How to wake up early and become a morning person

Do you often find yourself wondering how to wake up early?

If you’re someone who hits the snooze button every morning, feeling more tired than when you went to bed, you’re not the only one.

Having the best pillow and most comfortable duvet can make it incredibly hard to leave your bed, but there are a number of other reasons you could be struggling to get up early every day, one of those being your genes.

“We’re all programmed to some degree to either be a morning lark who wakes up early but struggles to stay up late, or a night owl who stays up late but can’t get up,” says Sammy Margo, chartered physiotherapist and sleep expert.

Another possible cause of your slow mornings could be your circadian rhythm. This is the ‘clock’ that controls your sleep-wake cycle and can be affected by a range of health and lifestyle factors, according to Sammy.

While there isn't much you can do to change your genes so you're suddenly leaping out of bed at 6am every morning,

there are lifestyle changes you can put in place to make sure you are successfully completing your sleep cycle every

night, which will make it much easier to wake up early.

Ready to become more of a morning person? Here the experts share seven easy ways you can train yourself to get out of bed as soon as your alarm goes off.

1. WORK OUT YOUR IDEAL BEDTIME

If you feel tired and groggy when your alarm wakes you up, it’s probably because it has disturbed your sleep cycles.

“Sleep inertia occurs when you wake suddenly during slow-wave sleep (deep sleep),” explains Lisa Artis from the Sleep Council. “The brainstem arousal system is the part of the brain responsible for basic physical functioning. Though it’s activated immediately upon waking, our prefrontal cortex (PFC), which oversees decision-making and self-control, takes a while to get going. It can be up to 30 minutes for our PFC to catch up with the rest of our body.”

To ensure you allow your body enough time to rest while still waking up at your desired time and avoiding oversleeping, you need to make sure you are completing the five-step sleep cycle.

“Work backwards from the time you want to get up to get your ideal bedtime,” says Lisa. “For example, if you sleep for 7.5 hours a night, multiply 90 minutes (the length of each sleep cycle) by five (the number of sleep cycles per night) to get 450 minutes or 7.5 hours of sleep. Allow yourself 15 minutes to drop off to sleep. Therefore, if you need to wake up by 7am count back 7.5 hours plus 15 mins to nod off, and you'll find that your ideal bedtime is 11:15 pm. Make sure you’re in bed before then, and have a bedtime routine that ensures you’re feeling relaxed and ready to sleep.“

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2. GET OUTSIDE FIRST THING

As soon as you wake up in the morning, get up and get outside to avoid any temptation to crawl back into bed for a few more minutes.

Whether that's going for a walk, having your morning coffee by the window or doing some light yoga for beginners outside, getting daylight as soon as you wake up helps to reset your body clock

“This is critical to learning how to wake up early,” says Sammy. “It tells your body you need to be asleep again in 16-18 hours’ time as it resets your circadian rhythm. Getting out in the fresh air for some exercise is ideal, but even sitting by a window or having a coffee in the garden is better than nothing.”

3. INVEST IN YOUR BEDROOM

Investing in your sleeping environment for good sleep hygiene is so important to help you fall asleep fast and ensure you wake up feeling refreshed in the morning.

It's often overlooked, but making sure the air and temperature in your bedroom are spot on is essential for better sleep.

The optimum bedroom temperature during the night is between 16-18C. “If your room is too hot or cold, your body won’t release the melatonin needed for sleep,” explains Sammy. “It also needs to be clean and not damp. A dehumidifier is a good option, otherwise, open your bedroom windows during the day to air out your room.”

Having a good mattress is key to a comfortable night's sleep and ensuring you know how to clean a mattress is essential for your health. After eight years of wear and tear, the quality of your mattress deteriorates by around 75% and, therefore, needs to be replaced to provide the support your body needs at night. You should also make sure you clean it regularly to avoid a build-up of dust mites, dirt or mould.

Keep your bedroom as quiet as possible by investing in soft furnishings or carpet to muffle sounds, Sammy suggests. If you live in a particularly noisy area, try earplugs.

Credit to Woman and Home

https://www.womanandhome.com/health-wellbeing/sleep/how-to-wake-up-early-and-become-a-morning-person/