You Snooze, You Lose

Not a morning person but wish you were? Try adopting these lifestyle changes.

When the alarm goes off in the morning, what’s your reaction? Do you jump out of bed ready to start the day or do you lie in bed as long as possible, repeatedly hitting snooze? If your tendency is the second option, you’re not a morning person. When you finally do crawl out of bed following repeated snoozes, it takes some time or a jolt of caffeine before you’re fully awake. Perhaps you envy the people who wake up cheerfully, climb out of bed without a second thought of the warm blankets, and are able to accomplish so much during the morning hours.

Everyone who wishes they were more of an early bird can take comfort knowing there are ways to make mornings easier. Here are a few of them.

Don’t Hit Snooze

Set a goal to get out of bed when the alarm goes off the first time. Hitting snooze and falling back into a light sleep disrupts your sleep cycles and makes you groggier when you finally decide to get up. To avoid the snooze trap, put your alarm clock on the other side of the room so you’re forced to get out of bed to turn it off.

A Peaceful Wakening

Just the thought of the loud alarm beeping is enough to make people dislike mornings. Being woken from a good dream by an annoying sound can put you in a bad mood before your feet even touch the floor. Find an alarm clock that wakes you up with a gentle, pleasant sound that’s loud enough to arouse you. This could be your favorite song, radio station, or nature sounds.

Wake to Warmth and Light

Getting out of bed while it’s dark and cold is hard for most people. Program your thermostat to make the house a comfortable temperature by the time you get out of bed. Your body’s internal clock is set to sleep when it’s dark and wake when it’s light, so crack your blinds before you go to bed to allow sunlight into the room to help you wake up. If you wake before the sun, look into buying a special lamp that imitates sunlight. Some are even made to gradually turn on at a set time.

Go to Bed Earlier

Of course you’ll have trouble getting up in the morning if you’re still tired. A simple remedy for this problem is to go to bed earlier. This may be hard for night owls or those in the habit of staying up late, but it’s possible to change your schedule and gradually move bedtime up. Getting more sleep may mean watching less television, cutting something out of your busy schedule, or turning off social media. Adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night for optimal daytime functioning. Sleep less than this and you can expect mornings to be difficult.

Motivation

You may find it’s a lot easier getting out of bed in the morning when you have something to look forward to. After all, not many people hit snooze on Christmas morning. So each morning before getting out of bed, think of your day ahead and what you have to be thankful for. Maybe you have little, smiling faces waiting for you, perhaps you have a lunch date planned with a friend, or even a yummy smoothie to make for breakfast. The chance to make a positive difference in the world may be enough to get you out of bed with a smile on your face. Whatever motivates you, let it do its thing and you’ll be hopping out of bed ready to go in no time!

“LET US HELP YOU LOOK AND FEEL YOUR BEST TODAY”

Allan Alguire