In my personal opinion, morning is the most beautiful part of the day and I absolutely hate to miss it under any circumstance. There’s simply something about watching the sun rise, listening to the song of the birds and just enjoying the silence before the rest of the world wakes up that just really appeals to me, and it’s when I’m at my best and when I’m most productive.
I wasn’t always a morning person, though; during my teenage years getting up before 1 PM was a miracle, but one day I just got sick of it and decided it was time for a change. Today, I want to share some of the most valuable lessons that I had learned when I was training myself to wake up early, so without further ado here they are:
No Caffeine Before Bed
When I was younger, coffee used to be the first thing I drank every morning and the last thing I would drink at night, which would obviously severely contribute to my unbalanced sleep cycle. As soon as I stopped consuming caffeine in the evening though, the situation improved drastically.
You can still have your morning coffee, and it can even be pretty beneficial to maintaining a healthy sleep cycle, but you really shouldn’t make yourself another cup after, say, 6 PM. During these hours your body goes through a pretty complex process and starts synthesizing and releasing the sleep hormone melatonin, preparing itself for nightly rest. Drinking coffee or any other source of caffeine interrupts this process, and makes it much harder for you to fall asleep when you should.
Having dinner right before bedtime can have a similar effect, so that’s also something that you should try to avoid and have your last meal 3 to 4 hours before you plan to go to bed.
Get a Consistent Routine
The best way to train your body to wake up early is to wake up and go to bed at the exact same time every day. It might be difficult to get used to at first, but once you do you’ll find that it’s pretty easy to maintain.
I learned this the hard way when I got my first dog that demanded I walk her at 8 AM every morning. Needless to say it was one of the best things that had ever happened to me, because it gave me a reason to hold on to a consistent routine that forced me to get used to getting up early.
If this is a challenge, you can find some great Time Management Tips here
Which brings me to my next point:
Plan Morning Activities
If you don’t have a reason to wake up in the morning, don’t expect that you’re going to. Most people unfortunately don’t plan any of their activities before noon so you might have to improvise, but even an early lunch can give you the drive to wake up and get ready for the day.
These days, my mornings are packed full of activities. I take my kids to school, do yoga, spend some time reading a book and anything else I can cram in there. And I still have a few moments to watch the sun rise when I get up at 6 AM, which is always a plus.
Note to mention... Breakfast, the best meal of the day in my opinion! You should really give these Morning Glory Muffins a try. they weren't named "Morning Glory" for no reason!
Turn Off Your Devices
Glaring at a screen for too long can be detrimental to the quality of your sleep. This is because screen glare inhibits the secretion of melatonin and make your body think that it isn’t tired at all, until it can’t take anymore at about 4 AM and collapses.
The problem is that, when you do go to sleep at this hour, you aren’t getting nearly the right quality of sleep, precisely because you’re so tired. That means you’ll need more time to rest, and you won’t even be as rested as you could if you had gone to sleep earlier and not stared at a screen until the wee hours of the morning.
As you can see, it’s really not that difficult to teach yourself to be an early bird, as long as you have the right plan and a little bit of discipline. It’s all about getting in the right mindset and getting your body used to it, so if you can do that you’re already halfway there. I sincerely hope that these tips have helped you and that you will soon be able to enjoy morning as much as I do. Stay healthy!
