Most people are morning risers by nature. We are programmed to wake up with the sun. Some very lucky people are up and cracking at the break of dawn. By the time the rest of the world wakes up, they have already accomplished so much.
Most of us dream of becoming early risers. The people who wake up at 5 am or 6 am have at least a 2 to 3 hours head start from the rest of us. What this might mean for you could be a leisurely breakfast, some time for exercise, a jump start on your task for the day, preparing things before your family wakes up, or unhurriedly getting ready for work. Whatever an early morning start means to you, it gives you more time to accomplish your to-do list with some peace and quiet before the sun is fully up.
Now, if you are happy with your “wake-up” schedule, then by all means, stay with your routine. If you want to be an early riser, here are a few tips to get you started: (Please take note that it will take trial and error for you to find your rhythm).
Set your alarm a little earlier each day.
Let’s say you wake up at 8 am each morning and would like to start getting up earlier, for this example, we’ll set a 6 am wake up time. Set your alarm back incrementally. 15 minutes is the recommended time. Set your alarm back a little by 15 minutes each day until you get to your desired wake up time of 6 am. In 8 days, you should be able to get up at 6 am. Don’t hit the snooze button. That defeats the purpose of this exercise. You set an alarm to wake up earlier, not to have the allowance to hit snooze. If you hit a snag, then just keep trying but DO NOT force it. Work with your body, not against it.
With that said…
Go to bed at the same time each night.
This will ensure that you get the recommended hours of sleep, which is 7 to 8 hours for most adults. We are all different, some need more, and some can function on less.
Have a night time routine to help prepare your body for sleep. Mine is taking a shower, brushing my teeth, doing some sort of skin care routine (moisturizer, hand cream, eye cream, etc.), and reading. I try to stay away from my gadgets because the blue light emitted by screens can affect our sleep cycles [1]. Form your own night time routine and keep doing that regularly. This will help signal your body to wind down for the day.
In line with creating a night time routine…
Create a morning routine.
Create a morning routine that you can look forward to. Be really excited about it. Think of preparing a great breakfast. Or you can use that time to meditate or exercise. A quick run or hike (if you’re in an area with beautiful hiking grounds) would be something great to look forward to.
My morning routine involves making an event out of preparing French pressed coffee. It starts with boiling water. As I wait for that to boil, I play with my dog. Once the water has boiled, I carefully measure out 2 scoops of freshly ground coffee beans, pour that into a French press, and pour the water in. While I wait for the beans to infuse, I set out a breakfast for my pet. Then we sit together as she eats her breakfast and I sip my coffee. The quiet time is something I look forward to every morning.
How about you? What are your nighttime and morning rituals? Got any tips on how to be an early riser? Let us know in the comments. Remember to stay humble and hustle hard.
Written by: Jaie O. – The Help
References:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side