You have heard that the early bird catches the worm. According to a study by the Guardian, most executives of big companies are up by 5 am. Waking up increases your productivity and enhances mental fitness among other great benefits. A report by the University of Texas shows that morning larks had a GPA of 3.5 on average compared tonight owls that had 2.5.
Similarly, According to Professor Christopher Radler of the University of Education in Heinberg, morning people are more proactive than evening people. If you are an evening person, do not fret. The good news is that you can change your chronotype. Chronotype is whether you are an evening or morning person and takes about two weeks to change. But how exactly do you become a morning person? Here are five easy ways.
1. Get enough sleep
Adults require 7-9 hours of sleeper night to function at their best. This might seem obvious but it is essential if you need to wake up early. In other words, you may have to give up late nights. If you are a night owl, refraining from surfing or doing some activities here and there deep into the night can be quite challenging. So you have to convince you to mind that everything can wait until tomorrow. Go to bed earlier and you will be able to wake up early the next day.
Sleeping for about 6 hours will make it easier to wake up early. So, you will have to adjust. For instance, you need to keep your work and laptop away from your bed. Getting enough sleep helps with cognition such that you will feel rested even before the alarm goes on. Once you get used to it, you might not even need the alarm anymore. Your body will adjust and know when to wake up.
Enough sleep an essential part of our health. Enough sleep does not only increase our production and motivation level it enhances metabolism, lowers blood pressure, increase memory consolidation and elevates concentration and mood. However much we want to succeed there is no way 7 hours of sleep is not attainable.
2. Workout in the morning
We are conditioned to reach peak alertness around mid-morning. Exercising the first thing in the morning wakes up your body. The best way is to exercise in bright light. Morning exercises boost the morning energy surge. Hence you will have increased adrenalin levels and elevated body temperature. Work out in the morning refreshes and enables you to be ready for the day. Once the morning workout routine is in order, the tired, sleepy eyes will go away. In addition, it lowers blood pressure, reduces stress and anxiety.
Exercising before breakfast helps in more weight loss. Exercising in the morning makes you more inclined to eat healthier.
3. Get into a Routine
Our circadian rhythm is designed to wake us up at dawn and sleep when dark. A routine helps our body to prepare. However, on the weekend you may feel the temptation to sleep in. Sleep in confuses the body rhythm and messes up your body clock. To keep the momentum going you should maintain the same schedule all through.
It is imperative that you follow sleep schedule and make it a routine so that your body can get used. After some time you will find that you can wake up almost the same time even without the help of an alarm. That is your internal clock. A consistently waking up schedule makes it progressively easier to get out of the blankets. Set your alarm at the same time every day including the weekends. Waking up early on consistently does not only help avoid confusing your body but also feels great even if you not going to a job!
4. Start Slowly
To make a morning person switch, you should be realistic. You should revamp your morning routine incrementally. For instance, you can aim to wake up 15 minutes earlier every day. A sudden switch might not hold in the long run. Pick a new time to wake up and work gradually toward it. If you want to wake up at 6 am but you are still stuck to 7 am you can start by waking up at 6:45. Keep up the increment until you reach your new goal.
5. Let in light
Light tells the brain that the day has begun. Consequently, the brain sends a signal to the body stopping it from producing melatonin which is the hormone that aids regular sleep. You can use both artificial and natural light. In other words, you should draw the curtains to let sunlight inside your room. Similarly, you can also use artificial light by using bright indoor lights. A bright light is one of the things that can force your body to wake up in the morning.
Our bodies are sensitive to light and temperature. That is why we do not get a good sleep a certain time in the morning even if we went to bed way past our sleeping time. A good arrangement is purchasing a light box. All we need is a little light to reset our body block. You can as well keep the blinds open during the night. Also, take a walk and find the sun for some few minutes. Your body needs some vitamin D. Walking out to give to a good dose of the same and exposes you to natural light. You can also consider brushing outside.
Overall, If you are stuck to waking up late, do not fret. You can adjust slowly using the ways discussed above. However, you should be patient because it will take some time. Start by looking forward to something daily. Whether it’s a meeting, job or family, look forward to something gives you the energy to wake up early every day. Go to bed when tired and avoid using screens in your bedroom. They delay your sleeping schedule. Once you get up, you should get the thing going as soon as possible. You should leave the bedroom immediately, wash your face and start exercising. Follow these simple steps and you will be an early person in no time.