Ahh, the mornings. You either love them or you hate them. If you’re a night owl living in an early bird world, we have some tips that should help you fall in love with the breaking dawn – or at least not curse it every morning.
Benefits of Being a Morning Person
There are good reasons for waking up so early, we promise.
- You get a head start on the day. The mornings are kind of the best because there are significantly fewer distractions and interruptions, making these hours conducive for maximum focus. Once you master the art of waking up early, it won’t be long before you start taking advantage of the quiet time.
- You’ll notice a change in your mental health for the better. Later bedtimes are linked to depression and anxiety while early risers tend to experience less stress and more emotional stability.
- Bring on the good mood. Sunshine is a natural mood enhancer, so why not soak up as much as you can starting with the early morning goodness?
Tips to (Slowly But Surely) Become a Morning Person
Let the shift begin! Gradually, of course. Here are a few of our best tips for greeting the day earlier than usual.
A Little Bit Each Day
One thing you don’t want to do is totally shock your body, instead, give your body clock a little nudge by waking up just a few minutes earlier each day until you’ve reached your desired wake time. Even five minutes is something worth celebrating as long as you continue making progress.
Perfect Your Sleeping Environment
Research tells us that a cool, dark, quiet room will help you fall asleep and stay asleep, so turn off the lights, put your phone on the charger, turn on your fan, white noise, or nature sounds, and allow yourself to drift off. Waking up in the morning isn’t nearly as bad when you’ve got a good night’s rest.
Power Down
About 30 minutes before bedtime, bright lights and glowing screens should be turned off or put down and put on the charger. Listen, we love to doom scroll in bed as much as the next person, but if you’re like us, you’ve probably experienced that moment when you finally check the time after what you thought was 5 minutes, and you actually have to be up in a couple of hours and trust us when we say, no part of that situation will not make you fall in love with mornings.
Enjoy Dinner Earlier
Eating too close to bedtime means that your body is trying to digest, wind down, and recharge all at the same time, and that’s a lot going on at once. Instead, eat dinner about 3 hours before you plan on heading to bed. This gives your body plenty of time to digest before relaxing and recharging.
Create Your Perfect Morning Routine
Even a morning person will tell you that they probably wake up a little groggy or move a little slower in the morning, and that’s okay because mornings aren’t meant to be rushed. Fill your mornings with little things that bring you joy such as coffee outside, a healthy breakfast, reading, yoga, or meditation, the list goes on and on. Just keep in mind this is time for you and you should utilize it in a way that makes you happy.
Nothing if Not Consistent
Once you find a routine that works for you, stick to it. The longer you stick with it, the more routine it becomes. Believe it or not, soon your body will start waking up and going to bed earlier all on its own.