. A helpful solution would be to move your alarm clock or phone across the room, or maybe into a different room! In that way, to turn it off, you would have to move your body. When your body moves, the circulation in your body increases and helps you stay more alert during the day. It is always easier to stay up once you get up, give it a try!
In summary, this blog recommends that you follow these tips to wake up more energised in the mornings. However, keep in mind not to stress yourself to follow the steps perfectly, every person is different and what works for you may not work for someone else, it’s about finding a rhythm that’s best for you. Having a positive mindset on sleeping, getting up and self care should be the main goal. After all, you are reading this blog because you care for your own well being.
If you think you would benefit from some professional support to improve your daily routine and quality of life, you can find help here.
Ela Jean Demir is a Bachelor of Psychology student at the Izmir University of Economics. She is currently an intern at Willingness.
References:
Nakajima K. (2018). Unhealthy eating habits around sleep and sleep duration: To eat or fast?. World journal of diabetes, 9(11), 190–194. https://doi.org/10.4239/wjd.v9.i11.190
Fisher, J., Hogan, S. K., & Fields, A. You snooze, you win.