You hear it beeping in the distance. It’s faint at first and the sound gets louder and louder. You wake up. It’s 7 am on a Wednesday, not even Friday yet and you have to bulldoze through your morning routine to make it to work by 9 am. You’re under-caffeinated and grumpy. You force yourself out of your warm bed and into the cold wilderness.
We’ve all been there. Not wanting to get out of our warm bed in the morning and when we do we drag through our morning routine. But it doesn’t have to be. You can make your mornings more enjoyable and energetic with simple changes. By establishing a few small habits, you can improve your mood and elevate your energy levels for the day.
Here are my favorite tips for making waking up easier:
1. Snack Before Going to Sleep
I learned this with my brief fling with gestational diabetes. Snacking right before bedtime can help regulate blood sugar at night. Low blood sugar is one of the reasons why you feel sluggish in the morning. To wake up feeling energized, I’ll eat a simple carbohydrate paired with a protein before going to bed. Some ideas could be: low-fat yogurt with some granola sprinkled on top, a banana with a handful of nuts, or peanut butter on a rice cake. But careful not to overdo it. Eating too much right before bedtime can make it more difficult to stay asleep.
2. Drink Water After Waking Up
This goes against most modern-day rituals but hear me out. Instead of reaching for a cup of coffee after waking up, try water instead. Caffeine dehydrates the body and after not eating or drinking for 7–8 hours, you’ll need water to perk up. Keep a bottle by your bedside table so you can re-hydrate once you wake up.
3. Exercise
A light exercise session that gets your endorphins flowing will give you more energy. Some easy options include a light jog or weight training or quick easy 15-minute workouts on YouTube. Pro tip: keep your exercise clothes near your bed so you can hop into them right when you wake up.
4. Let the Sunshine In
Open your blinds in the morning to let the sun in! The sun is a natural source of energy. Use it to reset your circadian rhythms, the biological changes that respond to night and day, to get out of bed easier.
5. Place Your Alarm Clock Away from Your Bed
Most of us these days use our cell phones as alarms. By placing it across the room, you’ll force yourself to get out of bed to turn it off. By getting out of bed, you increase the likelihood of waking up, rather than falling back to sleep. Once you’re awake, chug your water and put on your workout clothes and you’ll be ready to start the day.
If you enjoyed this, check out my other wellness including my favorite books on happiness and 25 Positive Affirmations to Light Up Your Life.
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