Are you a morning person or a late-night person? Did you know a late-night person can become an early morning person? You may wonder how hard it is to become a morning person. So, what are ten ways to awaken your inner morning person and be more productive?
Sleeping at night helps you to rise earlier in the morning
Getting a good night’s sleep is essential to getting up the next morning. If you’re not sleeping well, you won’t be able to rise early or function well. So, what disrupts a good night’s sleep?
Here’s a list of deterrents to a good night’s sleep.
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Napping during the day for too long or too late in the afternoon
Taking a nap isn’t bad, but you should keep it short, so it won’t interfere with your sleep at night. Typically, you shouldn’t nap after 3:00 in the afternoon.
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Too much caffeine
Monitor your caffeine intake. Remember, ice tea, chocolate, and some herb teas have caffeine. Even decaf coffee has some caffeine, so don’t drink it too late in the afternoon.
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Eating too late in the evening.
Late dinners interrupt your sleep. If you eat too late, your body is still digesting food when you’re going to bed. Eat early enough in the evening to give your body a chance to digest. Also, heavy meals can prevent a good night’s sleep.
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Avoid late night cocktails
Believe it or not, drinking alcohol near bedtime can inhibit your sleep. So try to avoid late-night drinks too near your bedtime.
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Screen time
Studies show that when you’re on your phone, computer, or tablet near bedtime, it affects your sleep. The blue screen inhibits your body’s ability to make melatonin. Typically your body produces melatonin at night. It alerts your body when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to wake up. Turn off your technology two hours before bed to guarantee a good night’s sleep.
Medical reasons for a loss of sleep
If you’re not sleeping and you’ve tried all the above suggestions, you may have health problems affecting your sleep. Here are some common medical reasons for insomnia.
- Heartburn
- Hypothyroidism
- Kidney disease
- Heart failure
- Breathing issue
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Dementia
- Epilepsy
- Parkinson’s disease
- Headache
Talk with your doctor if you think your insomnia could be due to a physical problem or medication you’re taking.
How can you become a morning person?
Studies show that morning people are more positive and upbeat. This is true for both younger and older adults. Also, morning people feel healthier and more energetic. In the same study, researchers found that being a morning person may help you have better health later life. Morning people also sleep better and find it easier to maintain their weight.
It’s essential to figure out why you want to be a morning person. This data will help you succeed at resetting your body clock. Maybe it’s as simple as you want more time in the morning before your kids wake up. Perhaps you want less stress in the morning, and waking earlier will give you more time to sit with your second cup of coffee. Maybe you want to increase your overall productivity at the gym. Whatever the reason, knowing why you want to be a morning person will motivate you.
How do you awaken your inner morning person?
So, you’re convinced that you want to become a morning person to be more productive, healthier, and happier. How do you change from your night owl tendencies into an early morning riser? It takes planning and a commitment to stick to your plan. You won’t become a morning person right away. Because you are resetting your body clock, it may take a couple of weeks to feel the advantages of being a morning person.
1 – Put your alarm across the room
Stick your alarm clock or iPhone across the room rather than next to the bed. Having your iPhone next to your bed is convenient, but it won’t help you get out of bed in the morning. It’s just too easy to hit the snooze button. Try setting your alarm clock across the room. This change forces you to get out of bed to turn it off.
One person had such a hard time getting up in the morning. He put his alarm clock downstairs in the living room. He set the alarm for 4:30 am. The loud alarm woke him up and forced him to rush downstairs to turn it off before his family woke up from the loud noise. It was nerve-wracking for a few weeks, but it did the trick. Soon he was waking up at 4:30 on his own without his alarm.
He had reset his body clock. You may not want to attempt such a drastic way to wake up in the morning. That’s okay, but find out what works best for you and commit to not getting back in bed once you’re up. It’s your first step in becoming a morning person.
2 – Plan a regular wake-up time
Figure what time you want to get up. Give yourself enough time every morning to exercise, read or write, shower, and dress. Getting up early will help you be more productive. Many well-known, highly successful people are early morning risers. Here is a list of some of them.
- Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, gets up at 3:45 am
- Sally Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, wakes up at 4:00 am
- Michelle Obama gets up every day at 4:30 am
- Scott Adams, the “Dilbert” comic creator, rises at 4:00 am
- Xerox CEO Ursula Burns is up at 5:15 am to work out
- GE CEO Jeff Immelt rises at 5:30 am for his daily workout
3 – Get ready for bed before you go to bed
Start your bedtime routine two hours before going to bed. This means you should turn off your television or computer. Make yourself a cup of herbal tea and catch up on several chapters of an enjoyable book. Listen to calming music. Sit outside on your patio or front porch to enjoy the night sounds and stars overhead. Take a bath or shower.
These activities help calm your mind and body to prepare for bed. Set out your clothes for the next day. If you plan to exercise, set out exercise clothes and shoes you’ll need in the morning.
4 – Darken your bedroom
Buy blackout curtains for your bedroom windows. Turn off your phone and put it under your something so you won’t get woke up by alerts or the blue light from the phone. Light prevents your body from producing melatonin, which helps you sleep. A dark bedroom signals your body to shift into sleep mode.
5 – Get enough sleep
It’s tough to get up in the morning if you haven’t slept well—plan on getting around 7 to 8 hours a night. If you’re getting up at 5:00 am every morning, you must be in bed by 10:00 pm the night before. If you think you need less sleep, adjust your schedule likewise. You can catch up on sleep on weekends, but many people feel this throws off their early morning wake up schedule. Be sure to guard against burn out by being too tired. Try to get enough sleep to get up early and still function.
6 – Exercise
Exercise seems to be the secret to many successful people’s productivity. Getting up early allows you time to get some exercise every day. Most gyms open by 5:00 am for early birds. You can also walk your dog or run in the morning. It doesn’t matter what you do, but commit to exercise every day.
7 – Create goals of what you want to accomplish
You will be more productive in the morning if you have specific things to do. Maybe you want to finish writing a book or learn yoga. Having the extra time in the morning allows you time to accomplish your goals.
8 – Eat earlier in the evening
Eating too late in the evening affects your ability to sleep well. If possible, back up your evening meal to 6:00 or 7:00. If you can’t do that, then eat a very light late meal. Choose a light salad or a bowl of soup instead of a big heavy meal late at night. Avoid snacking too late at night for the same reason. Your body needs to digest food so it can rest all night.
9 – Don’t nap during the day
Avoid taking naps during the day. Naps tend to disrupt your ability to fall asleep at night. If you’re tired, get outside for a walk or a run to refresh your body.
10 – Eat breakfast and lunch at the same time every day
Creative a daily routine. Set times when you will eat breakfast and lunch. A mealtime routine helps you keep weight off too. An eating routine helps your body rhythm, and your metabolism stays regulated.
Final thoughts on becoming a morning person
Morning people are happier, healthier, and more productive. If you want to awaken your inner morning person, don’t wait. Plan what time you want to get up, set your alarm, and put it across the room, so you’re not tempted to cheat, hitting the snooze button again and again. Researchers say that old habits are difficult to change, but it’s possible.
Studies show that getting support from friends and family can help you establish new habits. So, become that morning person you’ve always wanted to be and watch your productivity soar.
The post 10 Ways to Awaken Your Inner Morning Person and Be More Productive appeared first on Power of Positivity: Positive Thinking & Attitude.
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